Songs of Innocence

Chapter 6: Clear Your Mind

The Castle of Friendship, Ponyville

"What?" Twilight was dumbfounded. "Sun, are you sure that fight you had wasn't just another nightmare?" She was very, very skeptical of the unicorn's story. It sounded just a bit too weird to have happened. But then again, stranger things have happened to her, so she thought she should at least humor her unicorn friend.

"I swear to Celestia! It was real! C'mon... You should believe me, Twilight." Sun cried. But without any evidence to back up her claim, even she knew that her attempt at convincing Twilight was useless. Even Sun herself was beginning to lose belief in her claims.

"Sun, I highly doubt there's a pony named Death Drive. You really think I'd believe that you made yourself some magical arms? Sounds like something you'd dream about, if you ask me. Oh, by the way... I actually think I have a way to stop your nightmares." Suddenly, a curled up map appeared with a quick flash of light, and Twilight levitated it over to Sun.

The unicorn opened the map, and didn't quite understand why Twilight gave it to her. Of course, it was just because she hadn't explained it to her, but our unicorn protagonist was never the smartest pony in the stable, is she? Twilight manifested a marker, and used it to mark a path on the map, which started from the Castle of Friendship, and ended at...

"The Everfree Forest?" Sun uttered.

"Yes... What about it?" Twilight cocked her head in puzzlement as to why Sun spoke like that.

"Uh, Fluttershy told me it's super dangerous, and I shouldn't be going in there."

"Well, maybe if you don't know what you're doing..."

"Like when that beelzebufo almost ate me and her?"

"...I suppose? Anyways, you'll be fine. Just be cautious. You see, the place I want you to go to is a hut in the forest owned by a zebra named Zecora. She's pretty well-versed in mystic things, and she can probably give you something that will fix your nightmares. If we're really lucky, maybe she has something that can get rid of Ultra Violet entirely!"

"Wouldn't that be nice." Sun replied, semi-sarcastically due to doubting that she could find a solution that simply. "I'll do it. But won't you send someone with me, just to be safe?"

Twilight sighed in disappointment. "I'm so sorry, but I can't come with you because I need to have a meeting with the others about my coronation. But don't worry. I know you'll be safe as long as you're being cautious."

Sun nodded, uttering a hesitant "Alright." She took the map, and began to walk where it was guiding her to. She tried to see the bright side of things as she walked toward the forest. It was just one beelzebufo, and that... thing got rid of it. I'm not sure what happened, but hopefully it'll happen again if I get in danger... I hope. However, when she arrived, she saw that a thick, misty fog had descended upon the thickets of the Everfree Forest. 

("Kiccigiorgi Forest" from Shin Megami Tensei IV)

"N-no... You gotta be kiddin' me..." Sun despaired over how harder her quest just became. How was she supposed to find a person - a "zebra", whatever that is - she'd never seen before, and in all of all of this fog? Besides, she has no idea what could be inside of the forest itself. She started to complain to herself, "Why do I have to do this? Twilight shoulda just teleported herself to this place instead of sending me!" 

She sighed, and mentally prepared to enter the forest, regardless of what, in her mind, were countless disasters that could take her life, just waiting to pounce on her like a wild animal. The positive attitude she'd adopted was drowned out with dread... Perhaps if she was quiet, nothing would hear her?

She took a step, and then another, and another, and another... Then, before she knew it, she was walking around with no issue. That may not seem like much, but it was for her. However, the stride of confidence became short-lived, as suddenly, she heard a high-pitched shriek rang out from the other side of the forest, which caused her to shriek, but in surprise and horror. Almost scared to death, she speedily backed up in the direction from where she came, fully intending to give up, leave, and never look back. 

Unfortunately for her, her panic caused her to accidentally back into something. Her heart raced even more as she turned around to see what she had bumped into. Through the mist, she saw something that actually calmed her down a bit: a common orthrus. Its back was turned to the pony, and it led her to believe (or, more accurately, hope) that it hadn't noticed her. But as a reflex, she apologized to it for bumping into it.

"Sorry about that! I didn't mean to..."

However, she stopped as the two heads turned to look at her. It was disturbing. The two-headed dog's razor-sharp teeth were clenched as a low growl left their mouths, and their hungry, starving eyes looked her straight in the eyes. All it took was for them to start moving to get Sun to decide it was time to run. She dashed through the mist, pursued by the determined dogs, whose feral, guttural growls filled the misty forest.

After a long but relentless pursuit, the beast finally neared her, and lunged towards her, its jaws opened wide as can be to snap down on her flesh. Sun closed her eyes as it happened, not being able to look at the cause of her sudden demise. The last thing she did was let out a panicked yelp before falling unconscious.