The Everfree Forest - 12 Years Before The Return of Nightmare Moon
As Daring Do waded through the swamp, she could see the eyes staring out at her from the gloom. They were cold, betraying no hint of anything but a manic desire to kill—tiny points of light in a sea of grey, offering no escape.
Though it was nighttime, enough light leaked through the trees for her to make out what their bodies looked like. The creatures were far larger than any pony, with a skeleton frame made only of wood. Only a few hours ago, she had laughed at the local tales of ligneous wolves that dwarfed even the tallest of apple trees. Now, seeing them close up, she could see why the locals called these creatures timberwolves.
It was also clear why they were afraid of them. One of these monsters could easily tear her in two if she let them catch her. Luckily, she’d managed to find a bog before becoming part of the Everfree food chain. She now sat with her eyes just above the murky water, hearing the gnashing of teeth coming from all sides.
Daring lifted her head out of the water for a much needed breath of air, swallowing a little mud in the process. With the adrenaline from the chase beginning to wear off, she could once again feel the throbbing of her wings, which hung limp and mud-plastered at her sides.
That’s the last time I sleep on top of an ant’s nest.
Though it always made for a good story, she wouldn’t mind being able to fly away from danger every once in a while instead of spending a night hiding in a smelly mud bath. It was better than being eaten alive, but not by enough.
Finding the mud just as boring to look at as the wolves, she looked back out into the darkness. The piercing eyes still stared out at her, the occasional snarl cutting into the eerie silence of the woods. Daring knew she could sleep the them out and count on the daylight to come to her rescue, but if the rest of the Everfree was any indication, there were probably creatures in her pool of muck just as nasty as the ones on dry land. Somehow, she had to escape.
How did that song go again? Can’t go over it because my wings are busted, can’t go under it because I can’t swim in mud, and I can’t go around it because I can’t outrun the wolves. If memory serves, I’ve got to go through it.
Without a plan or second thought, Daring Do leaped from the muddy water. Time stretched and images blurred as she put her front hooves on the ground and turned to face the closest timberwolf. She fought her sudden instinct to flee and ran headlong at the creature. The wolf followed suit, leaping at its prey with claws outstretched. Daring felt the wooden body past just inches from her as she rolled under, and from behind heard the crunch of fallen leaves where the beast landed.
Before she could turn to face the first wolf, another one came into her view, only its glowing eyes visible. This one was craftier than the first, strafing to her right, trapping her against the swamp. Left with few other options, Daring jumped at the creature, spun, and bucked it at hard as she could. There was a loud snapping noise and pieces of wood flew in all directions. With no time to admire her handiwork, she ran at the other one, who jumped aside rather than meet the same fate as its comrade. As she passed, she felt a sudden burning pain coming from her side.
Daring skidded to a halt, crying out in agony. She stole a quick glance down at her left side and saw three deep gashes stretching from her stifle to her thigh. It felt like she’s been dipped into the lava pits of Tartarus and left to roast. She looked back up at the timberwolf, who was now joined by four others. They stood a few lengths away, just watching, probably thinking that they’d won. Though she didn’t want to admit it, that was an accurate thought. She tried to put weight on her hind-left hoof, and the fire burned up her side once again. Stubbornly, she refused to take her hoof off the ground and found that the pain was bearable, at least for the moment. With no other options, she turned around and made for the edge of the forest.
Though between the midnight swim and the charming gallop through the woods, I’m not quite sure where that is anymore.
She forced a smile through her grimace, but the joke did little to ease her pain. Behind her, she could hear the footfalls of the timberwolves who followed, content to match her pace. Daring forced herself to run at faster, knowing that it was only a matter of time before she bled out.
It didn’t take long for the effort to take its toll. Running kept her wound from scabbing over, and her lightheadedness grew with each drop of blood she lost. She looked frantically to both sides, searching for a run-down cottage, a thicket, or anywhere else to hide, but she found nothing.
Just before her legs fell off and her lungs exploded, she reached a clearing full of what looked like flowers, though it was hard to tell by the moonlight alone. A few bushes stood out, offering the only cover in the field. Though she desperately wanted to get out from under the trees, it would have been unwise to enter; there, the timberwolves could overtake her in an instant. She was about to turn left into the woods when she noticed something she had missed before. It was a pony-like figure, running to intercept her across the field. Whoever it was seemed unfazed by the woody behemoths chasing after her. Daring ran straight into the field, Hoping that the stranger could fend off the timberwolves long enough for her to escape.
As the stranger passed, Daring could see their appearance in more detail. They wore a brownish cloak that covered their head and body, and under the hood, their eyes glowed yellow in the moonlight. From the pony’s size, they were probably a mare, or perhaps a pegasus stallion, though she saw no sign of wings.
Whoever they were, the stranger seemed intent on meeting the timberwolves in force, passing Daring at an impressive pace. The newcomer ran with what Daring could only call eagerness, though she had no idea why anypony would be eager to meet something as fearsome as a timberwolf. The whole situation made her curious, and though running away would’ve been the smart thing to do, she stopped to watch.
By this time, the strange figure had met the wolves. Rather than attack directly, the creatures had formed a ring around her, showing uncharacteristic timidity. From what she’d seen, timberwolves seemed best suited to chasing down prey rather than facing potential meals face to face. Perhaps they didn’t know what to do, but she didn’t know for sure.
After a brief standoff, her benign protector made first move, grabbing something from their cloak and removing her hood. Upon seeing her face, the creatures seemed to lose most of their confidence. There was a clear recognition in their body language, as if they had some reason to fear the hooded figure.
The stranger used this temporary shock to their advantage and lifted the item higher, causing the timberwolves to move back in turn. They paused for a few moments, and when the creatures didn’t retreat any further, her savior swung a hoof at the center-most timberwolf, sending a fine glowing dust from the object.
At first, the dust seemed to have little effect, and the timberwolves moved to resume their attack, emboldened. But as the seconds passed, Daring began to see some subtle changes, and then some more noticeable ones. As the other timberwolves looked on, the victim of the powdered assault began to glow the same red color as the powder. Growths popped up all over the creature’s body. They had an odd shape to them, and Daring could’ve sworn that they looked like tiny mushrooms, though the faint light could only tell her so much. At any rate, these changes seemed to frighten the wolves, which ran off into the forest, the others fearful that the same would be done to them.
For a few moments, the stranger watched them run into the forest, following the glowing red figure until it blended into the darkness and the tree trunks. The predators took the silence with them, as the smaller creatures which had been afraid to make their presence known now allowed their sounds to join the light symphony of the forest. Daring hadn’t realized how eerily quiet it had been, but the ambiance was relaxing.
Meanwhile, her rescuer turned around, eyes glowing yellow as they had before. The effect was sinister when combined with the darkness of the forest and the stress of her chase. Though they obviously meant good, there was something odd about them she couldn’t place.
Daring looked up to find that the figure was standing right in front of her. A voice, presumably theirs, came to her ears as though it was traveling through water. She could barely understand it though the murkiness.
“Are you getting along alright? To me you look like quite a fright.”
Daring knocked her hoof against the side of her head, trying to clear the swamp water from her ears. The world started to spin, her vision grew cloudy, and what little energy she had left sapped out of her. With a final glance upward, she collapsed into the tall grass of the meadow. The last thing she saw was the yellow eyes of the hooded stranger, which faded as her mind went numb.