The Life and Trials of Autumn Moon

by TraumaLane

The Darkest Night

Chapter 5: The Darkest Night – Full Moon

The night sky glowed a deep lavender color, the light of the full moon and the stars keeping the sky from appearing a deep sinister black. The wind carried the chill of fall and rustled the bare branches of the oak trees, the rest of the world seemed calm except for the horde of ponies who were currently breaking the quiet peace of the night.

Autumn ran as fast as she could through the dense forest, her hooves kicking up lumps of grass and dirt; branches and thorns cut at her face and legs as she galloped through the brush hoping to loose the crowd of ponies chasing her. A deep laceration on Autumn’s shoulder was leaking blood down her leg with every step she took; the tissue around the wound was swollen and black in color, slightly burned from the blast of a unicorn. Thankfully the heat of the magic partially cauterized the wound, preventing the drops of blood leading a solid trail back to her for her attackers to follow.

Autumn whimpered, her shoulder popping slightly as she moved pushing through the pain. Her frantic movements ripping the natural seal the burn had given her, pain wracked her body as she ran, adrenaline pushing her to go faster.

“J-just keep running, I have to keep going…. Wh-why why are they doing this, I didn’t do anything,” Autumn questioned loudly in her mind fearfully. Autumn took a chance, glancing behind her and saw that the group of ponies who had hurt her were not far behind. Looking up at the sky, Autumn noticed the branches reflected by the mare in the moon, but to her they looked like clawed talons reaching out to grab at her coat and hold her in place for the mob that was pursuing her.

Her hooves ran over the forest floor noisily, sticks and foliage braking as she ran; all attempts to hide her location were lost in a sacrifice for speed. Sweat poured over Autumn’s face and body as she tried to escape the group of dark shadows chasing her. They looked to be stallions, their rough voices shouting at her as she ran.

“That little monster can’t have gone far,” said one of the voices. The sound of ponies tearing through the foliage terrified Autumn. Her ears constantly moved to listen to the sounds around her; Autumn’s head was on a swivel always looking for a threat. Autumn quickly looked around her as she ran, trying to pinpoint where the ponies were coming from, and she heard the sounds of owls gliding through the air almost silently.

The chirps of the crickets became silent as the ponies came up to them and the taunting sound of hoofbeats behind her. Autumn’s tongue hung slightly out of her muzzle panting as she continued to run for her life. She scented the air as she ran; other than the average smells of the forest, Autumn smelled a slight burning smell bitter and hot in her nose.

“A-anger... Rage? No...Hatred, th-they’re gonna catch me! They’ll never stop,” Autumn’s golden eyes screwed shut as she realized she had smelled that way before when she charged at Silver and Brick. More than anything, though, she smelled the bittersweet smell of rotting fruit coming from her as she tried to escape. As Autumn ran, she noticed her hooves began to strike a harder surface, a worn dirt trail lined by beige rock… she unknowingly began to run into the mountains that overlooked her farm.

Looking down, tears in her eyes from the fear blurred her vision but they couldn’t hide the horrific image that her eyes had spotted. Autumn saw her family’s farm caught in flames, the smoke blowing towards her as if to kill any hopes that she was imagining any of this. Autumn’s whole body shook, everything else faded away and she collapsed onto the cold path, the rocks taking the heat from her body.

“N-no…. No…No No NO NO! Mom… Dad…are they…t-they can’t be.” Autumn’s tears flowed down her face, her amber eyes glowing in the dim light and the tears appearing as molten lava burning her cheeks as she was unable to finish the horrible thought.

“It’s all my fault,” Autumn said, her voice a stark whisper in the wind. Autumn’s head lowered as she felt as if her heart had been shattered like one of her mother’s jam jars on the floor, a familiar cold, hollow feeling filling her once again.

“There it is! Up there on the ridge,” a cruel baritone voice shouted, snapping Autumn out of her morose thoughts the filly’s head rose quickly as she saw that the mob had caught up to her.

“Get it! Shoot it before it runs!” shouted another voice. Looking down, Autumn saw a huge tan stallion leading the charge, his cold blue eyes freezing her blood and the scars on his muzzle glowing white in the light of the moon. The stallion’s lightning blue eyes locked with Autumn’s terrified hopeless golden ones. The stallion’s eyes held nothing but hatred and excitement at the harm that was coming for her. As he smiles, Autumn could feel the stallion’s malice from up on the ridge.

A shot of lavender magic struck the rocks near her head. Autumn's eyes widened in fear and surprise at hearing the air rushing towards her, and she rolled her body to the right and was able to dodge the magical energy just barely. The blast sent small particles of rubble flying and the powerful blast left a huge hole in the mountain.

Looking at the hole, Autumn’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. She shook her head to break the spell the cruel stallion’s eyes had seemed to cast; she lowered her body to the ground, attempting to make a smaller silhouette for the stallions to aim at. The scared filly clumsily got to her hooves and ran behind some nearby rocks to try and avoid future attacks from the unicorns in the mob.

Still shaking, Autumn let her fear drive her hooves to carry her faster to escape the stallions as she followed the path she saw walls of stone forming at her sides, her hooves beating against the stone ridge, rocks clattering as they fell off, but noticed too late.

A huge cliff face lay at the end of her path, Autumn was trapped. “Oh n-no... this can’t be,” Autumn said, her voice, rough from running, shook as she realized that she couldn’t escape. She pounded the wall with her forehooves, maybe in some false hope that she could make a new path. Her amber eyes, still wet with tears, glowed in the dim light of night, her head snapping in several directions, eyes flying to try to find another way out. Seeing no way out, Autumn flipped her ears back as she heard the stallion’s hooves finally catch up to her.

“There's tha varmint!” shouted an earth pony stallion in disgust, his own voice rough from running after the filly. The cold-eyed stallion smiled cruelly as Autumn’s terrified eyes met his. Autumn crouched her body, collapsing, trying to appear small, her silver tail tucked between her back hooves.

“Finally caught you, eh, beasty?” said the blue-eyed stallion, his voice like poison. Autumn’s eyes turned blood red, she felt her body begin to ache, and she bared her growing fangs to the group, her eyes narrowed in defiance at the stallion she raised her head.

“We… I… I didn’t do ANYTHING! L-LEAVE ME ALONE!” Autumn shouted, her voice slightly deeper, to the mob of stallions angrily. Her voice broke slightly despite the strength she had tried to put behind it. The group's eyes widened before they all began to chuckle and laugh at the distressed filly. Autumn’s sneer shrunk a fraction and her eyes held a question.

The blue eyed stallion drew back his hoof and backhooved Autumn's cheek, stunning the filly and knocking her to the ground, Autumn felt as if her ears were ringing. “Uuugggh, my head,” thought Autumn as she shook her head, trying to clear it.

Before she could move, chains fell out of the air, ropes grabbing her hooves. Autumn tried her best to buck at the ropes, but the weight of the chains around her tightened. The stallions pulled her down to the ground. Helpless and head still spinning, Autumn couldn’t move. Taking short shallow breaths, Autumn’s eyes flew across the crowd of laughing stallions, her body shaking in fear and anger; Autumn continued to struggle trying in vain to free herself.

The huge tan earth pony stallion placed a blade against Autumn’s throat, and she froze at feeling the cold edge of the blade that was already beginning to cut into her skin. Autumn's blood red eyes burned like the fires in Tartarus as she glared at the stallion, her fangs poking past her lips as she snarled at the cruel pony trying in vain to be brave.

“Of course, you did something wrong,” said the tan stallion slowly and ruthlessly, as if to cause the filly more pain, his scars warping his sickening smile into an even scarier visage. “You were born,” Autumn’s eyes widened as the stallion drew back the blade as if to chop off her head, fear overtaking her as she saw her hopeless eyes in her pitiful reflection on the large sword.

“No, please…” whispered the olive oil filly looking for sympathy from any pony, looking up at the sky as she begged to be spared. The mare in the moon’s eyes looked on in cold indifference at the filly’s suffering. The imposing tan stallions’ cold smirk only grew as he lowered the blade quickly as if to slice her in half, Autumn felt her eyes snap shut as she let loose a howling scream.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Autumn felt as if she was being shook back and forth in an earthquake before the earth faded into black around her. The last thing Autumn heard was the memory of her mother screaming her name worry and fear lacing her voice… “AUTUMN! AUTUMN!”

---

“Autumn! H-hon, sweet pea, w-what’s wrong?” Autumn’s amber eyes shot open tears in the corners of her eyes, taking deep shallow breaths, her body was still shaking in fear of her nightmare. Autumn placed her forehoof on her aching chest, feeling her heart beating a mile a minute. Autumn’s sheets were soaked with sweat, causing her to shiver as she rapidly looked around.

Her eyes cleared finally seeing Sugar Beet shaking her awake; her tear filled eyes met her mother’s kind emerald eyes which were filled with concern as she woke her. Her mother tried to calm her down from the monsters that pursued her. “M-Mom,” Autumn said in amazed recognition as she rushed to nuzzle her mother.

“Thank Celestia, i-it was horrible,” the filly had tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she felt comfort from her mother who she had lost in her nightmare.

Sugar Beet placed her hooves around her daughter in a comforting hug, rubbing a hoof over her silver mane and fuzzy ears. “There, there, darlin’, yer shaking worse than a cat in a room full o’ timberwolves. Now tell yer ma what had ya howling like a wendigo in tha winter?” her mother questioned in a kind voice, trying to calm her shaking daughter. “A bad nightmare,” Autumn whispered, shaking her head into her mother’s chest as she refused to meet her mother’s worried eyes.

Sugar Beet took her elderberry hoof and placed it on her daughter’s cheek, trying to have the filly’s eyes meet her emerald ones, but her eyes filled with more concern as she felt the heat radiating off her daughter. “Sugar, y-yer burnin’ up,” Moving her hoof to her daughter’s forehead under a soaked silver mane, Sugar Beet confirmed her suspicions; Autumn had a high fever. It had started two days ago and had gotten more severe since Autumn’s fight with Silver.

“Horsefeathers… It’s been three days already; I wish Shadow were here… we need ‘im now.”Sugar shook her head in thought, cursing fate’s terrible timing. “He’ll be back tomorrow mornin’ I jus’ hope he’s safe. Fer now, Autumn needs me.”

Autumn couldn’t stop shaking, her body burning and her muscles aching terribly as she struggled to move her body. Autumn felt as if she had pulled up three fields of carrots by herself and accidently took another gulp of her father's Sweet Apple Acres Hard Cider. Autumn felt as if her body was burning, she felt sweat cover her olive oil coat, and her mouth ached again as her fangs poked much farther past her chapped lips.

“M-Mom, I don’t feel so good,” Autumn sat up, quickly running out of Sugar Beet’s comforting hooves as she felt bile rise up from the back of her throat, she shot up from her bed heading for the bathroom. “What’s wrong with me, did I get sick yesterday,?” Autumn thought miserably as she threw up nothing but stomach acid, burning her throat and nose.

Sugar followed closely behind her daughter and watched sadly as Autumn emptied the contents of her stomach. Sugar went to fetch a glass of water and came back to find Autumn still vomiting into the toilet. Sugar Beet felt terrible, and she wished more than anything that she could do more to help her ailing daughter, but she knew that other than home remedies to help her fever there was nothing she could do.

Sugar felt like she was failing Autumn, but determination filled the elderberry mare as she remembered her vow to help Autumn every hoofstep through what was coming. Sugar Beet slowly approached Autumn to rub a comforting hoove up and down her spasming back, whispering comforting words to the young mare.

“Mah poor lil’ filly, she needs to rest today,” thought Sugar as she continued to rub her daughter’s back, who struggled to vomit up the dinner they’d eaten last night. “Now ya listen here sweet pea, I wan’ you to go shower and then lay in bed and rest. No runnin’ around, no chores, no nothin’. Just rest up and try to git to sleep, an’ if those nightmare’s try to come back I’ll be here quicker than a Wonderbolt,” Sugar said reassuringly to Autumn. The filly pulled her muzzle from the porcelain pot and nodded at her mother, miserably confirming that she understood her mother's instructions.

“Alright Mom, I-I’ll try,” Autumn said her voice strained as she made her way back to her room, her silver tail dragging along the floor, picking up dust as her aching body dragged her to the shower to clean the sweat off her coat. The warm water didn’t help to cool her body, but it did aid her aching muscles, feeling the salt and dirt melt off her coat. Autumn slowly dragged the soap over her soaked coat and let the warm water do its job, feeling a little better as she washed off.

“I hope I don’t have another nightmare,” Autumn thought sadly as she heard her mother go down the hallway to change out her sweat-soaked sheets for a clean pair. Autumn sluggishly hopped out of the tub and grabbed a towel and dried off as best as she could. When she finally made it back to her room, Autumn tiredly rose her head. She noticed her mom moving throughout the room, so she decided to wait for her to finish what she was doing.

Sitting on her haunches and slouching tiredly, Autumn shook her head and tried to focus on something else, anything else to clear her mind of the cold blue eyes still haunting her mind. “H-hey today’s the second day of the camping trip, I wonder how Tales and Butter’s are doing?” thought Autumn as she tried to turn her melancholy mind to something brighter.

“I bet they’re having a great time. I might even get to hear about it after dad gets back,” thought Autumn as she felt a genuine smile begin to form on her muzzle and felt grateful for the change in her train of thought. “I bet Tales is telling the best stories by the campfire,” thought Autumn as the grin on her muzzle grew in genuine happiness.

Sugar Beet worked quickly setting up her daughters’ room with another glass of water, a bucket to get sick in, and gave her a fresh blanket as well. Turning, she saw a small smile begin to grow on Autumn’s muzzle despite the obvious tiredness that weighed down on the filly’s body. Sugar smiled sweetly at her daughter.

“I hope that when this is said an’ done I git to see tha’ smile again. This ain’t gonna be easy fer either of them,” Sugar thought wistfully as she subconsciously sent the last thought to her mate. Walking up slowly to her preoccupied filly, Sugar lowered her head and nuzzled her daughter’s face to gain her attention. “Come on sugar, back ta bed,” Sugar Beet said sweetly to ease the young mare to get a well-deserved rest, her emerald eyes reflecting the care and love she held for her daughter.

Autumn jumped slightly in surprise at her mother’s nuzzling, her kind voice calming her. Autumn opened her eyes halfway and lifted her head to look around at what had happened while she had zoned out. Seeing all the things her mother had done, Autumn felt a wonderful warmth spread through her from her core to her hooves, and she felt grateful for all the things her mother had done to make her feel better.

“Thanks, Mom, I’ll try to get some rest. Will you be okay with the chores though?” asked Autumn curiously as she climbed under her clean crisp covers the softness of her mattress already luring her back to sleep.

“Now don’ ya worry none, sweet pea, I’ll have the teams handle mos’ of the work today. I’ll be stickin’ aroun’ the house, so if ya need me I’ll be here ta help. I’ll come git ya for supper if yer appetite comes back,” Sugar winked at her daughter as she placed a cold compress on her daughter’s forehead, flattening her wild silver bangs down.

“Okay, Mom. Can we have carrot and celery soup tonight?” Autumn asked hopefully, a false whine in her voice. Autumn’s silver tail thumped slightly against her mattress as she gave the elderberry mare her best puppy dog eyes and lowered her now healed ears back hoping to give a more pitiful look.

Sugar had a surprised look covering her face before she burst out laughing at the filly turned puppy and the irony of the situation. “Put those big ol’ eyes away, sugar, o’ course we can have carrot and celery soup. An’ if yer feeling up to it, I’’l even throw in som’ pear an’ custard pie.” Sugar giggled as her daughter’s eyes lit up and her tail beat harder against the bed in anticipation. “But only if yer feeling better, deal?” asked Sugar in amusement, a warm happiness spreading through her at seeing some of the strength returning to Autumn at the prospect of another of her favorite desserts.

“Deal,” said Autumn, her voice stronger than when she had first got up. Despite still feeling sick, she felt a little better at her mother's offer. She lowered herself deeper and covered herself in the fresh clean smelling sheets, clear of the smell of her sweat and fear. “I feel a little better already,” thought Autumn as she got settled, despite her body still aching as if she ran the annual fall clean up. She ran her tongue over her teeth and felt as if her fangs were bigger. Shrugging it off, she started to fall back to sleep as her mother patted her head lovingly before leaving her room.

“Sweet dreams, sugar,” her mother whispered to the dimmed room that held her exhausted daughter. Autumn heard her voice as if she was still standing next to her, but she was already half asleep “‘Night, Mom,” Autumn mumbled out as she fell back to sleep, her ‘illness’; running most of its course as the filly slept. Autumn tossed and turned peacefully in her restful, dreamless sleep. The crisp fall day passed and she recovered slowly but surely. The only sounds leaving her room were tiny snores.

---

Life on the humble wheat farm continued as the day passed like any other. The Moon family’s crops were harvested, they sold their flour and vegetables at the market, and Sugar Beet kept busy as she cleaned the house and took care of the livestock, staying nearby to care for Autumn if needed. As Celestia’s sun began to lower below the horizon, taking what little warmth it offered with it, Sugar Beet had just finished cooking the soup that had become famous in their household and the sweet custard pie that she and her daughter would share that night.

As the warm golden broth bubbled, its savory smell hovered throughout the house, complemented by the sweet smell of custard and pears baking in a graham cracker crust. Hearing the apple shaped cooking timer begin to ring, Sugar stifled the fire of the old stove and opened the oven, carefully pulling out the pie to cool. As she placed the pie on the counter, Sugar's ears flicked back to the door of the kitchen as she heard hooves moving tiredly into the kitchen, followed by the sound of cloth dragging on the old hardwood floors.

“Good ta see ya, sleepin’ beauty. I take it yer feelin’ a bit better if yer lookin fer food already,” Sugar said teasingly to her daughter as she turned to look at Autumn. The young mare was covered from head to hooves in a light blanket that was dragging behind Autumn as she walked, and her wild silver mane stuck up in even more places than usual.

Yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Autumn nodded her head tiredly at her mother. Grinning bashfully as she lowered her head before rose it again, sniffing at the air and smelling her mother’s famous soup.

“Much better than before, Mom. I still feel a little warm and my body still aches, but better,” said Autumn cheerfully as she took a seat at the table with her mother serving her a bowl full of delicious broth. Autumn licked her lips as the smell of her mother's famous soup hit her nose and warmed her bones before she even took a sip. “So awesome. This looks amazing, Mom,” said Autumn in delight as she saw her mother pull up a chair at the table.

“Good ta hear, sugar,” said Sugar as she joined her daughter at the table, both mares of the Moon family digging into their meal with gusto. Sugar Beet was so happy to see that her daughter had her appetite back. Both mares cleared their bowls and even went back for seconds, as the soup filled their stomachs with the warmth from the soup and the family home filled them both with content.

Licking her muzzle clean, Autumn flashed a fanged smile at her mother that seemed to be glowing, the blanket sinking to the floor as she turned her head to her mother. “That was delicious, Mom! I bet Dad will be sorry to hear he missed out on your famous soup when he gets back,” Autumn chuckled a bit at her teasing her mother. Giggling at her daughter’s teasing, Sugar shook her head as she began to clear away the bowls from the table.

“I’ll make sure ta save yer father a bowl, so don’ ya worry yer pretty lil head,” said Sugar, the smile reaching her emerald eyes as she winked at her daughter “So ya feeling up to that pear and custard pie?” the elderberry mare asked her daughter mischievously.

Autumn nodded her head enthusiastically. “You bet, Mom!” Autumn nearly shouted, her tail whipping back and forth in excitement and happiness her forehooves nearly taping in anticipation.

“Comin’ right up, sweet pea,” Sugar said as she sliced her daughter and herself two hefty slices of pie.

Autumn took a deep breath scenting the air she smelled the creamy sweetness of the pie’s filling, spiced with cinnamon and pears, her mouth watering at the prospect of the dessert. Autumn’s golden eyes lit up as she saw the pie set down in front of her.

“Awesome, thanks, Mom,” said Autumn as she took a hearty bite her teeth leaving deep grooves in the thick filling of the pie. Before her mother could respond to her, a series of frantic rapid beats of hooves against the sturdy farm door startled the Moon family mares out of their pleasant meal.

“Wonder what that’s all about,” Sugar Beet said cautiously as she got up from the table and went to go answer the door.

“Autumn! Mrs. Moon please come quick; we need help!!” shouted a panicked voice from the other side of the door. Sugar Beet and Autumn’s faces both snapped to look at each other, their eyes wide in recognition and alarm.

Autumn and her mother rushed to the door, and Sugar opened the door to see the panicked and worried looks on French Butter and Miss Turner’s muzzles. Both ponies looked exhausted, the mares panting and trying to catch their breath, Butters and Miss Turner looked as if they’d been through a fight with an Ursa Minor.

“Sweet Celestia, what happened to you two? I thought y’all were doin’ tha there campin’ trip. What happened?” Sugar asked, her voice laced with concern as she looked at the filly and school mare, her head turning to them both as she asked her questions. Miss Turner's eyes took on a sorrowful look as she lowered her head in shame before facing the strong farm mare and her daughter, her whole body showing her exhaustion as she strained to keep standing under the worry glowing emerald and amber eyes.

“The trip has been cut short, I’m afraid; there has been a horrible accident,” Miss Turner said in as measured a voice as she could manage her panic, still evident as she addressed Sugar Beet and Autumn.

French Butter finally managed to catch her breath. As soon as her turquoise eyes landed on Autumn, she rushed to her friend’s side, grabbing her in her shaking hooves. Autumn’s eyes looked sympathetic as the pea green filly’s eyes filled with tears, and Autumn wrapped her hooves around her friend’s withers. Miss Turner watched as Autumn shared her blanket with French butter, trying to comfort her friend. A small smile died on her lips as the pea green filly began to weep.

“Oh, Autumn, it’s terrible,” Butter said, beating Miss Turner to her explanation. Before anypony else could speak, French revealed what had brought the two of them to their doorstep. Autumn’s and Sugar Beet’s hearts and stomachs sank as French Butters shaking voice finally gained the strength to be heard above everything else. “It’s Tales… Tales is missing! We can’t find him…”

Author's Note:

Another chapter finished and another huge shout out to the editing talents of RandomGuy101 who's hard work makes each chapter better.

I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and as evil as it is to leave it here the next chapter should be out some time next week until then The Life and Trials of Autumn Moon will be continued I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and leave a like if you enjoyed this newest chapter. Until next time Cheers!

Comments

[Timuri]

Hmm...this is a different turn than expected, but it almost certainly still involves the stallions Tales accidentally ran into.