//------------------------------// // Stuck in the Everfree (Part Four) // Story: The Fall of Spike the Dragon // by Wrangle Wolfe //------------------------------// Trees. Bushes. Grass. Trees. Flowers. Critters. More Trees. "I'm so tired of trees. How could you stand living in this forest for so long." I said, resting on the manticore's back. He looked back at me with that wonderful little smile of his. "There's nothing wrong with trees. Besides, the Everfree is my home. I like it here." He replied, his smile growing slightly. "They serve many purposes in this world. How would we ever live without them?" "Well, of course they're really important. But seeing nothing but trees for your whole life can't be too great." I said with a small sigh. "Looking at them gives you time to think." He said. "What do you think about when you look at them then?" I asked. He had a distant look in his eyes as he stared at the trees that towered above us. "I think about life and all that's in it. How beautiful and dynamic a seemingly boring creature can be." He says. He paused and looked to his left, pointing at a nearby tree. "Look at that tree over there." I followed his paw and looked at the tree. It looked like any normal tree. Nothing too special about it. "Now look at this one over here." He pointed at another tree and it was gnarled and old, possibly close to dying. He walked over to the first tree, resting his paw on it. "This tree looks so boring. It's a tree that someone would see as any old tree. But this tree has been through adventures, friendships, and love." "What do you mean? How can you tell?" I asked, not seeing how it went through such things. "Look here." He pointed at a part of the bark that was chipped away. I squinted at the spot, trying to figure out what was so significant about it. After a few moments, my eyes widened a little. "You see it, don't you? It must've been hundreds of years back, but two creatures who were in love have carved into this tree. They've put their emotions and soul into this carving. The love behind these scratches is immense and will never leave this tree." He had a nostalgic look in his eyes for a moment before moving to the other tree. "This tree has seen many things. The stories it could tell are countless. In its long life, many creatures called it home. Other creatures used it as a spot to rest and relax.. Some even hurt this tree. But it never complained. Never stopped shielding this forest's many creatures. Its always been there and has lived a long life of doing absolutely nothing but helping others its whole life. Despite its somewhat off-putting appearance, all who have spent their lives near it all the time have come to love it. It's like one of the many mothers of the forest. Pretty soon, this mother can rest knowing that she's helped the creatures, her children, through most of her life. She is sentient. She hears my words, and I hope she knows how much she's appreciated." The manticore gently stroked the bark of the old tree. "She's like a mother to me. She has been with me for as long as I can remember. Now, she can't hold up much longer." He sighed. He stayed silent for a while, not moving an inch. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say and I wasn't sure if this was a good moment to speak up. By the time I had made up my mind on speaking, he moved away from the tree and began walking back in the path we were going in before I mentioned the trees. I didn't say a word and he looked back with a goofy grin. "Hey, I've stopped reminiscing about my past. We can talk about normal things now!" He chuckled. "Um okay... do you have some kind of deep feelings about the grass too?" I asked jokingly with a small chuckle. "Oh yes, of course. How could I forget to mention the grass? Every little grass blade tells a deep, sometimes even cryptic story of their own..." He said, softly patting the grass in front of him. I deadpanned and he laughed loudly. "Oh I'm kidding. But I can say that I absolutely love nature, and I don't mind being surrounded by it at all times. It's absolutely gorgeous." "I can agree with you there. Nature can be absolutely breathtaking when you really take the time to appreciate it." I agreed. He nodded and was silent for a moment. "Say, what're you gonna do when you get out of here?" He asked. "I was going to just... wing it, I suppose. There's not very many options after all." I said "Hmm... you know, after hundreds of years, I believe I could use some time out of the Everfree. Mind if I tag along as you 'wing it'?" He asked, looking back at me with a small, gentle smile. "Sure. I could use the company of a good friend." I smiled back and nodded. GRRRRRRRRRRR! "W-what's that noise?" I asked in fear, looking around the forest. "That, my dear, would be the vicious growling of my stomach." The manticore said with a chuckle. "That was your stomach?!" I asked incredulously. "That sounded like the growling of an ursa major!" "I know, isn't it great? It scares off predators so well! Unfortunately, It means that I'm very hungry." He looked back at me with a wicked smile. "And with a pony on my back, I don't have to got through the trouble of hunting!" He pulled me off of his back and opened his mouth, coming close to me as if he were going to eat me whole. I closed my eyes, just knowing I wasn't going to make it. Perhaps I deserved this fate. I'd failed my ponies, let several of them die, and hurt them. It wasn't like I was helping anypony. What use was I? I felt the heat of his breath come closer, closer... And a large tongue lapped the side of my face. "W-what are you doing?" I asked as he licked my face again. "Scaring you into believing I was going to eat you even though you should know that that's preposterous." He said with a chuckle. "I'd never actually do that to ya." I snorted and flicked my hoof at his nose, making him quickly back away and hold his nose. I rolled my eyes and got on his back again, not saying a word. "Oh come on, I thought it was funny!" He pouted. I remained silent. "Really? The silent treatment?" He sighed and continued walking forward, this time looking around for any small critters that he could hunt. "What's so bad about my little prank?" "It's not the prank..." I mumbled. "It's the thoughts I had when you were playing that prank." "What thoughts did you have, then?" He asked. "I thought that I deserved to die. After all of the horrible things I've done, I didn't care about you eating me."I sighed. The manticore froze in place and looked back at me with the most serious look I'd ever seen on his face. "You don't deserve to die. You are important in the world and you fight to do good. If that doesn't make you worthy of breathing, I don't know what does." He said. "But I always fail... and when I fail, innocent ponies get hurt. Why should I keep living if all I ever do is hurt other ponies?" I asked with a sigh. The manticore frowned and pushed me off of his back. He turned around and looked at me in the eyes. "Yeah, so everything isn't going right. Big deal. That doesn't mean be selfish!" He yelled. "How will your sister feel when she finds out? If your ponies have some hind of hope, how do you think they'll feel when they found out one of their princesses, a powerful alicorn not only failed, but gave up on them? Have you ever thought of how many ponies care?!" "I doubt they have any kind of hope! Their friends and family and children are dying out there! There's no changing that! How many ponies will even care when they hear that I've died? I never did them any good! So what if their useless Princess of the Night has died? I'm sure they'd rather have their dad family back than me! And my sister? She sent me to the moon for a thousand years! Did she not expect me to go mad during that time?! It seems to me that she didn't really care, seeing as she never even asked me if I had suicidal thoughts despite everything I went through! What is the point-" My rant was cut off by a pair of lips being shoved against me. My eyes widened and was I surprised to see the manticore kissing me. My heart raced and it seemed as if the kiss was going to last forever, and I wasn't complaining. I felt warm inside and wished the feeling would never go away. Unfortunately, the kiss had ended right after that thought. "You speak nonsense. I don't want to hear those petty excuses. You deserve to live." He snorted, letting out a small growl before walking away, not bothering to put me on his back this time. I sighed. He had simply done that to shut me up. But why did it have to be a kiss of all things? I shook my head. He may be wise, but he was still a bit of a nut. I began following him in silence, thinking about his words. I really was being selfish, only thinking about myself. Luckily, I had a good friend to lead me in the right direction.