Chapter 17-The Hunted
She ignored the screams of worry from her closest friends. They’re voices were already growing dim with each passing second as Twilight dodged shattered tree limbs. The remains of Prime’s path of destruction made it quite simple for the princess to follow, even if she lost sight of him in the dark foliage.
That didn’t stop her. Twilight shouted his name over and over again, but still he would not answer. This confused the Alicorn.
Why would he run? Surely Optimus didn’t believe that she and her friends were a threat to him. Sure, those ponies from before attacked him in a blind fury for reasons unknown, and with Twilight sharing the same species as those psychotic ponies of course Optimus would feel threatened by her presence. That still didn’t stop the unending question racing across her mind.
Why didn’t Optimus recognize her? He had known her for a long time, fighting side by side with the Equestrian race through dark storms and even darker times. Twilight was there every time, fighting with Optimus in Canterlot, and in the Crystal Empire. How could he not remember who she was?
Was the change of becoming a princess somehow altered Prime’s memory of who she truly was, just a shy unicorn from Canterlot whose only destiny is being Celestia’s student? Certainly not. Optimus would know her on first glance, no question about it. That still didn’t explain why he didn’t know them.
Twilight heard her name being screamed from behind. Swinging her head around, the flying Alicorn saw nopony behind her but disappearing tree branches. She brought her focus back ahead.
“GAH!”
Two seconds of a distraction was all it took. She wasn’t looking where she was flying, and now she paid the price. Twilight’s right wing clipped a nearby tree trunk, sending the princess wobbling and losing her flight pattern almost instantly.
She screamed. The Princess of Friendship couldn’t fly with only one wing still capable, and now she was plummeting towards the muck and scum below.
Her shoulder was the first to hit the muddy surface, but with the force of the crash her head was forced forward, making Twilight unable to control where she was headed…which unfortunately turned out to be a tree. Twilight shut her eyes tight as the approaching trunk came far too quickly. Nothing more could Twilight remember when the darkness overcame her vision.
_______________
Twilight opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
She couldn’t feel the lower half of her body, which sent her mind into a panic. However, her mind was set at ease when the feeling slowly came back. Twilight waited a few more seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The sound of owls hooting and crickets chirping caught her attention quickly. This only worsened her fears.
Twilight brought her head up, immediately she regretted doing that for a wave of pain crashed against her skull like a tidal wave smashing against stone. She lifted up her hoof and rubbed her temples, groaning in pain the entire time. Several twigs and leaves fell off of her hoof. Twilight noticed that most of her body was covered with the stuff. Maybe her crash earlier had caused the tree to release some sprinklings from above to cover her up. That’s why her friends probably didn’t find her.
Speaking of them, the Alicorn looked around, noticing her friends were nowhere to be found and it was dark. It wasn’t dark like the Everfree appeared to be during the day, it was much thicker. It was darkness she could literally feel.
Her chest heaved in and out, her breaths became uncontrolled.
It was night…and she was alone in the Everfree Forest.
“Oh no… Calm down, Twilight. It’s cool…everything’s cool… There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
She didn’t know if she was kidding herself or not. Still, Twilight forced herself to remain calm. This wasn’t the first time she came into the Everfree at night, and each time she came out fine. That didn’t ease her tensions though, because she knew that the more…ruthless creatures hunt at night.
She needed to get out of here. Chasing Optimus Prime was a bad idea.
Her legs felt wobbly standing back up. Leaves and dirt fell off the princess in little bundles. Once she was back to full height, her hazy vision tried to bring Twilight down to the mud again, but she wouldn’t let it happen. Twilight knew full well that passing out again would not help her chances of survival.
The Alicorn looked around, noting the massive bundle of trees scattered across the dirt in front of her, a clear sign that Optimus had passed through the area. He was long gone now. Perhaps after she got out of the forest she could contact the princesses for a large search party. But for now she just had to escape.
“I gotta get out of here,” Twilight whispered.
Taking several painful steps forward, Twilight followed Optimus’ path back where it started. This was clearly her only way out as the rest of the forest was blanketed in its everlasting darkness. Luna’s bright crescent moon only offered a little light to the path ahead, not like that helped Twilight much.
She was on constant alert. With every cautious step she took down the path, Twilight could just feel a creature hiding in the pushes, watching her, hunting her. She tried to think of something else, something to get her mind off the impending doom she really didn’t want to imagine.
She only had one thing in mind.
Optimus.
As she remembered during her chase, Optimus clearly didn’t recognize who she or her friends were. Becoming a princess obviously wouldn’t shatter Prime’s perception of her. Even if it did, he would still remember Rarity or Pinkie Pie, though he acted as if he never saw them before.
Had something happened since the last time they met? How he even got back to Equestria confused Twilight to no end. Also, why didn’t the other Autobots come back? Why Optimus only? Why did those ponies try so desperately to kill Optimus Prime? Don’t they know of his sacrifice and heroism? Twilight had a feeling none of these questions would be answered sooner.
Maybe…maybe he did lose his memory.
Even if he did lose his memory, this would have been a golden opportunity to reconnect and rebuild their friendship to make it much stronger than it was before. However, Optimus was lost in the maze known as the Everfree Forest, and his new fear of ponies only deteriorated her hopes of reconnecting with him.
Who were those stallions trying to kill Optimus?
Thinking of Optimus now…this only brought the Alicorn to tears. She sniffled hard, her whimpers echoing across the forest fauna. Who could blame her? She lost him again. After being so close, so very close to saving him with their Rainbow Power only to realize that it didn’t work had caused her great misery, misery she hadn’t felt since she let him go so very long ago.
Now here he was, alive for reasons she clearly couldn’t think of. Princess Celestia had mentioned that it was because Optimus had no Energon to remain functional. Maybe that had something to do with it. Perhaps those stallions had Energon, because after they arrived to the farm, Optimus came back.
None of this made any sense to her. Not that it needed to, only one thing mattered to Twilight now…and that was Optimus. He was gone yet again, forever lost in the dense forest nightmare. She knew he could take care of himself, but that still didn’t help her wounded heart.
Her tears paved the hoof prints she made leaving the forest.
A sharp crack came from below her. Twilight looked down through teary eyes to see her hoof crushing a large twig. Her eyes widened.
“Oh no…”
Howling came quickly, followed by bushes rusting and growls approaching. Twilight spread her wings in panic and jumped off the ground. Her right wing refused to flap properly, resulting in a face full of mud. Twilight quickly got back up, her terrified eyes scanning the dark forest around her. A hazy fog rolled in around her. Twilight’s heart rate reached an unbelievable level, knowing now that she couldn’t fly and was left in the open.
Several glowing orbs appeared in the black, all of them the color green.
Twilight slowly backed away from the sight of the orbs. She spun around, only to shriek in terror when she was face to face with her attackers. Its face resembled that of a canine, except it was completely made of wood. Its bright green eyes glared into her violet, sending unending chills racing across her skin. The breath of the creature swirled around Twilight’s nostrils, causing her to grimace in disgust. She knew the creature by heart, but dared not say its name out loud.
Timberwolves.
The beast forced Twilight to back away, its growling maw leaking tree sap. Twilight scrambled away from the Timberwolf. It was at that moment did she realize that she was surrounded. About seven or eight of the creatures were now fully emerged and ready to strike. Twilight looked for an opening, anything that could somehow get her out of this situation…
She saw it.
Twilight quickly cast a spell. She shut her eyes as a white flash surrounded the area, causing the Timberwolves to yelp and whimper. Twilight almost fell to the ground, the energy in her body nearly depleted after that spell, but she could not lie down and rest. She needed to escape.
The Timberwolves shook their heads to get their sight back. Once it returned to them, they all realized that their prey was gone. Looking in all directions, the alpha male of the group growled in a certain direction that the others turned to. There they saw the pony dash into a cluster of trees. The alpha male howled in hunger.
The hunt had begun.
Twilight Sparkle couldn’t fly, that was for certain. She needed to keep the remaining energy she had in losing these Timberwolves that were no doubt chasing her by now. Twilight spun her head around for a quick second and saw every single one of them several feet behind her…and they were getting closer.
“Somepony…anypony…help me!" Twilight cried, jumping off a rock in her path. The Timberwolves followed right on her trail, growling and howling the entire time.
_______________
He saw her run away. He saw those creatures chase her even deeper into the forest than he intended to go himself. He placed his massive black fist on the tree he hid behind and watched the thing that chased him earlier suddenly being chased herself. It was quite ironic.
He didn’t want to stay too long. The thing was on her own now; she seemed pretty capable of taking care of herself anyways. Still, something stopped him from turning and leaving, and it was that faint, little cry.
“Somepony…anypony…help me!"
The giant turned his head back towards the direction he saw them run off. A new feeling overcame whatever was left inside of him. The gentle giant rubbed his hand over his chest; large pieces of rust ripped off from his touch and floated to the dirt. He closed his eyes, this strange new feeling telling him to act…for it was the right thing to do.
He stared at his rusty hands.
The cry from that female came back, this time growing fainter. He looked back at the direction of the scream. If he was going to act…he needed to act now.
She’s…crying for help?
Why would a creature that attacked him…be asking for help? Maybe…she wasn’t one of them.
Help...
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Orion Pax go help Twilight Sparkle or no Energon.
Even if he doesn't remember who he is, deep down Optimus will never forsake the life of an innocent being.
Deep down he still has that moral belief of his. 'Freedom is the right of all sentient beings'.
Help her, Orion! She needs your help!
Go on, Optimus! Help her! Crush those Timberwolves into splinters!
This story has quite the bit of a TF4-based storyline.
4918640 Like it was mentions hundred timed before Primus knew what he was doing when he gave matrix of leadership to Orion.
4918960 I'd say it's really more like references than just the entire story. Yes, it'll have some moments similar to TF4, but I came up with everything else by myself.
Twilight's devotion to Optimus is admirable. Will he rescue her from the Timberwolves that now have her cornered? ^_^
Even without his memory Optimus will always do what's right. I'm just wondering if Optimus will be as jaded as he was in Age of Extinction.
Well I can say that you did a great job in making Twicorn helpless.(useless) Every idea I had that would help her, you already covered. You were very thorough in this, good job. I'm wondering if Optimus is going to fight a giant Timberwolf in the next chapter. I doubt it will be much of a fight since Optimus has his sword and guns.
4921499 You'd think he would have his sword and guns.
4921625
Why wouldn't he? They're basically a part of him.
4921499 I know we have opinions but please don't talk about Twicorn here.
I would like that crap to not be here nor would i like shit storms to start here.
And the only difference between Twicorn and Unicorn Twi is the wings and that's it its not like she changed colors and got a new name.
I'm honestly worried
about those Timberwolves
4924255
I only bring it up when I think it's necessary and apparently JD finds amusement in it. All I said was that he covered the bases when he wrote this chapter.
4924288 But what are the bases?
The only difference i have seen is wings and a Princess title which she hardly has acted like this season
probably going to happen in 5 though.
4924288 And I'm not saying I'm going to start it but if there is enough Twicorn comments its then that the storm will start.
4924330
First he had her injure her wing that prevented her from flying away, than with head injury she suffered from crashing, she couldn't use magic to defend herself thereby making her helpless. He actually did a better job in this than the season premiere did.
4924373 So if Twicorn is useless
Unicorn Twilight is also useless.
4924395
I guess it depends on the situation.
4924395 Twilight is not useless! Seriously what's with the Twilycorn haters around here and the "trollestia" crud?
Optimus Prime is going to become an Alicorn princess. Princess Optimus Prime behold behold.
4925834 Its not what I'm saying its a come back to another dudes comment.
4927324 still. What's wrong with Twicorn and Celestial?
Come on Optimus, or Orion I guess, help her. Even when he is low on Energon he should still be stronger than a few Timberwolves.