Chapter 1
All that she could remember was the warming fireplace.
Cherry Breeze squeaked out a small yawn and settled back into her comfy pillow sitting a few feet away from the fireplace. Her bright gold dress felt gray, only illuminated by the fire that danced above the cherry wood. It popped and slightly sizzled, with no other sound interrupting it.
The small unicorn filly looked dimly into the fireplace, like it was hypnotizing her. The flames mirrored into her dark blue eyes, keeping her attention on them and nothing else. Her eyes contrasted with her bright red hair, which mixed with the flaming fireplace and illuminating her cream coat.
She nuzzled her cheeks into the pillow, soaking in all the comfort that the pillow could provide her. She closed her eyes gently and opened her mouth slightly, swiping at her ears and digging her face into the pillow playfully. The fire warmed her and the pillow provided her the necessary comfort she needed.
“Breeze, dear?”
Cherry's head sprung up suddenly as she heard the faint clopping sound coming from the other room. She quickly gazed at the doorway, and found that her thin father was in the middle of it. His grey mustache curled both ways and his short black mane was combed back. It matched the professional look of his black suit that gave him a calm, but stern feel.
“Yes, father?” Cherry said meekly.
“Shouldn't you be in bed by now?” He glanced at the grandfather clock, which read that it was about to be quarter to eleven. Cherry puffed her cheeks with determination.
“But, father! I am an elegant lady! Shouldn't I be able to stay up longer?”
Her father sat there for a moment, then let out a small chuckle. He walked towards his daughter, and leaned forward. “But darling, you are not a lady until you are older.”
“That's no fair!” Cherry suddenly yelped. “I have a friend whose father lets her stay up all the time! Why don't I get the same treatment?”
Her father stood up and gazed out the window. Cherry looked at him sternly with red cheeks and a furrowed brow. The aging stallion broke out of his gaze and looked down at his daughter.
“Ah, but what happens after?”
Cherry gave him a puzzled look. “What?”
The old stallion let out a small laugh. “You see, things have effects. That means that when something happens, another thing happens as a result of that action.”
Cherry shook her head. “That sounds complicated!”
“I see. I didn't expect you to understand at first. Let me give you an example.” He went over next to a small desk and rested on the side. “Your friend stays up later than most fillies do. But that means she won't get enough sleep. And when she does not get enough sleep...”
Cherry gasped. “That means she is tired!”
He laughed. “There you go! If she keeps going on like this, she will always be tired.”
Cherry looked down at the ground and nodded her head. “I understand now.”
“And that is why you cannot stay up. You will become an elegant mare one day, but you won't be a rested one if you stay up for too long.”
With that, he started walking towards the doorway.
“Wait!”
He looked behind his shoulder. “Yes?”
“Can I at least sleep here for tonight, by the fire?”
He paused for a moment. He nodded.
“Alright. Get some sleep. Tomorrow we are going on a trip.”
Cherry grew a wide smile and her heart started beating. “Okay! I'll sleep the best I can!”
She took one last look at the fire, then gently dropped her head on the pillow. The light invaded beyond her eyelids, but she did not care. She could feel the sense of sleep washing over her body silently like the wave of the ocean.
Soon, it was not very long until she had fallen asleep.
~~
Cherry Breeze looked out the window of her carriage. Cherry Breeze looked out the window of the carriage, the view of the Canterlot streets passing by as the carriage was being pulled along. The day was starting to disappear as dusk's last hour of dim sunlight shined on the shops of the downtown district. Some ponies were starting to lock up their shops and heading home for the day.
Across from her in the carriage was her butler, Mr. Gusto. He was tall for an earth pony and wore a solemn expression. He had a black moustache, matching the look of his blue combed back greased mane. He looked out the window as well, but with less interest.
“One of these days I will own these buildings,” Cherry said. “I will have my own beauty store and I'll be famous.”
Gusto quickly glanced at her and then back at the window. “Well, you do have the fortune to do it,” he said dryly. “However, you must be older to do so.”
Cherry looked at Gusto worriedly, her cheeks turning red. “Why do I always have to wait for things, Gusto?”
He looked at Cherry with a raised eyebrow. “Beg your pardon?”
“I always have to be older to do things,” she argued. “I'm old enough. I'm a home schooled unicorn. I can handle my own responsibilities! Why do I-”
"Miss," Gusto cut in. "You should not let your temper get the better of you. It is not proper."
Cherry's mouth hung open, then she closed them and looked down at the ground. When she spoke, it was with a small tone.
“I just don't want to wait for things, that's all.”
Gusto stared at her for a good few seconds and nodded. “I can see where your distress comes from,” he said. “However, there is a saying that ponies use.”
“Yeah?” she said curiously.
“Good things happen to those who wait. Patient ponies are much more likely to get what they want if they wait for things. Constantly wanting things this very second shows that they are arrogant.”
Cherry leaned in with wide eyes and then nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
Gusto smiled. “You are a very good girl. Most mares don't usually show signs of great intelligence like you do.”
Cherry blushed and gave a weak smile. “Why, thank you, Gusto.”
“My pleasure.” He looked out the window and nodded. “We have arrived.”
Cherry looked out the window as well and found that they had arrived at a very large mansion. It was almost as big as her own mansion, lined with marble and outlined from the from the sun. The small filly became excited because of the news of a nice backyard that she could play in.
Cherry's mouth was agape. The pony that pulled the carriage opened the door and stretched his forearm to the entrance of the mansion. Gusto leaped out first, and then assisted Cherry Breeze out of the carriage. Gusto tipped the carriage driver and led Cherry to the doorstep of the mansion.
Gusto knocked three times. The two waited patiently until the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a pudgy cream unicorn stallion with a top hat and a pair of small round glasses. His mustache was bushy and a small goatee stuck on his chin. He looked at the two and gave out a low hardy laugh.
“Ah! You have arrived! I believe it was Gusto, wasn't it?”
“Indeed it is, Mr Bumble,” he nodded with a relaxed smile.
“And what have we here?” He looked down at Cherry Breeze, who had already performed a welcoming motion.
“Greetings, Mr. Bumble,” she said in an official tone. “It is lovely to meet you.”
Bumble bellowed a laugh. “We can just skip the formalities, young child. Please, come in.”
Bumble led the way inside, and the pair followed. Immediately, Cherry Breeze's eyes were wide with wonder. The entrance room was large enough to rival even Canterlot Castle. The ceiling was extremely high, with a chandelier hanging motionless above them. The entire room appeared to shine like it was made out of gold bars.
“I see this impresses you,” Mr. Bumble said. Cherry Breeze turned around and squealed with delight.
“Your home looks amazing!”
“Ha ha! Yes it does, my dear. A pile of fortune and a bit of luck in the business side of things has allowed me to own a mansion such as this.”
Gusto tapped on Bumble's shoulder. “I do admire your mansion as well, sir. But I believe Miss Breeze was to meet somepony here.”
Mr. Bumble nodded. “Ah yes. I believe she wanted to see my son, Emerald.”
Cherry widened her eyes. “Do you know where Emmie is?”
“Heh heh, I will never get old of his nickname you gave him,” Mr. Bumble said. “I will fetch him.”
He then walked down a hallway, leaving Gusto and Cherry Breeze alone in the entrance room. Cherry stared up at the ceiling in amazement. Gusto kept his eyes half opened.
“Cherry!”
Cherry twirled her body, and found him. Emmie was a unicorn just like her though his fur colour was a bright blue. His head was skinnier than most colts, and he wore a white caped uniform that gave him a composed look. His brown mane was shaped in the form of a bowl, to which gave him his second nickname, chocolate cake bowl.
“Emmie!” Cherry ran over to her friend. Emerald smiled at her as she approached her.
“Hi, Cherry! It's been a long time since I've seen you.”
“Yes, it has been waaay too long!” Cherry replied.
Gusto glanced at his wrist watch and then at Mr. Bumble. “I am assuming that one of your butlers will escort her back at approximately eight o'clock?”
“Yes, of course. I'll be sure that my butlers are not tardy.”
“Good. You have a nice day then, Mr. Bumble.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gusto.”
~~
“What do you want to do then, Emmie?”
The two sat in a large and spacious bedroom that belonged to Emerald. They both sat in comfy red chairs . Tea had been served to them, but the cups and saucers lay motionless on the table with the vapour of steam slowly disappearing. Emerald shrugged.
“I don't know,” he said. “Do you want to play a game?”
Cherry's eyes widened. “What kind of game?”
Emerald put his hoof on his chin and looked up thoughtfully. “Maybe we can play tag?”
“That would be great! Inside the mansion?”
Emerald shook his head. “No, no. In the forest!”
Cherry's excitement faded. She peered out the window that showcased the backyard. The well kept grass and shrubbery ended at a dry wooden fence, and beyond the fence was an overgrowth of thin dead trees and black chasms of emptiness that were hidden by the lack of sunlight.
Cherry gulped and gazed back at Emerald. “Um, are you sure that's a good idea? It looks scary.”
Emerald sat up and stood straight with confidence. “Don't worry. I've gone inside so many times I can't count! There's nothing in there!”
“I don't know,” Cherry said uncertainly. “It's getting late, and I definitely don't want to get your father mad.”
“Oh, come on. Are you scared?”
Cherry gasped and growled at Emerald. “How dare you! I'm not scared! In fact, I do this everyday!”
Emerald sneered. “Then prove it to me.”
He started over to the window and unlocked it. Cherry stayed with a puzzled look.
“Aren't you going to ask your dad for permission?”
Emerald shook his head. “Naw. He'll probably say no, and then we'll be sitting here bored out of our minds.”
“But that's dangerous!” Cherry yelped. Emerald rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder, annoyed.
“Oh, come on. You just wanted to prove to me that you are not a scaredy cat.”
Cherry started to say something, but no sound came out. She sighed, and then nodded hesitantly.
“Fine, I'll do it.”
“Great! Keep your voice down and make sure nopony sees you.”
Emerald raised the window and jumped out. Cherry gasped, but settled down once she saw a blue hoof wave outside. She approached the window and climbed up. A wave of fear suddenly enveloped her, and she was starting to have second thoughts about going out at all.
She carefully pinpointed the steps for the other side of the window. She breathed a relaxing sigh as she saw that the window was only a couple feet high from the ground. With a small leap, she landed on her hooves to the ground.
Cherry looked around for Emerald, and saw that he was nowhere to be seen. She was about to call his name, but remembered that she had to keep her voice down. She scanned the backyard, and saw that he was already on the other side of the fence. He smirked at her, and weakly waved his arm.
Cherry carefully treaded across the backyard and approached the wooden fence. She was given a nod of assurance from Emerald that he would catch up as she climbed over. With a leap, she grabbed the top and looked to Emerald for help. She was practically glided down as she touched the ground, and they exchanged pleasant glances.
After a quick lookout of the backyard to make sure that nopony had seen them, they entered the forest. Instead of the nice well-kept grass that was the backyard, it was almost immediately replaced by a messy green moss. A dirt trail was all that led them into the forest.
Fallen trees were scattered everywhere, forcing the pair to tread over them. The trees that were still planted in the ground were void of any leaves, and their branches were a strong reminder of thin bony fingers that belonged to a terrifying fingered creature. The air was stronger in the forest, and Cherry could have sworn that there was a green vapour floating above them.
Cherry felt an odd mushy substance below her feet. She looked down and stuck out her tongue in disgust as she discovered that she had come across a patch of mud. It stained her white hooves with an ugly splotch of brown, and it had started to dampen on her equally white dress.
“This place is gross,” she said. “I really do not want to be here.”
“Cherry, you haven't given it a chance yet! It's just one mud puddle.”
“Yeah, well I bet there are many more out here.” She turned around in the direction of the fence. “I am going back to the mansion.”
“Wait! Come on, Cherry! At least one game of tag, please?”
Cherry looked over her shoulder and glanced at Emerald's pleading expression. She sighed and turned around.
“Not it!” she said quickly.
“Aw...” Emerald turned to a tree and closed his eyes. “One hundred,ninety nine,ninety eight,ninety seven...”
Cherry quickly darted away as fast as she could manage with her dress on. She started descending down a hill and glanced down at the ground to make sure that she would not trip over any branches or rocks. She surveyed the forest in hopes for a good hiding spot, but with no luck.
Cherry decided to keep moving, realizing that Emerald could possibly be halfway done counting. She kept looking for an acceptable hiding spot, but nothing was good for her. Things were suddenly looking slim for her. She stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath. In the distance, she could hear the familiar battle cry of hide and seek, and she realized that she had not found a good hiding place.
There just had to be a perfect hiding spot. There just had to be! Cherry Breeze looked all over, not minding that her dress was attracting sticks and brown leafs. She breathed faster, and sweat was coming down her brow as she darted around the forest looking for an acceptable hiding spot.
She did notice, however, that the light was starting to disappear. The day was inching closer to concluding, the evening waiting to take its place. She stared up at the sky and gulped.
Snap
Cherry twirled her body towards the source of the noise, but she didn't find anything. She surveyed the clearing she was in, hoping to find something that may have made the noise. Nothing was visible. Her ears perked up, trying to find another noise.
There wasn't. In fact, there wasn't a noise at all. Only the soft and fast breaths coming from Cherry was the only thing that she could hear. There was no wind and there was no animals shrieking its cries.
There was no noise in the forest at all.
Cherry wished that Emerald would find her soon. The game of tag had run its course and it was no longer fun in the forest. The last minutes of daylight slowly disappeared from view. Cherry wandered in the forest, shouting Emerald's name.
Had he abandoned her? Perhaps he got bored and he figured that she could get out of the forest herself. Maybe he was mean spirited and he was playing a joke on her. Emerald could not have left Cherry in the forest by herself.
Or could he? The air became chilly. Cherry shivered alone in the forest, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. Her dress could not ward off the cold by itself, and she was as skinny as a rake. Tears swelled in her eyes, as she could not bear the frigid temperatures.
She was never getting out of here, she deduced. She was going to spend the rest of her days in this forest, eating sticks and never wearing another beautiful dress. She trudged through the forest, her soft whimpers echoing across the damp landscape.
She had lost all sight above her. Cherry could see only a few feet in front of her and there was no illumination that could lead her back to the mansion. She stopped at a tree and leaned against it to catch her breath..
“This is all your fault, Emerald...” she muttered under her breath. “This is all your fault...”
Crunch!
A loud noise sounded only a few feet behind her. Cherry let out a quick shriek and hid behind the tree. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes closed. No other sound could be heard, and there were no more sudden noises.
Maybe it was Emerald? Perhaps it was one of the butlers sent out to find her in the middle of the night. It could not have been a wild animal; as far as Cherry could tell, she would have heard them if there were any animals in the forest.
Cherry exhaled, and peered beside the tree with squinted eyes. Her eyes had to adjust to the darkness, now that there was no longer a visible light. She surveyed the clearing for a few seconds. Then she saw it.
A colt stood in the middle of the clearing. He was breathing rapidly and heavily, skipping a few beats. His hair looked messy, but Cherry couldn't make out the colour. She looked carefully, and noticed that his coat colour was a dark gray, or that could be just because she had a butchered vision.
Cherry bit her lip. She wanted to help him and see what he needed, but at the same time was concerned that maybe he was not friendly. He sure did not look like any of the colts that she had seen before. It also raised the question, why was he there in the forest in the first place?
Maybe she could slip away without making a sound and she could continue searching for a way to exit the forest. But then, if the colt was in the forest, perhaps he knew a way around it? Cherry had only treaded here in the forest for the very first time in her life, and perhaps the colt could help her back on her way.
Cherry took a step, and the colt started to cry.
It came as a surprise to her. She immediately tensed and dodged back behind the tree and held her breath once more. Cherry listened as the colt whimpered softly and sniffled in the cold atmosphere. Cherry dropped her eyes in understanding.
Perhaps she could make him feel better? Maybe if she presented herself in a pleasant way, she could get his trust and he would eventually show her the way out of the forest. Making up her mind, Cherry sighed and stepped out from behind the tree.
“Hello?” she called gently.
She noticed the trembling in her voice, and mentally slapped herself for that. The colt looked up, and Cherry could finally get a good look on the colt. His eyes were red with streaks of tears rolling down his face. He was noticeably pale, almost like he was frightened by something like a ghost.
“Hello? Are you hurt?” she said to the colt.
Like a deer staring with blinded eyes, the colt did not reply. He only looked at Cherry with a blank expression. Cherry gulped and took a few steps close towards him. He snapped back quickly, making Cherry tense. She reached out her arm slowly, and the colt followed it with his eyes.
“My name is Cherry Breeze. I am lost in this forest. Are you too?”
The colt did not respond again. He was definitely scared of something. Was it the forest? Was he scared of the lack of sound in this place as well? Cherry gave a small gentle smile and still stuck out her arm. He was not behaving like a regular pony. It was almost as if he was raised by wild animals or something of the sort.
“Are you alright? Do you know a way out of this forest?”
The colt looked down at the ground with tired eyes. His breathing had returned to normal, but he was still exhausted. Cherry figured that he was running from something. But if there was nothing in the forest, then what could he be running from?
“Please,” continued Cherry. “I must know how to get out of this forest. It is getting cold out.”
The colt looked up, and his eyes grew wide. He quickly turned and sprinted away into a bush. Cherry took a step forward and shouted at him, but he was long gone. She looked behind her shoulder, and saw that there was a light.
A butler levitating a lantern stared at Cherry Breeze with an unimpressed look. Cherry gasped as she saw him, but was almost as relieved to see somepony that looked normal.
“There you are,” he said with a low and tired tone. “Been treading this forest for a bit too long, have you not?”
Cherry shook her head. “You misunderstand, I was playing a game with Emerald, and I-”
“I do not need to hear it,” the butler interrupted. “It is not in my interest to know what you have been doing. I am here simply to retrieve you. Your chaperone, Gusto I presume, has been hysterical about your whereabouts.”
“But I was trying to get back to the mansion, and I was lost!”
“Again, I have no interest in the matter. You will have to explain this to your chaperone once we return.”
Cherry started to say something else, but nothing came out from her mouth. She drooped her head and nodded glumly. The butler sighed and turned in the opposite direction.
“Let's head back. It is late enough as it is.”
The walk back to the mansion was silent, just as much as the forest was. Cherry stared down at the ground to not just look for things that could possibly trip her, but also in shame. She was at least happy to see that there was a proper light.
~~
“But I said that I was sorry!”
Mr. Bumble shook his head. “It is nothing to be sorry for. I am simply informing you that your father might be displeased with what happened tonight.”
Cherry looked down at the ground in regret. Thoughts swirled in her head, with theories of how badly her father would take the news. Emerald stood beside his father, his eyes averted away from both of them.
They all stood in the mansion entrance, where Cherry had originally admired its beauty. Now it seemed like it was the start of her path to her death. Every second felt like forever as she waited for one of her butlers to arrive. There was a change of plans, as the butlers in Mr. Bumble's mansion were busy with an incident in another room.
Cherry assumed that Gusto was dispatched to get her. The anticipation of seeing his face was turning her inside out in fear of what was about to happen. She could feel her heart pounding at the thought that he was going to relay this information to her mother and father. She stood there, shame enveloping her whole.
"This is odd," Mr. Bumble muttered. "Normally, your butler isn't this late. I was sure that the message had pulled through..."
Cherry breathed easy for a moment. She was relieved that she would not have to see Gusto. The thought was instantly dashed as the rapping of the door echoed across the entire mansion. Mr. Bumble perked his ears up in delight.
"Ah, he has arrived," he said. He turned to the door and Cherry followed. Emerald stayed behind them, and Cherry gave one last look. Emerald did not even meet her eyes. Mr. Bumble opened the door to reveal an unimpressed Gusto standing near the doorway.
"You are a tad late," Mr. Bumble said. "What for?"
"I am terribly sorry, Mr. Bumble. However there has been a small event that required my attention for a while. Please excuse my tardiness."
Mr. Bumble smiled and nodded his head. "Do not worry. I don't hold a grudge."
Gusto looked down at Cherry. She frowned as she met his gaze. He cleared his throat and turned to the carriage parked outside.
"Then I suppose we shall leave now. Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Bumble."
"As long as it doesn't happen again. Goodbye, Gusto. Goodbye, Madam Cherry."
Cherry Breeze did not hear the farewell. She was too concerned about what sort of punishment she would receive once she arrived home. Gusto opened the door to the carriage and Cherry reluctantly jumped in. He entered through the door opposite and ordered the carriage carrier to start. He looked out the window, and then at Cherry. She was looking down at the ground with a face of shame.
"What is the matter?"
"I'm going to be in a lot of trouble once we get back," Cherry said sadly.
Gusto raised a brow. "And what makes you think that?"
"Because I went into the forest when I shouldn't have."
"And why would that get you in trouble?"
Cherry looked up, puzzled. "What?"
"I know your father very well, Cherry. More than you know. This is among the worst things you have done."
Cherry was going to cry her eyes out.
"But you have not done anything bad."
Cherry did not cry. She just stared at her butler in a different way.
"What are you talking about?"
"You have not done a single bad thing in your life, Cherry. I do not think you have realized that. There are several fillies and colts that have done bad things. You have not."
"But wasn't me going into the forest a bad thing?"
"Absolutely not. In fact, anypony could make that mistake. A bad thing would be robbing a pony, destroying property, or even harming somepony. Those are bad things. You going into the forest is not a bad thing."
Cherry stared at Gusto with wide eyes. But she could not shake an odd feeling. The only way to make it go away was to ask a question.
"What happens to ponies who do bad things?"
Gusto did not speak for a moment. "Perhaps that is a question for another time."
"Please," Cherry said. "I know I am not old enough, But now I need to know. What happens to bad ponies?"
Gusto gazed into the cold and damp night outside his window. Then he sighed.
"They are removed from society for a set amount of time, depending on the things that they do. This is to ensure that these ponies do not commit crimes again, and they do not harm other ponies. This is called a prison, where several of these ponies go for the crimes they commit."
Cherry nodded. "I see."
Gusto gave a weak smile. "You going into the forest at night is not something to go to prison for."
Cherry, for the first time in a while, smiled as well.