//------------------------------// // Alone // Story: From the Everfree // by RandomWyrm //------------------------------// In the Everfree Forest, where the plants grow without aid and the clouds move without pegsasi lies a young unicorn. The heavy smell of rain with the humidity of the forest woke him, his face smeared with wet mud and his body ridden with small cuts. A ray of sunshine shone on the young colt's face. The pounding of his head made it difficult stand up and his legs felt like jelly. He leaned on the nearest tree for support as he kicked himself back up, the rough bark scraped against his coat as he pushed himself upright. “Where am I?” he saw rows and rows of trees. It appeared that he was in some sort of forest. He walked beside of the trees, carefully planting his hooves on the slick mud. As he walked he began to ponder. How did I get here? His memory struggled to find an answer, but it was difficult, perhaps even painful to try to remember with his drilling headache. But the most important question hit him as he slipped yet again on the mud and fell on his back. “Who am I?” Tears came to his eyes as he tried to remember who he was; he sat down and began to sob. After what seemed like hours, he wiped the remaining tears from his puffy eyes and stood up. “No point in crying, I need to find shelter before dark.” He started to walk through the grass, as the last rays of sunshine disappeared, dark had begun to fall on the forest. The trees of the forest seemingly stretched to infinity, it dampened his hopes as he realized that he would probably never walk out of the forest. A cave appeared at the foot of a mountain, and that was where the young unicorn had decided to rest for the night. He was cold, tired and hungry but he decided that he would have to endure it until the next day. He dropped a pile of grass and leaves onto the rocky ground and divided the pile into two. One for the bed and one for the fire, but how am I supposed to make fire? He scrambled around for some stones, using his teeth he held one in his mouth and struck the other stone with it. But to his disappointment there wasn’t a spark. He sat down, depressed and hopeless. The mouth of the cave now brought in some cool night air. Suddenly a yellow glow illuminated the insides of the cave, it wasn’t long before he realized that it came from his horn. “What do I do with this?” An idea appeared in his head. He concentrated and pointed his horn at the pile of leaves; his face was scrunched up from the effort. At first nothing happened, but then his horn fired a beam of sparks into the leaves and they began to catch fire. His felt a great relief and excitement as he learned of his newfound abilities. His mind dulled as he fell into his bed of leaves, his fatigue took over as he drifted into his dreams. The colt seemed to be falling, but at a very slow speed. He fell into a patch of forest, amazed that he was unscathed he tried to get up, but realized that thick brown branches restrained his legs. The trees laughed at his helplessness as he begged them to release him. “You’ll never leave the forest!” shouted one tree. “Maybe you can, in pieces!” laughed another. The trees parted and the scene dissolved as a voice echoed in his dream. “Remember who you are.” “You are Wildwood” The voice starts to fade. “Wait, tell me more!” the colt shouted. The dream dissipates and he wakes with a start. Rays of sunshine pierce the canopy and light to mouth of the cave. The smell of burnt leaves and morning dew combine as he looks at the pile of ash that remained of his fire. Wildwood doubled in pain as the wave of hunger hit him. He needed to find food and water. Stumbling out of his cave, the unicorn spots a path that he hasn’t noticed before, the grass had been flattened which meant that somepony had recently walked there. He trailed down the path and noticed a clump of trees. They looked very different from the surrounding trees; the leaves were plentiful and grew in clumps. The trunk was a different color, a lighter shade of brown than the rest. But the key difference was that the trees contained grey fruit that dangled from the tips of the branches. A sharp current ran through Wildwood as he tried to pick some of the apples, he cried out in pain as he was thrown back onto the ground. “Ow.” Moaned Wildwood. He tried using a stick to whack the apples of their branches, but they were as sturdy as the tree itself and remain glued to the branches. The hunger pains were becoming unbearable as he sank down on his knees. “Please, give me something to eat.” begged Wildwood as his strength saps away from his body. Suddenly the sky darkened as lightning struck the trees in front of him. And he watched in awe as a rainbow-like pattern formed above the trees and the apples underwent a dramatic transformation. The dull grey apples had been changed into rainbow coloured ones. An apple fell off a branch and rolled into one of Wildwood’s hooves. He felt rejuvenated as he took a bite of the apple; the euphoria of the miracle had brightened up his spirits and he got up to his feet. With his hopes restored and newfound confidence, Wildwood had decided to venture on the path. He constructed a makeshift sack out of some ferns and leaves to hold the apples then continued down the cleared path. A few hours had passed before he noticed any dramatic changes to his surroundings. The trees on this side were brighter and friendlier that the ones that he had seen a while before. The constant walking had worn him down, he was now sweating profusely and his cuts were beginning to sting. The last drink he had was down at a river that he’d passed a few hours ago. The sack of rainbow coloured apples was getting increasingly lighter as he stopped to eat more often. Wildwood had reached the edge of the forest by noon, tired and sweaty, he was blinded by the sunlight for a few seconds when he parted the leaves. They reveal a small town or village that wasn’t too far away, a small dirt path trailed from the forest to there. The dirt from the road clung to his sweaty hooves as he walked out of the forest. It was a very sunny day; the strong rays of sunlight burned his back as he journeyed on. It wasn’t before long before dehydration plagued him, his every step was a struggle and his mind was dull. Wildwood couldn’t focus on the road and he slumped. He looked at the sky as some vultures circled over, he realized that he was losing consciousness. Just before he blacked-out, a pink outline trotted into his field of vision. He heard a gasp and some words were blurted out. It didn’t matter to him as the words made no sense and he slowly succumbed to the darkness.