Book 1 The Darkness: with the darkest of ponies

by Penelope Anne Ink

Chapter Five

For the next two days, Starry had some questions. They were already long out of that forest they went through and neither knew exactly where in the wide world of Equestria they were.

Edgy had said four days ago that they were close enough to the place where they were going to get help. She still didn’t even know where that was or how they would get it. She couldn’t help but think about her two friends that are still left in cages under the Storm King’s control.

For Edgy, he wasn’t sure how long they were going to last. They had found a few wild plants that were edible, some nuts and berries. They weren’t starving but they had been close to it several times. He still couldn’t figure out what that word was or who he even was yet, and he had started having nightmares at night. Visions of shadowy figures that lurked behind the trees.

Both of them occasionally found something to quarrel about. She didn’t want to question his direction, but she didn’t like the fact that she felt they were lost. He still wasn’t going to admit he wasn’t entirely sure where they were heading, so he tried to avoid the subject.

When they finally managed to come upon an area filled with food, they didn’t even question it. It looked like a somewhat cultivated yet natural garden in the middle of the open plain.

Starry gathered up some cucumbers she found and squeaked something about the recipes she could perform with them. Edgy picked up a few fruits and stuffed them in the pockets of his uniform. They weren’t too likely to get squished in there, but even if they did it would still be a welcome snack in case they don’t find more food in the next day or two.

Edgy reached up for a bright blueberry at the top of one trellis when the trellis snapped and he, the remnants of the trellis, and the blueberry tree came crashing down.

Suddenly Edgy felt something slap his back and a creeping bunch of leaves grabbed a hold of his right front hoof and begin to drag him away. With a swift kick he was free, but the branches, for they were willow branches, began shooting out at him again.

Without knowing how he was doing it he was fighting off a giant willow tree that was slowly creeping toward him as its powerful branches came at him like a kraken taking down a ship.

Starry was out of harm’s way, but she came running up closer when she heard the commotion and was going to take a few slashes at the branches herself if she was sure she wouldn’t accidentally hit Edgy.

“Stop it, pet.” a harsh, crackly voice barked.

The willow tree retracted its branches and came to a rest where it last stood. It started acting like it was dozing off and laid itself down onto the ground.

Starry and Edgy turned toward the pony that had stopped it. She was an ugly old crone, was all Edgy could see. Starry thought the stranger seemed kind of lonely, but the crone began whacking her with her cane. Starry started backing away and Edgy backed away slightly himself, before the crone began chewing them both out.

“We’re really sorry for trespassing here, we’ve been traveling for about a week and we were just so hungry. If you’d forgive us for the few things we took we won’t bother you anymore,” Starry said as she looked from one pony to the other. The crone started whacking at the both of them again, so Edgy grabbed at the cane and ripped it out of her hooves. The crone started falling forward and Starry reached out a hoof to steady her before the old crone swatted it away in disgust.

“We just need a few supplies and we’ll be on our way,” Edgy said, before handing the cane back over.

“A likely story. I know hooligans when I see ‘em and you two looks like ‘em! And if you don’t give me back the produce ya both picked I’ll set my Wandering Willow after the both of ya again!” the old crone replied. She raised her cane once more.

Edgy leapt in front of Starry and leaned close to the hag.

“You know, I’d suggest stepping back by about five hoofsteps. Just in case your pet happens to wake up again.”

He peered around to where the tree was peacefully napping.

“Bah! The Wandering Willow is under my command. It’d much rather rip you two to pieces. So I’d suggest you both skedaddle on out of here before this stick isn’t the only thing bearing down on you.”

Edgy didn’t even wince, but casually leaned even closer.

“You act like it doesn’t have any feelings at all! Don’t you care about the tree you raised since it was a sapling?” He pouted a bit, his voice raising evermore.

“I’m the only one that cares about it!” the crone bellowed.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard as the Wandering Willow dragged itself by the roots and slammed one side of it back onto the ground. Its branches started swirling in the air and Edgy launched himself at Starry to push her out of the way. She quickly hopped back up and let out a huge burst of energy at the center of the Willow before Edgy made a dash toward the back of it to give it a resounding whack to the back of its presumable head.

The Willow paused at that and let out a groan, and both Edgy and Starry bolted for cover as the old crone started screaming.

During the fight, she had let out a low cackle from where she had been hobbling about. At some point, the longest branches of the Willow had started twining themselves around her, creeping up her next to useless hindlegs and crawling up her middle until she was encased in a whirl of willow leaves. Now only her muzzle could be seen above the foliage, as she gave one last wail before the tree finally claimed its victim.

From their hiding spot they could see the tree draw the pile toward itself, and Starry could hardly make out what happened, but in the dash of branches the old crone seemed to have utterly dissolved and been absorbed into the bark of the willow, with only a rough pony shape etched into it, with a look of utter agony.

“How’d you know that would work?” Starry asked Edgy, when they were out of earshot of the tree and the horrible image stamped on it.

“Why wouldn’t an idea of mine work?” Edgy responded. But at Starry’s questioning glance, he continued.

“I’d seen Wandering Willows before. They are loyal to their masters, but they also have a nasty habit of eating them. They like the quiet; if anything raises their voice at them they will attack. The lady must not have yelled around it before and talks so raspy otherwise that she must have thought it wasn’t a danger to her. Her mistake,” Edgy replied.

It was weird the odd tidbits of knowledge somepony could have locked up in their memory. Or maybe his wasn’t fully gone? Edgy thought that maybe he could remember his own past if he had something to trigger it, much like how his memory of the willow was triggered when the crone mentioned its name.