Searching for Moon

by azurill-lover

Chapter 2 - The Forest

I wake up early in the morning, eager to start my quest. The sky is still dark when I trot out into the shadowy garden, a small bag slung over my back and a scarf wrapped around my neck. I left a quickly scribbled note on a small scrap of paper to my mother, explaining where and why I have gone. I feel so bad leaving her so suddenly, without saying a proper goodbye, but I know that if she would never let me leave if I waited for her to awake.

The night is bitterly cold, and the whole town is covered in a thick blanket of fog. Frost crunches beneath my hooves as I make my way through the streets of Ponyville. The town is eerily quiet, even for so early in the morning. It’s a little creepy, to be perfectly honest. I’m so used to seeing the streets filled with ponies of all shapes and sizes and all the colours of the rainbow, going about their busy daily lives that the now empty village seems like a ghost town. I shiver, and wished I’d packed a blanket in my little bag, which is instead filled with a torch and batteries, a few tattered copies of my favourite books, a map of Equestria and countless apples and small bundles of hay.

My hooves slip and slide around on the ice-coated paths, and I’m glad when I feel grass under them, even if it does mean I’m drawing closer to entering the Everfree Forest. I’m still shaking as I spot the closely packed trees looming ahead of me, their trunks twisted into sinister shapes. I gulp, my heart thumping against my chest like a frightened rabbit.

“You can do this, Song. You can do this,” I mutter. The more I repeat the phrase, the more ridiculous it sounds. I can’t do this. I just can’t.

No. I must. For Moon Dance’s sake. It’s too late to turn back. I swallow down my fear and take a step into the dark shadows. My legs are wobbling like jelly as I slowly move away from the light. My heart is racing, my breathing fast. I stop and close my eyes. Sounds echo all around me; howls and hoots and snarls. Images of timberwolves, dragons, griffins and a whole range of other creatures that stalk through my nightmares fill my mind.

Suddenly, a twig behind me snaps. The whole forest seems to fall silent, and the noise echoes like a gunshot. My breath catches in my throat and my heart stops as I turn around, and...

“Rainy!” I exclaim angrily as my friend steps out of the undergrowth, laughing almost hysterically. “You, you... you bitch!” I cry.

“Oh Celestia, Song, the look on your face!” she gaps, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“I really hate you,” I glare at the white Pegasus, who is trying, to no avail, to stop laughing. It’s quite a comical sight, and in any other situation I would have laughed. But this is not any ordinary situation.

“C’mon, Song, lighten up! I didn’ mean to scare you!” she says in between short bursts of giggling.

“Well you did! What the hay were you thinking? We’re in the bloody Everfree forest, of course I’m going to be scared if you sneak up on me like that,” I yell, my rage raising my voice. Rainbleed takes a step back, evidently shocked at my little rant.

“I’m sorry. Really, truly, honestly, sincerely sorry. Forgive me?” she apologies. I take a deep breath.

“Okay. But you dare do that again... Anyway, why did you follow me?” I sigh, quickly changing topics.

“You didn’ seriously think you could find Moon Dance on your own, did ya?” Rainbleed questions.

“Yes,” I say, “Maybe. No,” The other mare laughs.

“So, I reckoned you could do with a helping hoof. I mean, there are so many dangerous creatures in this forest, timberwolves, manticores and Celestia knows what else. And that’s just the Everfree; no pony can say what we could find beyond the forest...” Rainbleed continues to talk, but my attention is drifting. My friend can be incredibly boring at time, talking for hours on end without letting you get a word in edgeways about things no pony really gives a damn about.

I’ve calmed down from my previous panic, and my breathing has returned to normal, but I don’t think my heart rate will ever slow down. Rainbleed and I trot through the forest. She still hasn’t shut up, and it’s beginning to irritate me. Suddenly, I hear the sound of a large creature moving through the undergrowth. I skid to a halt as it stops, directly in front of me. It turns, ruby red eyes glowing. The creature emerges from the shadows, stepping into the moonlight that filters through a small gap in the trees, and a little gasp escapes me.
The thing that stands before me has features of a pony, a feline and a dragon. Its head is that of a horse, and a deer antler grows from the right side of its head and on the left, a dragon horn. Looking at just the head of this strange beast, one might believe it was a regular horse (of course, taking the horns out of the picture), but from the shoulders down, it’s body starts to get a lot crazier.

Its long body is covered in golden scales, dulled by dirt. Its tail is long and white, spotted with black, the tail of a snow leopard. Its right legs also appear to come from this feline, but the left limbs of it are equine. Wings grow from its shoulders. I have never seen such magnificent wings. Golden feathers, the same beautiful colour of its scales, flecked with red. Its wingspan must be enormous, and its wings seem very powerful. The claws of its snow leopard paws are incredibly sharp; a regular leopard would never have claws that large. They look as if they could tear me to shreds in seconds. Its eyes are filled with a crazy expression, and I get the feeling this creature is not quite right in the head, and is most definitely not a critter I would not want to be on the wrong side of.

“Does she ever shut up?” he asks in a voice that fits him perfectly, an icy cold voice that sends shivers down my spine. I shrug my shoulders, strangely at ease with this creature.

“I don’t know. She might eventually, but if talking was an Olympic sport, she’d be a gold medallist,” I mutter. The creature laughs.

“You got that right. Seems like she could talk forever,” he says, “The name’s Skra. You ponies call my kind a draconequus. I don’t call myself anything,”

“I’m Fire Song, and Little Miss Chatterbox over there is Rainbleed,” I say, flicking my tail at my friend, who seems to have realized that I am no longer by her side.

“Who are you talkin’ to – mother of Celestia, what the hay is that thing?” she gasps, stepping back in horror.

“’That thing’ has a name, you know,” Skra snaps.

“He’s a draconequus,” I say with a sigh, “and to be honest with you, he’s not that scary, so calm down, you chicken,”

“Look who’s talkin!” Rainy grumbles, “A draconequus? Like Discord?”

“Dis... who?” I say, my forehead creasing.

“Discord. That thing Twilight Sparkle and her friends defeated about five years ago,” Rainbleed explains, but all she manages to achieve is confusing me further, “Twilight Sparkle. The Elements of Harmony. Seriously, have you never heard of it? Geez, Song, do you live under a rock or something?”

“Even I’ve heard of them, and I’ve never left the forest,” Skra says. Both are giving me looks that make me feel like a complete and utter idiot.

“Five years ago? That was when Moon disappeared. I was probably still mourning over her. And to be honest with you, I don’t really pay much attention to what goes on in Ponyville, not anymore,” I reply.

“Well that explains things. The Elements of Harmony. Where to begin... I take it you’ve heard of Celestia and Luna, right?” Rainbleed starts.

“Yes, I do have a brain, you know,” I snap.

“Well, you don’t make that exactly obvious, do ya? Anyway, Celestia and Luna did once and they used ‘em to defeat their enemies, Discord included. Eventually, ‘tia used ‘em on Luna and sent her to the Moon. Don’t ask me how, but she sorta... lost control of ‘em and then Twilight and her friends took over and defeated Nightmare Moon and... yeah,” Rainbleed says.

“That made no sense at all, but I think I get the picture. Anyway, it’s been very nice meeting you Skra, but we really must be going now. C’mon Rainy, we need to find Moon Dance,” I say. The two of us continue on our journey, but a beating of wings behind us tell me Skra is following us.

“Hang on a minute. Moon Dance, I know that name. She vanished shortly before Discord was defeated, right? Little purple filly?” I nod in response, “I saw it happen. Black unicorns. She screamed like a banshee, I’m amazed you didn’t wake up. They dragged her through the forest, towards the mountains. I can show you where I think they went, if you’d like,”

“Really?” I say, unable to believe my ears. “Then, lead the way, Skra!”

Author's Note:

This was originally two updates, but I cut out a lot of rubbish in the forest and merged them together. This should be the last of the strong language, Song only swears when she's angry, which isn't often.