//------------------------------//
// The First Attack 
// Story: The Crimson Leaf 
// by Slooth 
//------------------------------//

	"Wait, what are we doing all the way out here by the Everfree forest." Caramel asked as his companion was leading him closer to the border of the woods. The moon was just barely peaking through the clouds that were blanketing the sky, and he could barely make out the form of the pony in front of him. He could feel his heart racing, a feeling of panic beginning to rise, as he began to doubt the intentions of his companion. 

"Look," Caramel said, coming to a full stop "You said you needed someone to come with you to your house to help you move some stuff, but the closer we get to that forest the more I feel like you have been misleading me. Now I'm not taking another step till you tell me what's going on!" He shouted defiantly.

The pony in front of Caramel stopped walking and turned around to face him. At the exact same moment, the clouds cleared and the moon shown through, completely illuminating his companions' figure. She was a pegasus, not to old, but definitely not young. she had a gleaming black coat, and a long, flowing blood-red mane. As a beam of moonlight hit her eyes, he could see that they were an enchanting silver hue. 

"I'm so sorry," she said apologetically, gazing right into his eyes, "My house is really close, I didn't mean to become a burden."

"No wait, no it's fine, you haven't really-" Caramel stuttered slowly, hoping it was dark enough that she couldn't see how much he was blushing. "Sorry, I shouldn't be complaining, I just wasn't expecting you to be living all the way out here. Let's keep going."

She said something Caramel assumed was a thank you, but he was to busy thinking about how pretty she looked. That's one of the main reasons he volunteered to help her in the first place, that he wanted to help out of course. As they continued walking, Caramel started to think of ways that he could ask her out on a date, maybe get to know her a little bit better. What were the odds that on the night he randomly decided to take a late night stroll through town that he would run into a stunning pegasus who needed his help. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice how close they were to the edge of the forest, or the giant stick the was being swung at his head.

He instantly snapped back into reality due to the shock of pain coursing through his entire body, as the force of the blow lifted him into the air, sailing into the Everfree forest, and causing him to slam into the ground with loud thud. He slowly tried to get up, completely dazed and confused; what just happened, had he been attacked, was she okay. As Caramel got to his feet, he started to look around for his companion, when he got slammed into the trunk of a large tree, this time not by a stick, but by the force slamming into his ribcage. He heard a sick cracking sound, and by the stabbing pain in his chest he assumed that he probably had a few broken ribs. 

Trying to get back on his hooves, a bile taste began to fill his mouth, and he started coughing up blood onto the ground of the forest beneath him. Even with his blurry vision he could tell that the leg that had the most impact with the tree, was broken. He couldn't hear anything other then the rapid beating of his heart and deep breaths of air that he was trying to keep in his body, one thought coursing through his mind.

'I need to get the buck outta here!'

With pure adrenaline coursing through his vains, he got back onto his three good legs and started desperately limping towards lights of Ponyville shining through the trees, like a ship sailing towards a lighthouse in the middle of a deep fog. As he saw the edge of the forest in the distance, a glimmer of hope filled him.

'Maybe I can make it,' he thought to himself, 'maybe I can get away, maybe-.'

"Awe, where are you going?" a familiar voice asked through the darkness of the forest surrounding him. causing him to freeze in pure terror and confusion. "I thought you were enjoying the time we were spending together."

'Move!' His head was screaming at him. Caramel knew he should be running, but the for some reason, whether in pure shock or fear, he felt as though all three of his good hooves were stuck to the floor. 

Suddenly, he saw her, the silver glare of her eyes against the moonlight. She must've known he spotted her, because she started to make her way towards him, her black coat making her appear as though she was forming from the very darkness of the trees themselves. 'MOVE!' his body screamed, but he couldn't seem to get any part of his body to work. He simply stood, heart pounding in his ears, pain coursing through his body, unable to move as she approached. 

"Why?" he was barely able to choke out, tears streaming down his face, "Why are you doing this to me?"

As she slowly approached, he could see a smile forming on her face, and the closer she got, the bigger it stretched, till by the time she reached him, it was a full out grin. 

"Because I was bored."

Suddenly, she was no longer in front of him, but above. She grabbed him along his midsection and rose into the air, carrying him like he was a freshly picked flower. Caramel could hear the cracking of another rib, barely able to breathe from the position he was being held, and the pain that he was in. All he could see was the ground below him quickly fall away as she rose higher into the air. He could clearly see Ponyville in the distance, the lights that were calling to him seemed so far away. He was crying full force now, knowing that he would probably never see it again. 

"Hey, don't cry," she said, not a single hint of actual concern in her voice. "I'm glad I was able to meet you, you really are a cute stallion and all. Now I'm just letting you finish what you started." A sinister chuckle escaping her lips.

"You get to fall for me."

She let go, and Caramel starting falling his back heading facing the ground. He looked up at the sky, and saw the silhouette of the pegasus spreading her wings in the moonlight, her shadow completely separating him from the light.

Then he hit the ground.