Monsters in the forest

by Voltsthevoltvolts

An unexplained absence

Ivy followed the pathway back towards the town, Gilded slowly walked next to her. "So Gilded, how come you don't look very old?"

"Believe it or not, but I didn't always look like this. I used to have a pale blue mane, a nice cobalt coat... Of course, that vanished after the first few-hundred years." Gilded chuckled lightly. "I don't mind this look, I think it suits me rather well." The pair continued to walk down the path until the forest started to thin out. "Well, I guess this is where I stop." Gilded stated.

"Yep but!" Ivy paused briefly. "I will be back tomorrow!" Ivy happily chirped. "Now, I just need to explain why I was gone for so long..."

"Good luck Ivy, I look forward to it." Gilded happily waved goodbye to the young filly as she walked back into the town. A few guards greeted her as she reentered the small town. Ivy looked up, she could just about see the sun setting through the trees.

"Ah Ivy! Your father is looking for you, he was just about to send a search party!" A guard hastily said. "lucky you came back when you did."

"Oh! Was I gone for that long? I lost track of time." Ivy quickly explained. "I Will go see him and tell him I am all right."

"Thanks Ivy, I don't like it when he worries. It puts the town on edge." The guard replied. "Personally, I'm happy that you are okay. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Goodbye Ivy."

"Bye!" Ivy happily said as she walked away from the guard and made her way to the house. When she opened the door she saw her dad pacing back and forth. "Dad I'm home!" Ivy happily announced.

"Ivy! I was so worried about you!" Oaken rushed over to his foal and gave her a hug. "Where did you go?"

"I just saw some nice flowers..." Ivy innocently said. Oaken gave her a stern look. "And I may have met somepony, but they were looking for herbs!" Ivy hastily added. "They didn't find what they were after and had to head home."

"Oh, do they need help?" Oaken curiously asked.

"No, its just a rare flower. I promised I would go back and help them again tomorrow." Ivy replied. "Oh, we bumped into a shade."

"What!? A shade? Are you alright?" Oaken hastily inquired, inspecting Ivy for any signs of damage.

"No I'm fine. I just did what you told me to do and it went away." Ivy proudly said. "I don't know where it went, but it went away."

"Good, shades are dangerous. Was the other pony alright?" Oaken inquired.

"Yeah, they were fine. That's why I agreed to go back tomorrow. So I could protect them! Just like you!" Ivy happily said. Oaken sighed happily.

"One day Ivy, you will be the best guard this town has even seen. I know it." Oaken proudly said. "Provided you want to be a guard."

"Of course! I want to be best guard ever!" Ivy happily shouted. The pair separated and Ivy sat down in a nearby sofa. "So, what's for supper?"

"Well we have some fresh apples that the farm ponies gathered." Oaken rolled his eyes. "We also have some leftovers in the fridge if you're that hungry."

"Nothing nice then..." Ivy sighed. "Oh well..." Ivy got up and ran into the kitchen, she returned with a large apple in her magical grasp. After taking a large bite out of the apple Ivy promptly spat it out. "Yuck... These are cooking apples."

"Yeah, might have been good to tell you about those..." Oaken laughed evilly. "Then again, what is fun in that?" Ivy glared at her father before joining in on the laughter.

"Fine... You got me..." Ivy admitted, she then threw the bitten apple into a small container filled with compost. "Now Dad, what do we really have?"

"Nothing. You ate everything yesterday!" Oaken laughed. Ivy frowned and shot daggers at her father.

"Seriously, what do we have? I'm really hungry." Ivy groaned loudly, her father rolled his eyes and sighed.

"You are more then welcome to go ask the neighbors, or conjure some food up." Oaken joked. "But after you raided our food stocks earlier we are plum out until tomorrow."

"Awwww..." Ivy complained before sighing loudly. "I might go get back that apple..."

"No Ivy, that's gross." Oaken sighed. "I'm sure you can last until tomorrow."

"But Daaaad! I'm so hungry!" Ivy complained.

"Well, you will have to wait." Oaken glanced outside and then turned his attention to large grandfather clock. "The lights are going out for the day and its getting late. It might be best if you go to sleep, you have had a busy day."

"But Daaaaaad... I'm not sleepy, I'm hungry!" Ivy groaned. "Daaaaad..."

"Enough Ivy, now go to bed." Oaken ordered.

Ivy sighed and reluctantly made her way to her to her bedroom. Ivy entered her bedroom and got into her bed. Oaken entered the room and stood beside the bed. "Hey Dad?"

"Yes Ivy?"

"Love you..."

"Love you to. Now goodnight and sleep tight."

---

Gilded had moved away from the clearing, just in case Ivy had told anypony about her, she was now at a small pond. Gilded looked at her reflection in the pond. The mare gently used her magic to generate a ripple in the pong, when the water settled the mare staring back at her was not the mare she had seen before. The new mare had a much messier mane, blood red eyes and a sharper horn. "Who am I kidding, I shouldn't have friends. I am nothing more then a ticking time bomb..." Gilded sighed and moved away. "Yet, I want this to work. I want to have a friend! I want to prove to everypony that I am not a bloodthirsty monster."

Gilded moved over to a nearby tree and pulled a few branches down to her level, she then jumped on the branches and climbed onto the tree and settled down. "Goodnight Ivy, see you tomorrow...."