//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Under the Moonlight // by chuck-vic-norris //------------------------------// Fifteen years ago It was dark and quiet, with only the moon being the source of light and the running water of a river providing the only sound. All that could be seen were the tall and eerie trees accompanied with large thick bushes as far as the eye can see. Within the thick forest was a river that connected to a lake, its clear water reflecting the moonlight. The calm flow of the river provided a soothing tune that made the Everfree Forest less ominous. The steady flow of the river was suddenly disrupted by three colts who were barely teenagers as they ran in fear. Their legs and lungs were begging for rest, but the thought of being mauled or eaten made them pick up their pace. “You idiot! Out of all the crazy ideas you had, THIS WAS THE WORST! WE’RE DEAD!” one of the colts yelled as the group tried to escape the forest. “Shut up, Storm! You’re just making it easier for it to track us!” the second colt whispered breathlessly. Storm ignored the second colt and looked desperately at the third, hoping there would be some plan to escape alive. They could hear the beast chasing them panting as it was getting closer. “Blaze, what do we do?!” he nearly shouted. Blaze quickly searched his surroundings as he and his friends ran. The forest was too thick with trees and branches for them to take flight. Flying their way through would only lower their chances of survival should any of them injure their wings. With their legs reaching their limits they needed a plan quickly. Come on, there has to be a cave to hide in, we can’t run forever! He began to lose hope when he realized just how deep they were in the forest. At the pace they were going, they would never reach the edge. We’re gonna die…this is all my fault… Blaze felt as if his heart was being torn apart by the very beast that was chasing them. What started off as Blaze’s idea of a late night race through the forest had sadly transformed into a race for survival. When he faced his friends in their final moments, tears were flowing down his face. At that moment, his friends knew there was no escape, their end was inevitable. With a heavy heart he said to them, “I don’t know…” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Meanwhile The night was painfully slow as a couple was sitting in the living room of their home. It was nearing midnight and their son had yet to return. Their daughter grew concerned for her brother’s safety as well and begged to wait in the living room. It took time, but the parents had managed to convince her to go upstairs to bed. Now they currently wait on the sofa, the mother looking at some of the family photos hanging on the walls, and the father constantly glancing at the clock by the kitchen area. Never before had their son stayed out this late at night. The latest he would arrive would be around ten due to the dangers of the area near the forest. The parents had waited patiently for his return but as it neared eleven, their patience quickly changed to fear. They had reported to the guards about their child missing and anxiously waited for word to return. A knock on the front door had both parents scrambling to their hooves and they nearly yanked the door off its hinges. In front of them stood a guard carrying a straight face, but his eyes betrayed him and their fears only grew. The mother was the first to speak. “Where is he? Where is our son?!” “Please tell us you found him,” begged the father. Unbeknownst to the adults, the daughter was listening from the top of the stairs, staying out of sight but still able to see the front door. “I’m sorry folks… We managed to find his trail, but he most likely won’t be found… by us.” the guard said with difficulty. “What do you mean? Where does the trail lead?!” the mother nearly shouted. Up to this point, the guard tried to keep a neutral form, but seeing the mare in such a state was too much for him. Bracing himself for the inevitable, the guard gave his answer, his voice wavering. “The trail leads to the forest, I’m sorry…” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The little filly could not believe her ears from what the guard said. She didn’t want to believe what he said. She considered her older brother to be invincible, an example of something that was untouchable to even Princess Celestia herself. Lightning Blaze’s frame was firm and well built, a gifted athlete. But if he was in the forest… Her world shattered shortly after she heard her mother’s wails downstairs for the loss of her only son. It was the only confirmation she needed. It was too much for the filly. She slowly backed away from the stairs, entered her room, and closed the door. When the door clicked shut, it was like a detonator. The tears and pain the filly had kept inside when she was by the stairs came crashing down in waves. The poor filly did not have the strength to stand, and therefore leaned against the door and fell to the cloud floor. Every tear she shed was like a slash to her heart. After what seemed like an eternity, she forced herself off the floor and onto her bed, her legs feeling like lead. The amount of grief in the room was enough to make even the most heartless of creatures shed a tear. As the filly settled herself in the blankets, she took a glance at a photo on her side table. It was a photo of her and her family smiling with pride. Her brother had won first prize in the Best Young Flier competition. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Best Young Flier competition had just ended. The once full cloud coliseum was now surrounded by pegasi as they exited. A particular family of pegasi flew out of the structure. The parents looked at the crown upon their son’s head, their minds still replaying the stunning flying techniques he displayed that impressed Princess Celestia herself. With the amount of pride they displayed, it would be no surprise if a blind pony could sense it. “Someday, I’m gonna fly as fast as you, Blitz!” Right beside the young stallion was a little filly who buzzed around him like a humming bird. While her wings were still small, she flew better than most foals her age. With the amount of skills she developed, it was most likely she would earn her cutie mark soon. The stallion chuckled at his little sister’s comment. “Hehe, think you can outfly me, sis?” he playfully challenged. “Just wait til my wings grow more, I’ll beat you in ten seconds flat!” The older sibling had no doubt that she would become a great flyer when she grew older. His adoration for her grew with every improvement she made in flying. “Ha, looks like I’m gonna have some competition. Tell you what. When your wings grow in more, I’ll teach you some of my tricks.” “Really?!” Lightning Blaze was aware of his sister’s love of flight. He remembered when brought her to a Wonderbolts show on her birthday. He had never seen anypony with so much determination to be the best until that day. Since then, he taught her the basics in flying and encouraged her to do better by showing his own techniques. “You bet. And some day, you’ll win the Best Young Flier competition too.” “Do you really think so?” “You’re not named Rainbow ‘Dash’ for nothing.” He chuckled. The little filly tackled down the older pony with a surprising amount of strength, considering her size. As he landed on his back on a fluffy cloud, the filly was bouncing on his chest in excitement. “Awesome! Thanks Blaze! I can’t wait til you teach me, then I’ll be just as awesome as you are!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ More tears began to shed and whimpers echoed in the room. She turned away from the photo and closed her eyes, failing to stem the flow of tears. The filly could hear the cries of her parents in their room and slowly tuned them out. Her mind and body exhausted, she began to lose consciousness. As she gave in to sleep, the last noise she heard was the sound of a wolf howling into the night. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A year before the present “GAH!” Rainbow Dash woke with a start. Gasping for air and feeling the sheets sticking to her coat, she realized she was sweating in her sleep. Searching around her room and seeing the moon shining through her window, she realized it was still night. Taking one last deep breath, she closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her racing heart. It was just a dream… no need to freak out about… As she rubbed her eyes, she felt an unfamiliar wetness that trailed down her cheeks. Was I… crying? It was rare for her to cry, the last time she found herself crying in her sleep being– That was a long time ago, there’s no need to keep holding onto the past… even if it was hard on all of us. As she opened her eyes, she faced a picture that was on the side table near her bed. She took the picture in her hooves and gazed at her brother on the photo. Rainbow felt the tears build in her eyes and tried to hold them back but with no success. An old wound thought to have been closed had reopened. Hugging the photo tightly to her chest and bottom lip wavering, she clenched her eyes shut and let out a strangled sob, recalling the events of that day. I won, just like you said, big brother… You would have been so proud… Opening her eyes, her gaze fell on the crown she won earlier in the day from the Best Young Flier competition. Next to the crown was a photo of her and her friends celebrating her win at the library. After staring at the photo for some time, her quivering lips formed a shaking, sad smile. Closing her eyes, she took deep breathes in hopes of getting her body to relax. As she opened them, she took note of the moon’s position in the sky. Taking one last look at the photo in her hooves, she set it down next to the crown and the photo with her friends, allowing herself a small smile. Realizing just how exhausted her body was from the competition and from crying, she faced away from the photos and closed her eyes. I wish you were here… Giving a sigh, she willed her body to sleep. Before she fully lost consciousness, she thought she heard a wolf howling to the moon, but decided to push the thought out of her mind and rest.