Hoof Steps in the Dark

by Fuzzyfurvert

Exhausted

Chapter 4

The cool mid-autumn air cooled the burning sensation on her scraped, bloody knee. That was good. It also sapped her energy, as the eventual adrenaline high from her flight from the Castle of the Two Sisters— and the back alley behind Sugar Cube Corner, and her own library—turned into an adrenaline crash. That was bad. Her wing beats were slowing down, becoming fewer and farther between, her overall speed slipping to a barely maintained glide.

Twilight Sparkle glanced down. In the dark of night, with the moon and stars overhead, the rural fields and pasture land that surrounded Ponyville was surprisingly well detailed. Despite that, she had no idea where she was, or whose farm she was soaring over.

Well, ‘soaring’ is a relative term in this case. Those tree tops are awfully close looking. Keeping her altitude was proving difficult as her flight muscles in her chest and back were starting to burn and her breathing was becoming increasingly ragged. Okay Sparkle...think! Flying to Canterlot is going to be a long shot at this rate. If I wasn’t running on fumes and fear, I could manage it, but this? Not happening.

Twilight looked back behind her at the receding blot that was a peacefully sleeping Ponyville. The darker silhouette of her new castle rose highest of all, standing out against the night sky. She could still make out a tiny sliver of the starlight glimmering off its crystal growths. Dang, I’ve hardly made any progress at all! She gasped when something darker than both the night sky and her castle moved at the very edge of her vision.

It was still following her.

Fear spiked through Twilight, and her body responded, pushing her fight or flight instinct into overdrive again. The burning was momentarily forgotten as she beat her wings hard to catch more air. Her hooves grazed the top of a copse of trees and she started to climb again into the clear sky. All she could think of was how much she must stand out against the rest of the sky, how much of a target she was.

Think smart! Twilight grit her teeth, lowering her head to streamline herself. I can’t run forever, need to hide, catch my breath and use my magic to make some real distance.

“...twilight sparkle…”

The whisper came from right over her shoulder. The chill night air turned suddenly dead-of-winter-cold wind and tore at her mane and coat, making her eyes water.

“...you don’t...have the sixth…”

“What?!” Twilight dared a quick look back, but nothing was there. “I don’t know who or what you are, but you aren’t getting near to my friends!”

“...spark...didn’t...”

“Oh yeah? I’ve trained with the Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria! Catch me if you can!” Bravado had overridden sense, it seemed, but Twilight knew she was going to need to do more than just run. She tucked her wings in tightly, the way Rainbow did when she performed a powerdive. Below her, the ground started to approach rapidly, the details turning murky. She pointed her nose where she wanted to be, out over a small pond, it’s far bank shrouded in the shadows of tall trees.

The maneuver was risky. She wasn’t anywhere near as skilled as her pegasus friend, but if she pulled it off, she’d have more than enough speed to propel herself at a glide long enough to evade whatever was chasing her, and gather enough magic in her horn to trigger another long range teleport.

At least, that’s what she hoped.

The cold air clawed at Twilight’s face as she approached terminal velocity. The ground below her was a blur of shadows, until it suddenly gave way to the ink-like shimmer of the pond she was angled towards. That was the signal she was at the right height. Twilight tucked her legs in tight and flicked open her wings to grip the wind, angling them to pull herself up and out of the dive. The strain was intense. It felt like she was trying to a wing-up with Rainbow Dash standing on her back along with the rest of her friends.

Twilight pushed, gasping against the pain, her eyes closed to a narrow squint. She could barely see where she was headed, but she put her trust in the laws of aerodynamics and momentum to keep her from hitting the surface of the pond like a falling stone. Her wings felt like they were about to snap when the tremendous pressure shifted along with the wind. She forced her eyes open enough to make out the water a mere hoof-span under her, spray kicking up in her wake.

The last dregs of the bravado came back to her and Twilight let out a whoop. Assuming she made it to the dawn, she was really going to have to thank her friend for the relentless flight drilling. She looked forward and the bottom dropped from her buoyant mood. She’d pulled up in time to avoid a watery crash, but speed was hurling her straight into the trees at the pond’s edge faster than she could pull up. She took a deep breath, threw all of her will into a spherical shield and closed her eyes.

***

When she cracked open her eyes again, her impromptu violet shield was sputtering back into nothingness. Twilight looked up from where she had come to a final rest on her side. Behind her, there was a visible path through the foliage and canopy that her crash had beat, snapping branches and thinner tree trunks that dared get in between her and the loamy soil. She could see the edge of the trees where they sided up the waterline, the starlight making it seem bright comparatively.

Even as she watched, that light dimmed, the already cold leaves under her coat getting colder as a dark mist rolled in.

Twilight sat there, breathing hard, the mist curling in over the surface of the water. It extended thick fingers between the tree trunks, searching the forest floor for its prey. For her. Before her eyes, Twilight’s ragged breathing started to fog in front of her. The woods around her creaked quietly, the tiny sounds of nocturnal wildlife halting. They knew as well as she did that a predator was under the canopy with them.

Twilight clacked her teeth together, clenching her jaw as she struggled to her hooves. Mud, leaves, and sticks rained down from her coat. When the bubble shield failed, she’d only sank in a few inches into the moist forest floor, and even in those few seconds, more than enough of the stuff latched onto her, sapping away her body heat and weighing her down.

Twilight shook herself off like a dog and scrabbled over the log she’d come to rest against. Other other side she found more muddy earth and leaves, but the starless depths of the wood was thankfully clear of mists. Hopefully it was equally clear of whatever was chasing her.

“Just...just got to get to Canterlot.” Twilight took a step, flinching at the loud snap from the litter of branches and twigs. “Just got to...contact the Princesses. Just got to make it...until the dawn.”

“...twilight sparkle…”

“AaaAhh! Get away from me!” Adrenaline hit her system like a sledgehammer, her heart pounding in her ears as Twilight shot off into the woods, too Tartarus whatever lay in the shadows.

Comments

[Lunar Justice]

Well look at that. The update was unexpected, but welcome

[Exaxxion]

See now I need more of this, liked the updated can't wait for more

[TheLastBrunnenG]

Forgot how much I missed this! Good to see you back in top form, FF.

Can't wait for Twilight to fail in her escape, and end up not regretting it. Hopefully.

[Phara]

OMG, THE HORROR STORY CONTINUES! I'M EXCITED OH MAH GOD!

[Lotus Moon]