Enemies to Friends
I had woken up from another daymare. But it had been my worst one yet.
Instead of a magical, kind, and dazzling creature, I see a monster. Hungry for vengeance, violence, and blood.
I had woken up from another daymare. But it had been my worst one yet.
I woke up on a pile of leaves and twigs in a cave that I have called home for as long as I remember, the night was cold, and left me lonely. This cave is in the middle of everything, the perfect place for a scrawny outsider. But I’m different now, not as lonely.
There is water in a glowing river, food in the gleaming trees above, and a cave for me to sleep. The one thing that I didn’t, and still don’t like is the company. I have had no one to be with, to talk to, no one that was my friend. Until Equestria, a friendly and quiet deer that was like me. I remember thinking about this as I woke up from my dream. I remember thinking about never waking up, hoping that this was all a joke. That I was actually with my parents, cozy and at home, about to eat breakfast and have a fun day as a family. But I wasn’t sure how to imagine that, because I don’t know if I ever had a family or anything close to that.
I remember dreaming about faded faces of family, friends, relatives, and any connection to the world that I have always wanted that night. But they were all being pulled away from me, turning away from me even, I didn’t know what was happening or what had happened. But the next thing I recall is being awake on the floor, sweaty, scared, and alone.
When my eyes refocused, I saw the moonlight shining into my cave. I rolled around so that the moon’s light spread onto my back and wings and found myself slowly getting up to see the moonrise... The next moment that I opened my eyes, I found myself outside the cave and walking towards the little pond; I got a drink of water and looked at my reflection. In my reflection I found a lonely bunny who had nothing but herself every night. Someone afraid of the world and the animals inside of it. Someone who has lost everything, or never had anything from the start. I had thought about this while I heard a pair of hoof beats that came closer to where I was, but when I saw a small glowing light, my fear had run away.
She’s here! I said to myself as I thought about the one friend that I had ever had in my whole life. She was the one animal that would talk to me or even come near me, but most of all, she was my friend. Soon, I saw Equestria, a petite mystical deer with glowing antlers and a trail of glowing flowers which followed her glowing hooves.
“Lunia! I haven’t visited in forever, I’m so sorry!” Equestria had squealed when she finally arrived at the mouth of the cave. But if you had actually heard her, you wouldn't think that she had tried her best to yell. It’s because she was such a gentle soul that I don’t think that she had the ability to yell at anybody anyway, no matter who or what they are.
“It’s okay Equestria, relax. But I do need to tell you about the daymare I had while you were gone” I said quietly. I had tried to keep a straight face because whenever I had felt lonely or felt stranded is when I got my daymares. I had soon found after getting to know her, that if I don’t share them, they would always get worse.
I hadn’t wanted to make her feel like she left me or that it was her fault, so to make sure of this I remember smiling and saying, “And it’s definitely not because of you, because it wasn’t as bad as some of the other ones,” but of course, that was the biggest lie ever, because I never forgot it.
Soon we had begun to walk to our normal clearing in the middle of the forest, on the shore of the pond. She soon started to bombard me with questions like she always did.
“What was the dream about? How did it start? How did it end? Wha…”
“I’ll tell you if you slow down for once Equestria, you need to chill,” is all I remember getting to before I saw disapproval on her face of disapproval, and knowing her, she was struggling to hold her mouth shut.
“Basically, the whole dream was just about what I wish my life was like and how it really is and what might have happened in the past to my family, you know if I had any. So it wasn’t that bad and you can definitely stop worrying,” I explained to her as she continued to look at me with suspicion. I started to feel the regret of lying to my best friend and for keeping my emotions away from her, and still do.
“Anyways, do you want to go to the field near the Crystalunes to pick flowers or something?” I asked quickly as I had quickly put away the agonizing pains of my dream in the back of my head.
As we walked towards the spacious field of flowers, I felt something… wrong.
I felt shadows creeping, branches breaking, a tree shaking, the wind howling, and the water whispering. The forest had seemed to warn me of a danger that was soon to come, but I believed that it was just a figment of my imagination. I continued to ignore it and walk on, but that was a mistake.
The giant crack of a tree branch makes all the nerves in my body jump, and when I take a look into the shadows, the cruelest warriors in the whole Crystalune species appear out to teach us a lesson.
“Well, well, well. Look what we have here. It's them!” a raspy voice says in a sarcastic and emotionless tone. When I look, I see Thornheart, the one who wouldn’t waste a second to demolish us, me and Equestria.
“Just because you don’t have a specific home doesn't mean that everywhere is your home, does it? Cause if that’s what you think… we’ll have to teach you a lesson.” I stare at a strong muscular warrior, a deer with majestic crystal horns, glowing hoofs that leave a magical trail of glowing flowers, and a mysterious glowing starlight body like everyone else in this world.
But instead of a magical, kind, and dazzling creature, I see a monster. Hungry for vengeance, violence, and blood. As I dare to take a look away from him and instead behind me, I see more and more warriors lurking in the shadows. Some having scars, and some being new recruits; all waiting to chase me and Equestria with their piercing crystal antlers. At this moment, I think that this is going to be the end of the road.
I close my eyes and think of all the good times, but as soon as I think about Equestria I hear her voice saying, “Thornheart, we have every right to be here and you can't stop us! It might be ‘your’ territory but we belong in this forest together. We might have no real home…” is all she gets to before I start thinking, Is that really Equestria? It can’t be, she never talks to strangers, especially him who scares the stars out of us.
But the moment I open my eyes, I see the warriors in shock and Equestria breathless, stunned by her own doing. Thornheart shakes off the feeling and looks us straight in the eye.
“You may pass, but know, we will be watching you more closely than you would ever expect.” A barrage of emotions pass through us but it is only noticeable by those who would know the feeling of being lost. Then I figured it out…
Thornheart, a deer, just like any other Crystalune. But something that I missed is that Thornheart isn’t just about the thorns, but someone who has a heart, but was shut out, hurt, and ignored. And now, I want to change that because Equestria changed my life by giving me hope.
When we walked in the forest and into a clearing, I saw a glimmer in the air, like a light that knows her, but she doesn’t know it. I was in a daze, I slowly walked away from where we were going and felt a sort of magnet taking me away. But when my consciousness seeped back in, I found myself in front of a pond with a glimmering waterfall. As soon as I began to think, the light was dragging me away, behind the waterfall.
The moment I open my eyes I see a large cliff and a bright world beyond. Colors that I never imagined existed, trees that looked nothing like the ones at home and especially the light. Instead of a moon with a dms light, there is a ball of fire burning up the sky and shining a spotlight in every direction.
“Equestria! It’s really bright! I can see so much! Can you believe that this is what we’ve been missing?...” is what I say before I begin to freak out. The warriors were back, but without Thornheart.
“You two messed everything up! We found this first and if you don’t leave and keep it a secret we’ll end you” is what a small but agile looking warrior says in a dark tone, too deep compared to its smaller size.
“Because of your existence, Thornheart, Thornheart! Went away and has decided not to come back! You messed everything up and you’re going to pay.”
Uh oh. Equestria isn’t going to like this, she really does’t like them.
And of course she looks terrified of the dangerous creature before us, those who won’t stop to make us pay for what we did.
“Get them! Don’t let them back through the portal, because this is the last place you’ll ever be,” which told me one thing, he was sure to end us.
I hear paws running away from where I was and I look back, seeing a short moment of Equestria being chased by them.
“Equestria! No, stop!” is all I say before she’s gone. Gone down the cliff.
The silence is loud, everything stops, the sun stops shining, wind stops its breeze, the trees stop swaying, and the chase is over. They got what they wanted but too much of it, they took her. The one friend that ever knew me or wanted to know me. All gone.
The dream was a warning. A warning that someone, the warriors, would chase me and my family, Equestria, and they would disappear. What am I going to do…
“Lunia... I…” says a low husky voice coming from the direction of the portal.
I turn and see Thornheart walking towards me, if it was any other situation, I would be on high alert. Running away, but now, I didn’t know what to do.
“I should have stopped this, Lunia. I'm so sorry that this happened to Equestria, and you. I promise that I will talk to them…”
“Talk to us?! You are the one that walked off and left us to die in the forest! As Vice Captain of this team, I had to take our team and get revenge on her and her little friend for trampling our territory and talking to us like that. We have the authority not them and that should be very clear. Now we look like we’re afraid of them because we let them in and…” the rambling would have continued for hours if it wasn’t for Thornheart to stop him.
“We do not own the forest, and you had no orders to lead them here and make these terrible mistakes to leave us with prices to pay” Thronheart’s voice rumbled in his chest.
I remember it seeping in, the chase, the fight, and most of all, losing Equestria. She was all that I had. So now I need Thornheart more than I would have ever known before.
We slowly walked back to my cave where memories of me and Equestria are etched in every corner. The memories of us running around and being carefree about how different we were and still are will never leave. But now it’ll all be different without her.
“I know… I know that I will never be able to replace Equestria in any way, but I just want you to know that I’m here for you now and that I’m on your side. But what I really want to ask you is, do you want to go and explore the portal with me because I’m originally assigned to investigate it but never got the chance. So are you in?” he asked me. I had felt that he was really trying to be a friend.
“Of course. And thank you so much for standing up for me back there, I probably would have not reacted until something… really bad happened,” I had said with a small laugh.
Why am I laughing… Am I becoming hysterical? Thornheart probably thinks that I’m going crazy, what am I going to do? Is all I was able to think of.
“Are you overthinking how hysterical and crazy you might seem right now? Cause that’s exactly what your face is saying to me,” he said, laughing out loud like he heard a huge joke that nobody could hear. I’ve been so glad that he accepted me at some point, because if he didn’t it would feel like how everybody else treats me.
When we stood in front of the portal that leads to the daytime world, we look at each other and Thornheart said, “You ready? Because you might find some new friends on the other side.”
“Yeah, I’m ready, Thornheart. Also… thank you, for helping me,” I said because I had no other words.
But he looked at me and said, “No problem, let’s get through this portal and hope for the best. See you on the flip side,” shouting as he jumped through the portal.
Now I realized, as I am standing in front of the portal, that my life of loneliness is over.
My turn. Time for a new story.
