This is just something I wanted to try out. It's kinda like Flare Brimstone, but without the constant change of locations. Maybe y'all like it. I think this chapter is alright.

"Awaken!"

The mare heard a voice from the ether; the dark recess within her mind is muddled... but even so, shards of faint light glimmer through; its paltry existence guiding her through the black. Slowly, she gains her senses: she smells wet dirt, she could feel the damp earth beneath her, and distinct sounds of water shattering on the earth.

The mare's sight returns; the fuzziness began to dissipate, and she starts to properly discern her surroundings. She finds herself in Earth's shelter; a cave, lolling near the entrance. Her body had indeed been correct.

"You've finally awoken, it's about time," the vexed voice announced. "How long were you going to keep us waiting?!"

"Simmer your rage, my friend," another voice said, but this one was calm and sweet. "She hasn't been awake in quite some time, so perhaps we should be grateful that she has."

"Bah," the irritated voice grumbled as it huffed. "After what happened, I guess I could possibly... maybe... probably cut the mare some slack, but it doesn't excuse the fact she could've woken up much sooner. She had already recovered years ago, so what's your excuse for the mare, huh?!"

The other voice sighed, saying, "Despite what happened, and even when she recovered from the ordeal, her mind is different from her body," the soothing voice argued. "She needed more time to regain her mind, Calabus. You shouldn't be so hard on her," the voice lightly chastised.

"Hmph," Calabus uttered. "Dalia, you make a point. You understand, don't you? We've been awake since she slept! So, forgive me for being grumpy already!"

"You don't have to be so rude, Calabus," Dalia murmured before letting out a tired sigh. "Sweetheart," she addressed the mare who was listening to the conversation, "do you remember anything before you went to sleep?"

The mare tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Her throat pulsed, and she could feel the words being suppressed.

"Oh great," Calabus complained, "her speech has been restricted; she can't talk! Gah, what a pain!"

Suddenly, a blue aura enveloped the mare. It was warm and comforting, like a mother's delicate embrace to her child.

"Hmm," Dalia contemplated. "It's only suppressed. Eventually, my sweetheart will be able to utter some words, but that will take some time. Sweetheart, try to think and speak in your mind."

The mare did what Dalia asked. She closed her eyes and began to think, wanting to speak with the voices inside her head, and her body gave her what she wished.

Dalia... Calabus... what happened?

Calabus grumbled, "What do ya think happened, huh?! After the fight, we had to carry you to this cave so you could recover! Are your memories muddled or something?!"

"Calabus, that's enough," Dalia snapped harshly. "Sweetheart here can't possibly remember everything that happened. She's been sleeping for a long while."

Reveal yourselves... please.

"Now that you're finally awake, we can," Calabus hissed.

Before the mare, a burning, festering, red orb appeared, shifting and forming into a little cute red imp with a massive scowl on its face. The whites of its eyes were black, and its irises were blood red. It fluttered with its teeny wings and glared at the mare coldly.

Next was a wavy, centered blue orb. It shifted and formed into a small blue imp with white eyes, and its irises were black. A lovely smile appeared on its visage. It was calm and composed. It flew next to Calabus with a cane and poked him before crossing her arms.

The scene was somewhat amusing; one would think the angry one would have the weapon, not the other way around.

Where are we exactly?

"We are in Equestria, your homeland, sweetheart," Dalia graciously answered. "For our exact location, we are in the Everfree Forest, most specifically the very middle."

Calabus growled and pointed his finger to the entrance and demanded, "Let's go and get our bearings."

Dalia rolls her eyes, saying, "Cally, my sweetheart hasn't even taken a hoof forward. No need to rush her."

Calabus groaned and stretched out his face before returning to his signature scowl. "Why do you insist on calling her that anyway? What are you, her mommy?!"

Dalia squinted at the rude imp. "We looked and protected her since she was a foal, Calabus. So excuse me if I wish to act motherly towards my sweetheart."

"Fine, whatever," he spat out, his head smoking slightly. "Hey!" Calabus called out to the mare hardly. "Get your flank up and start moving around to get a sense of your body; you haven't used it in years. Once you manage simple bodily functions, meet us at the cave's entrance; don't mull about and waste time! Just get it done! Ugh... I sound like I'm giving out a tutorial!"

Calabus fluttered over to the entrance of the cave followed by Dalia who shook her head in disappointment.

Calabus, despite his cruel treatment, is right. The mare had to figure this out if she wants to reliably leave the cave. So, the mare gets up but only to fall painfully. She could hear Calabus chastise her and Dalia reprimanding him.

Another try ended in another failure, but the mare began again. Persistence is key; stubbornness is a valuable ally when displayed correctly. Erred was another attempt, however, the mare was able to hold herself on her hooves. That was progress, and with anything, progress had to be completed, and the mare strived to complete it. Twenty minutes was how it took, but twenty minutes were well worth the struggle; the mare had achieved her goal: her hooves lay opposed to the ground and her legs did not wobble, wiggle, or buckle, but stood still and strong. She walked around and no resistance met her; she was in full control of her body!

Feeling a slight tinge of pride in her completed endeavor, the mare approaches Calabus and Dalia. The red imp was tapping his tiny foot in the air while Dalia gave the mare a precious smile and applauded her for reigning control.

"Good job, Dawn," Dalia joyfully said, clapping at her sweetheart's control of her body. "I'm so proud of you!"

"You coddle the mare too much," Calabus said coldly before turning his ire towards the mare. "About time. Instead of putting all that misplaced pride over something so trivial, use that energy to hull your flank out of the cave. Hurry up already!"

Although Dalia wanted to scold Calabus over his treatment of the mare, she decided to forgo it and turn her lovely gaze at her sweetheart instead.

"Are you ready to go, Dawn?" Dalia asked softly, cupping the mare's face with her little hands. "If you need some more time, then do not hesitate to ask. You know Cally and I will stand by you always."

Calabus groaned and banged his head against a wall. "If we don't leave, Dawn Erebus will be one imp short."

We can leave. I feel... capable of walking.

Calabus breathed out a sigh of relief. "Finally, we'll be out of this stuffy old cave. Dawn, get moving already!" Calabus yelled before zooming out of the cave.

Like before, Dalia merely shook her head. "That imp... Calabus may be demanding, but he holds your best interests at heart, he just does it in his way." Dalia hugged the mare lovingly. "I'll be right beside you, Dawn. Always."

Dalia fluttered above Dawn's black and white mane and perched herself upon it. She gently patted the soft mane as Dawn began exiting the cave. As the mare enters the lush forest, a myriad of noises assaulted her ears; there was so much movement hidden behind bushes and trees that she nearly found herself overwhelmed. The light from the blaring sun beamed lightly through the forest canopy, irradiating the moss-covered earth with its golden luminescence.

Dawn felt her hooves tread lightly on the smooth earth. The air smelled fresh and clean, Dawn could breathe deep and feel relief. Further her eyes wandered until they settled on an impatient imp looking annoyed. Quickly, Dawn trotted up to the imp.

"Geez, are you finally done wasting your time sightseeing, Dawn?" Calabus berated. He scanned around the area cautiously. "Dangers are lurking within these woods and I would think it be smart if you didn't muck about with your mindless lolling!"

Dalia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Calabus, it's the afternoon. Are you seriously going to continue this tirade? Honestly, stop harrying Dawn."

The red imp snorted, blowing out a small plume of fire before looking away. "Whatever," he muttered. "Dawn, I took the liberty of scanning our surroundings and I deduced we are next to a town not too far from our position." Calabus flew to the mare and plopped his behind on her withers. "There is another location on the edge of the forest, but we shouldn't waste time investigating. Get your rear in gear, we're burning daylight!"

Dalia turned to face Calabus with a smile. "See? That wasn't so hard."

The red imp scoffed and closed his eyes, adopting a lazy posture. "Yeah, well... I didn't want you nagging on about my attitude, so be grateful that I am so gracious as to grant your request." Calabus poked Dawn with his finger. "Hey, you waiting on something or what? Let's get a move on already! Just go straight and we'll be out of this forest!"

"Well, it was nice while it lasted," Dalia uttered under her breath. She then hugs a tuft of Dawn's wonderful mane. "Alright, sweetheart, one step at a time."

Dawn nodded. Right. Let's go.

Dear old Fluttershy was seen trekking in the Everfree Forest looking for a few ingredients for a special stew for her animals. Initially, the timid mare wanted to go into Ponyville but Angel, her bunny, demanded she wastes no time and ordered her to find the ingredients within the forest.

"Oh... ferrets and honeybees, I knew I shouldn't have come out here," she meekly said, her body shaking as she slowly trudge forward. "A-all t-th-the dangerous animals must be prowling about. Oh... what if I come across a menacing manticore or a bloodthirsty hydra looking for ponies to snack on...!"

Suddenly, a snap from a dismembered tree branch alerts Fluttershy as she squeals in panic. Slowly turning her eyes where she heard the noise, Fluttershy laid her eyes upon a pack of ravenous timberwolves looking for a meaty meal to sink their sharp wooden teeth into. Unfortunately, she was the meal.

Unable to open her wings due to fear, Fluttershy was effectively grounded, and she didn't have to courage to flee from her wooden predators. Each shaken hoof that stepped back, a clawed paw marched forward. The mare's eyes watered as she did the only thing she could do.

She began screaming out for help.

Dawn, accompanied by her companions, has been walking in the forest for a few hours. Oddly enough, neither Dalia nor Calabus were arguing. Though a welcome change, Dawn missed the bickering.

"Stop," Calabus told Dawn and she did.

Dalia arched her brow. "What's the matter, Calabus?" she asked warily. "Did you pick up on something?"

He nodded. "It's distress layered with fear and a tinge of sadness," he answered seriously. "I also heard a scream, although it was faint. It came from the direction of the other location I mentioned before."

Dalia put her tiny hands over her mouth. "A pony could be in trouble, we have to help them."

Calabus shook his head. "It ain't my call whether we do so or not. That decision lies solely on Dawn." Calabus flew in front of the mare's face as Dalia joined him. "So, what's it gonna be? Think we should help or leave the pony to defend themselves?"

Dawn squinted her eyes. We help. We fight.

Calabus sighed. "At least you got some shred of your former self. Let's see if you can fight."

Dalia embraced Dawn's face. "We'll assist when you need it, sweetheart. Now don't strain yourself."

In an instant, Calabus and Dalia transformed into red and blue earrings and latched themselves on Dawn's ears gently. The objects pulsed with arcane energy, empowering Dawn with increased physical capabilities and enhancing her mystical prowess.

Dawn's ears, now empowered, could hear the screams of a pony. It was a mare and her distressed tone indicated she was crying. Dawn discerned the mare has no way of defending herself and is unable to outrun whatever beast has her cornered. Quickly, Dawn uses her mystical powers to change her form into a shadow, leaping on the earth with staggering speed.

I'll help you. I'll protect you.

Fluttershy was cowering like a filly who was told terrible Nightmare Night stories. Her wonderful blue eyes locked on the snarling timberwolves; they showed their chipped fangs as a thick coat of green saliva dripped from their slathering mouths. The smell was awful, it permeated the air with a foul stench; Fluttershy had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from puking.

The mare desperately tried to move or open her wings, but no matter how hard the little pegasus struggled, she just couldn't move to save herself. As the wooden predators closed in, Fluttershy's head kneeled to face the earth, effectively succumbing to her fate. She had ventured too far into the forest, procrastinating her situation rather than fully focusing on her task. If she never lagged her hoofsteps along with the mossy soil, she might have been able to escape her fate.

What would her animals do without her? They relied on her. What about her friends? They'll never know what happened. The more Fluttershy thought about it, the more distraught she became. There was no way out of this situation, not this time. It was time to resign hope.

A timberwolf crouched to the ground before leaping into the air, bearing its terrifying fangs. Fluttershy closed her eyes and braced for the suffering to come, but instead, she heard a large crash and a pained yelp escaping the timberwolf. Although she was as frightened as she could be, Fluttershy's curiosity got the better of her and the mare opened her tear-stained eyes. What she beheld was a wonderful miracle standing between her and the hungry timberwolves.

The mysterious mare turned around and gave Fluttershy a reassuring smile. The timid pegasus deftly studied the odd mare: a deep crimson coat caught her eyes, the middle of her legs was black and white, then they slowly trailed up to her tall frame; she stood taller than the average mare. Her mane was black on the left and white on the right, and they intertwined down to the back of her neck; her tail emulated her gorgeous mane. On the top of her head were antlers colored black and white. Her eyes were dust-colored, she bore large wings, beautiful red and blue earrings, and had a cute little black mole on her left cheek.

Looking forward, Fluttershy saw the shattered remains of the timberwolf that tried to assault her. The other timberwolves back away slightly, giving the mysterious mare ire-filled gazes.

The mare's antlers illuminated a black glow with a white outline and the ground in front of the two mares suddenly died: the grass, the roots, the bushes, the flowers, everything lost its color, leaving only a depressing gray behind.

The power of darkness in ruptured light; tremble, rise, and destroy!

Pools of darkness manifested, and black appendages shot forth, tearing through three timberwolves with ease; the beasts' bodies were ripped apart and engulfed inside the appendages, crushed and purged without a single trace.

There were two timberwolves left, and despite what happened to their companions, they steeled themselves and attacked the mare from the left and right. Without hesitation, the mare uttered a spell, and her antlers once again began to shine.

Umbral Triad, heed my call and serve my will. Third ring: bind and suppress my foes!

In an instant, a black cage trapped both of the wolves. Then spikes erupted out of the black bars and impaled them as they halted in suspense; they were frozen in time.

Celestial Triad, serve me and purge my foes! First ring: scatter these dregs and banish them to the ether!

The timberwolves began to tremble and break. They contorted, twisted, and wrung; their bodies violently collapsed on themselves, shrinking until they were nothing but little spheres. Then they snapped and imploded into nothingness.

Fluttershy was horrified by the violence the mare elicited in, but then she saw the mare kneel to the ground and lightly rake her antlers across the earth. The pegasus witnessed the mysterious mare's antlers glow brightly. The way her body took a lowly posture as if giving a sincere apology for the rightful vindication she enacted, and how she slowly muttered her spell under her breath in such a somber tone.

Forgive me. Let what life was stripped by my acts be returned a thousandfold.

Fluttershy gradually made her way around the mare and saw her wearing an expression of regret. As Fluttershy watched on, the mare's antlers released a wave, kind of like a lucid mist that encroached and covered the gray area. Then, to Fluttershy's surprise, the grass that withered, along with the dead roots, began to grow and flourish; they were stronger than before, lusher and healthier.

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at the scene; never before has a patch of earth looked so radiant. Though initially terrified of what the mare had done, the timid pegasus knew what the mare had done affected her greatly in the heart. She turns her lovely gaze to her savior.

"T-thank you for saving my life," Fluttershy said, bowing her head in appreciation. "If you hadn't come along, then... I wouldn't be here. Thank you again." Fluttershy gasped. "Oh my, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Fluttershy, and I live on the edge of the Everfree Forest. What's your name?"

The mysterious mare slightly towered over the pegasus, then she tilted her head before another smile found itself on her face.

"Do... do you talk by any chance?" Fluttershy asked. The mare tilted her head to the other side. "Are you mute?" The mare shook her head. "Well... you can understand me, so that's wonderful. My cottage isn't too far from here, would you like to rest and have some tea? I insist."

"Is this short stack serious?!" Calabus blurted out. He and Dalia were once again speaking in Dawn's mind. "Wittle yellow pegasus offering refuge to a stranger? The mare is just asking for trouble!"

"Calabus, she's just showing gratitude, there is no need to get stuffy," Dalia said tiredly. "I think we should take young Fluttershy up on her kind offer."

If Calabus wasn't an earring right now, his head would be on fire.

Although he hated the notion, there wasn't much harm. "Fine," he spat. "But if this mare is some evil vixen tricking us into saving her so she can hurt Dawn, then I give our mare the satisfaction of splitting the very light from the pegasus and have the darkness consume her whole!"

Dalia let out another exasperated sigh. "You are so dramatic, and Dawn will do no such thing. There isn't a mean bone in Fluttershy's body, now hush."

I would like to go, to keep her safe on the path home.

Calabus sighed loudly and said, "Whatever. Do what you will, just be careful."

I won't disappoint you.

"Well, you haven't so far, so keep it up and maybe I won't tell you off for being incompetent."

Dalia chuckled. "With all of us in agreement, let us follow our new friend."

"Umm, miss?" Fluttershy said, waving her hoof in front of the mare lightly. "Are you okay? You've been staring off into the forest for a few seconds. Is there something wrong?"

The mare locked eyes with Fluttershy and shook her head and ushered the pegasus to lead her to the cottage. A smile appeared on Fluttershy as she guided the mysterious mare to her home.