Stone

by Rienhardt

Everfree

Stone
A my Little Pony fanfic
By: U.E.Gonzalez

The Everfree Forest means something different to everypony; to some it is a dark and foreboding place, while to others it is an intriguing scientific puzzle, to others still it is more. A place to live, a home, a land of adventure. There are few ponies that brave the dreaded forest and this is but one such pony: Stone Hooves.
The day was passing its high point, the clouds beginning to once more distend from their seemingly natural resting place. It was a cool spring day and all was quiet for the time, or rather would have been had it not for chase on the forest floor below.

"Crap,crap,crap,crap!" A russet colored pony with mud colored markings was moving as quickly as he could through the dense foliage. Behind the stressed earth pony was a large serpent, moving with ease through the cluttered scenery. More so than Stone would of thought possible, but the thing was keeping up with him none the less.
He had inadvertently come across the creatures den, seeking a place to rest his legs and escape the mid-day heat. Instead of refuge,however, he found a creature with the very same idea. Stone had not realized that the creature was even there, so still it was. Whether lurking or sleeping it could not be said. Something about the cave though made Stone's fur stand on end, and he'd learned through experience to pay close head to his instincts. When he made his way to leave however the creature made its strike. Stone had been quick enough to avoid the brunt of the attack, but the cut on his right hind leg was proof he'd not been quick enough. The serpent had a taste for him now and the scent of blood wasn't doing Stone any favors either. He'd been running for nearly twenty minutes now and his breath was becoming harsh. His options were limited. Snakes to swim, climb, sense heat, and had a strong sense of smell. Then,as though a gift from Celestia he saw it, A mud puddle... A mild inconvenience any other day but this time it came as a welcome sight. "Yes!" He would make a quick turn and dive straight for the mud. A snakes sight was fairly poor right? Maybe it hadn't seen through the trees. It was his only chance. He wait there, the feeling of being enveloped by the thick mass was...unsettling, but given the alternative he'd deal with it. He felt it approaching, the cold blooded creature. The vibrations of the earth from where it moved, it was close....Very close. He had to hold his breath...He had to remain still. The creature was still close by, stopping next to the puddle...he could feel it. But just when he thought that the stress and lack of oxygen were going to give him away the creature began to slither past with a new vigor, either having found something else of interest or trying to pick up the pony's trail anew. He would remain in his darkness for several more seconds. His nose, ears, mouth, all becoming invaded by the sludge, but given the alternative...it was a welcome punishment. When he was certain it was clear he would pull out of the mud, gasping greedily at the life giving air. He stay half submerged, forelegs over the side of the puddle as he cough and gasp for several long moments. A grin would make its way onto the earth pony's face as he'd drag himself out with and audible 'slop' and begin to shake off. "Wooo! For a moment there I thought that was it!" He'd cough up a speck of mud and make a slight sound of disgust. "I'm gonna taste, hear, and smell this stuff for weeks..."
Night began to fall now and Stone had cleaned off a bit. He'd found a stream along his way. He'd had to clean off every item in his saddlebags individual which filled the stallion with chagrin. He couldn't afford to have faulty equipment however and kept to the work. His compass,in particular, had been badly gunked up due to his rendevues with the mud pit. He'd have to get a new one. He thanked Celestia that he'd had the sense to put all the scrolls he'd found in cases and sealing them with wax...He was out of wax too. He was taking close look over his supplies now. They were running low or getting worn. The travel been he'd been using had run out of ink nearly a week ago, his personal map he'd made got lost durring a particularly risky ruins exploration. Food and water were never in short supply in the Forrest but...he did miss a hot meal made by capable hooves...And the fact that his hind leg was starting to numb wasn't a very good sign either...It seemed that, despite how much progress he'd made in his explorations...he was going to have to go back. Luckily his little chase today had wound him back into familiar territory...Just a few days away from Ponyville. He'd pack up his supplies and hurt, wet, and exhausted, Stone began to move out...He was going to need to find a good resting spot though...Timber wolves were going to be out soon.
Morning soon came and with it the sun. He always appreciated the work of the princesses. The stallion had made his way into a tree for the night using a few ropes for a pulley and strapping himself in so he did not fall. Such things had become the norm in the Everfree forest. His eyes would open slowly and welcome the dawn, as well as a new pain. He would sit up with a groan and glance down. His leg didn't look good...The would was moist and puffy and the area around it felt bruised. He'd read into his saddle bag and pull out a bottle, almost empty, with a small amount of clear liquid within. So too would he pull out a small cloth and pour the remainder of the liquid onto it. He would let out a sigh before pressing the moist cloth to the wound with a fore-hoof. "Grrh!" He'd withhold a louder shout. He couldn't afford to be loud here...He kept the cloth in place for a time till the pain began to subside. Pulling a bottle from his saddlebag he'd wash the cloth and put it away. He had to get going now. With no way to continue to disinfect time was of the essence.
The trek was slow after the first few hours. His leg had begun to bother him. He'd lift it from the ground but such left him with an awkward gait. He only hoped that the rest of the trip remained uneventful. He was in no condition to run from serpents of fight off other denizens of the forest. So long as he kept moving during the day and resting at night though the trip ought go without a hitch.
By the ending of the first day he was already wishing he'd kept hold of some of that antiseptic. He'd made due with some of the local flora though using aloe juice as the main ingredient for a salve, held in place by some bandages. It dulled the pain enough for him to trudge on. Night was falling. He had to find rest. Luck was with him for once. He'd found a small cave, just large enough for a pony to slip through. He'd over the entrance with a makeshift door of branches and leaves and stay there for the night. He hadn't wanted to admit it...But his encroaching fever had sapped him of the strength needed to heft himself into a tree
Stone did not awake till well into the morning. He'd crawl from his shelter with a groan and look to the sky. "Horse feathers..." He'd overslept and lost hours of the day. He'd have to walk fast to make up for it. Fevered and exhausted the stallion made way, already panting from pain by the time noon had encroached. He kept going, he couldn't afford to stop. He didn't think he'd be able to move if this persisted for another day. He made but one brief stop at a stream to refill his water and reapply his salve. By the time the moon began to rise his head was low and his hooves only shuffled on. He couldn't stop, wouldn't stop. After all he had been through, the traps he'd survived, the monsters he'd faced, the treasures he'd found...he wasn't going down from a simple infection.
The stars were beginning to appear in the sky by now and the stallion was still moving, but only barely. His breath was ragged and his eyes half closed, a small cough escaping his lips from time to time. He'd be easy picking for most anything at this point. He had to stop...but he couldn't afford to...What a terrible situation...His dragging hoof came in contact with a gnarled root and suddenly it all came crashing down, or Stone did at least. "Ugh!" Try as he might he couldn't get up. He would shift his legs with a groan, try to open his eyes, but they could not see. He'd slam a forehoof into the grass below. "No!" What a way to go down... It was then he heard it...movement in the forest and it was approaching...It was night out...Probably a predator. Well at least it was a quicker way to go than infection. The movement stopped just near him, he could feel somethings gaze upon him. "On this night most superb, I come to find a special herb...And once again I find you, being on Deaths list of things to do." There was only one pony he knew who spoke like that! "Ze....cora..." He'd smile to himself. It seemed death would have to wait on him once again. At the moment of his relief his body would slip out of consciousness, leaving a somewhat unamused Zebra to carry him back to safety. She would grunt as she'd heft him onto her back. "Ugh!" Once he was secure she would begin to head back to her hut. "It seems history continues repeating...Every time I find him his life is nearly fleeting."