Crimson Mare

by Sphinx_Herald

Foreboding Days

“You look like shit,” Lore says leaning back a bit and taking a sip from his cup of tea. He and Nova sit inside small café near the train station. A couple of bags sit on the floor next to their table. With a sigh he sets the cup back down and glances around the café. The walls are something of an off white, or rather a cream color, with dull red accents. Only a few ponies sit at the other tables. Still, the scent of coffee and muffins fills the air. Eventually his eyes come back to Nova.

She looks down at her cup of hot chocolate which she has barely touched. Her shoulders slouched, forehooves crossed on the table. Her eyes are tired and distant with dark circles under them. Her mane is messier than usual. “Nova, you still in there?”

“Huh?” Nova mumbles. She sits up in her chair with a groan as if she has just been woken up.

“I was just saying you look lovely today,” he says with a sarcastic smile. Nova glares back at him.

She takes a drink from her cup, keeping her eyes on Lore. “Gee, thanks,” she says when she puts the cup back down.

“Having trouble sleeping again?” he asks, though he suspects there’s another reason. Nova doesn’t answer, instead she just looks back down at her hot chocolate. He stares at her and briefly wonders if he should leave her like that, but decides against it. “Nova?” he says in a louder voice. A few of the other customers look their way, but go back to their own business a moment later.

Still, it snaps Nova out of her daze as she blinks a few times and looks at Lore. She rubs her temple with another groan. “Sorry, haven’t had much sleep lately.”

“Nightmares?”

“No not… well… kinda. Ty has been bothering me a lot lately, and the nightmares have been back since I left Fluttershy’s. They’re all… all about my...” Her words catch in her throat.

“Don’t worry, Nova. It’ll pass. There’s not much I can say that’ll change your birthday for you. Honestly, I doubt it’ll ever be a good day for you, really the best you can do is just make it ‘another day’. However, I can make you some tea, that should help deal with the nightmares.”

Nova shakes her head. “You’re going on trip in a couple of minutes.”

Lore shrugs. “So, it can wait. I can always catch the next train.”

“It’s not gonna wait, you’re not going to put your trip off for me, I don’t deserve it.” Lore opens his mouth to say something, but Nova holds up her hoof. “You’re the one who’s paying for me to simply eat. I already owe you for that… and for Hearth’s Warming, I’m not going to owe you anything else!”

He smiles at her, happy she’s not devaluing herself for once. “Alright, just be sure to take it easy, don’t worry about the past repeating itself.” To this Nova frowns and looks back down at her cup.

For the next minute or so they sit in silence. Lore enjoys his tea and tries to relax, though the creases forming on Nova’s forehead concerns him a little. Once he finishes his cup of tea, he decides it’s time to bring her back to reality. But, before he can snap her out of her train of thought she speaks up. “So, why are you going to the Griffon Kingdom, again? How many times have you went there?”

Lore shrugs and waves his hoof dismissively. “I lost count of the time’s I’ve been there, and why should I bother counting? It’s a nice place, the griffons are nice, if not a bit gruff at times. All their buildings are large and impressive, there’s some much to do there. Besides, I doubt I’ve been there more times than any other place.”

A sly smile creeps over Nova’s face, fake but at least it’s an attempt at being happy. “I bet there’s someone there that you like. And I don’t mean friend, I mean a ‘special somepony’, or in this case a ‘special somegriffon’.”

The laugh from Lore catches the attention of the other customers, getting him a few odd looks. For a brief moment her smile becomes real. “Well, I ain’t gonna tell, if you want to find out you’ll just have to come along.”

She rolls her eyes with a snort, but falls silent quickly after. “I hope you have a nice trip.” A sad smile crosses Lore’s face. “Now, don’t you go feeling sorry for me,” Nova shoots before he can say anything.

“Why would I feel sorry for a fire-breathing--” A sharp glare from Nova cuts him off. “Uh, yeah, sorry, forgot about the whole public thing,” Lore says with a sheepish grin as he scratches the back of his head. Nova just shakes her head, she stops abruptly lost in thought again. Lore sighs and looks out the window facing the train station. It’s impossible to keep a conversation going with you. Several other ponies stand on the platform, supposedly waiting for the same train as him.

“Do you think what I’m doing is right?” Nova asks after a few moments.

Lore smiles reassuringly. “I told you, the debts are how--”

“Not that, I mean… hiding. Is it right that I should be hiding from Celestia?”

The questions catches him a little off. He stares at her for some time as he thinks it over. With a sigh he shakes his head. “No, it isn’t. Even with your history I’m sure she’d be willing to help you.”

“But, that’s the issue, I don’t--”

“Deserve the help?” Lore cuts her off, having heard it enough times. “I won’t argue that you do, but what I am going to say is that Celestia should know. You two were… ‘friends’ in vague sense of the word. You never got closer to her than that.”

“I’ll tell her, just not now.”

“That’s good, because if you don’t tell her she’ll find out another way, and we both know that won’t turn out well.” Lore looks at her as she seems to think over what he said. But, before long a train whistle cuts through the air closely followed by the sounds of a train coming down the tracks. “Looks like my train’s here.”

Nova looks up from her cup and out at the coming train. She doesn’t say anything, but gets up and Lore with some of his bags. They head outside, Nova leaving behind her half-empty cup of hot chocolate.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Lore asks over the screeching of the train as it comes to a stop. Soon ponies start pouring out of the train and onto the platform.

“Yeah, I’ll be… actually, no, I don’t know. But, I’ll try.”

“Okay then, guess that’s better than nothing. Take care, and take it easy,” Lore sighs.

“I will, see you in a week.”

Before he turns to leave he pulls Nova into a hug. She tenses up, but doesn’t move to push him away. After a few seconds he lets go and heads for the train. “See you in a week,” he calls back.

Too bad he won’t be here for the party.

Nova huffs out a thin stream of smoke and starts heading off. This is gonna be a long week. She walks down the street back to her cave, too tired to bother flying as well as giving her time to think. She glances over her shoulder at Canterlot, standing on its mountain perch.

I don’t see why you’re afraid of her. I bet you we could take her in a fight.

She huffs out another breath of smoke, but she disperses it with a flap of her wings quickly after. Shut up, I’m not in the mode to argue, Ty. Better idea, don’t talk to me over the next week. With that she starts back down the street, though a part of her mind stays focused he had said. Why am I afraid? It’s stupid, I shouldn’t be afraid of Celestia. She’s kind, nice, just. She won’t execute me on the spot, at least I don’t think so.

I could help get rid of that fear.

Shut up, she thinks back harshly. A flash of agitation passes through her, but she suppresses it, for now. Time passes slowly for her as she walks. Thoughts and memories swim through her mind, nothing specific just flashes and images. This is going to be a really long week.

Bah, don’t worry, I’m sure your birthday will be fun.

Another prick of agitation passes through her, she pushes it to the side.

Little less than half an hour later Nova arrives at the edge of Ponyville. She comes out of her daze of thoughts to find herself standing on the path just outside the Everfree Forest. A wall of dense trees spans before her, most of them now covered with leaves. It seems a little darker than it should given that it’s midday and there’s still enough gaps in the branches for light to shine through. She looks around in confusion, wondering how she took the wrong path. The forest spans for quite a while in either direction. Fluttershy's house if not far off from where she stands now.

A moment later she finds herself staring at the forest again. She can feel an odd energy coming from the forest, drawing her toward it. “There’s something wrong with that place,” she mumbles. She stares at it for another moment before turning away and finding a path the leads to her ‘home’.

Coming from you that means something is really wrong with it.

“I thought I told you to not talk to me.” She doesn’t bother looking to see if anyone heard her. The only pony that would be nearby would be Fluttershy. As she walks away she glances back at it, the odd energy still trying to draw her in. She scoffs and tries to ignore the feeling. Something in there wants me to come…

Well, why don’t we go in and see them. It’ll be just like your other birthdays.

“Shut up already.”

We could even invite Twilight.

Anger flares up in Nova’s chest. A few flames burn along her back and wings and the smell of smoke reaches her nose. “Shut up! Just shut up and leave me alone.”

I’m sure she’d love it, just like how Aura loved the last one.

Nova freezes, the memory of her friend flashing back into her mind. “Don’t you dare mention her!” Nova shouts as she lets her anger loose.

Author's Note:

Right, sorry for amount of time between updates. I know I say it a lot, but I'm honestly sorry. I'm a procrastinator, horrible quirk to have in college. So I tend to do everything else, before I do what I want to do, and what I should do. Anyways, hope you enjoyed regardless. Until next time,
-Sphinx

Comments

[Lord_01010000]

Stupid inner demon, or whatever Ty is.....

[Sphinx_Herald]

7291452 Thanks for the compliment, kinda... Yeah, I know my writing isn't particularly great. I have that issue rather often, though I doubt there's much I can do about it. It's just my way of writing, and the way I have grown used to writing.

Also, I probably won't be changing out of the present tense. I have had a few complaints about that, but again, that's just the style I use. Anyways, thanks for the comment and the criticism, hope you find the rest of the story a bit easier to read. Until next time,
-Sphinx