Dark woods and Red hoods Rough draft.

 The whistle of the winds traversing the everfree a common untamed sound of that can send a chill down the mightiest stallions spine. The wailing of the broken winds also had a habit of alerting the dangers of the forest to those who would dare look past its fear and traverse it. Yet for others the sound was just the empty reminder of loneliness they had to face every day, Though the wail today would bring on other such feelings for one lost soul of moss,wood and flower. Today the forest was alerted to just a small filly entering its forsaken hollows, on its way to visit a dear friend with a basket of goodies having missed her so.

 The little filly was none-the wiser that she had attracted the attention of anything just yet, let alone how it thought about her. How the stone heart of the beast pulsed a bit at the sight of her crimson hood, with its little adorable patch of river watch and a golden pony on the side. Its breath was stolen when her hood fell from her head revealing a coat of golden wheat and a mane of crimson flowers. It took the beast a moment to remember this was no denizen of the forest but a resident of the nearby town, not a plant given form like itself something from a completely different world.

 But how he marveled at her splendor how he yearned to just reach out and touch her, to make a connection with another, but every time the beast had attempted such feats they always fled in terror at his size,his shape and his menacing presence. He should just ignore this common,this magnificent, this distant, beautiful creature. He skulked through the woods keeping a vigilant eye upon her, when she took a path that had now been blocked by  fallen tree’s from last weeks harsh weather he couldn’t help but traverse ahead to clear her path. His stone heart pulsed so vigorously as he heard her approach as the final branch was removed. The beast laid down lowering its head as if to hide among the foliage near the path. His body over grew with moss and even a little flower upon his nose to add to his disguise. Every step of hers sent a shiver down his spine, the sound of a snapped twig beneath her hoof as she drew closer stole his breath. What was this feeling driving him mad, he had little time to think on this as she came around the corner. He closed his eyes as she approached to keep him hidden, well mostly closed and mostly hidden.


 The stone of his heart almost felt as if it turned to clay as she stopped right in front of him. What was she doing,why was she stopping had she found him out. The answer was an even stranger one to him as she bent down at the tip of his nose and with a whiff of her nose took in the smell of the little flower he had made as part of his disguise. He stalled his breath to not give himself away but his eyes creeked open enough to gaze upon her, how brilliant she was even more gorgeous up close then from afar. He had remembered seeing her in his woods many times, from when she was just a tiny foal, to when she was a rough and tumbling child, a hard working teenager and now….even with such a childish cape a young mare who had grown into her beauty like a delicate flower. Even though the action only took but moments it seemed like a pleasing eternity for the beast. Her head rose back up a small smirk upon her face, she turned her head and seemed almost to look right at him but that would be impossible for if she knew what she was looking at she would be running, wouldn’t she. The wind flowing through her mane made the moment no less awkward for our beast, her smirk changing into a soft smile as she turned back to the road to continue her journey further into the forest. No sooner had the beast blinked then had he lost his wondrous creature. He laid there almost grinning to himself until he shook away the silly expression. He was the great beast feared throughout the realm by all, but does that mean beasts can’t feel a flutter with-in when it is not even the season for butterfly’s?


These thoughts would plague him for a time as he would allow distance to grow between himself and the mare who made him feel. He should return to his forest and leave the poor dear be...dear...why did he think of her as a dear, she doesn’t have antlers. As he attempted to brush these thoughts aside he heard a snap of a twig but it did not come from his lovely guest, no he could feel the malevolence in the air. Something else in this wood had taken notice of his guest and its thoughts were much more impure then his own. But it was not his place to do anything was it, she had entered this domain she obviously knew the risks. This is the everfree she must be able to handle herself…..he hoped, why did she make him hope, what spell had she cast upon him.

 The beast had rosen and began to pace his small section of the path contemplating running to her beautiful side or to return to skulking through his eternal loneliness. But for once time was not a shadowed illusion of friendship to him, it was the enemy and it appeared to not carry the same dilemma about the fate of a mare so fair. A cry of fear came through the woods and before the beast had time to even think over his options his body lumbered toward the sound of her siren call, making his way to a ridge so he could get a better view. He found the villains of the fair maiden, lesser cousins a pack of timber wolves had encircled her. Lesser as they were, they were still hunters cutting off her retreat and path equally. Fate did not appear to have kind plans for her this day, Surely her cry of panic was heard by somepony near by, somepony that would galavant to her rescue as the wolves would play with there food. She had walked this path many time there is no way the beasts lesser cousins could harm her…..that would be the moment some wheat would be cut by claw and a crimson river would begin to flow from her cheek droplets hitting the floor. She fought back best she could but she was outflanked and out numbered.

  The beast who had only truly understood loneliness for so long, whose heart had learned to soften looking upon the flower haired mare found a new emotion to add to its growing collection of them, He believed he heard a pony state this emotion once before and called it ‘RAGE’. As a timber wolf leaped at little red, she closed her eyes which had filled with tears ready to take the hit. But instead she heard the crunching of wood in front of her and something towering over her. As she opened her tear stained eyes a wolf made of wood the size of which she had never seen before hovered over her its paw pressed on something in front of her alittle more and she saw the final moments of a timberwolves life fade away. Another dared to attack her with her new guardian present but it was easily batted away by the beasts paw hurling it into a tree where it shattered. A third foolish wolf got itself caught in the jaws of the beast who easily with a crunch ended its existence. The beast thought the punishment had been dealt swift and mercilessly, warning the rest of its lesser cousins to flee with a terrible mighty howl that the entire forest and nearby town could hear.

Little red looked up at the makeshift guardian of stone,wood and moss awestruck by it. She lifted a hoof as if to try and touch it. The beast stumbled back and growled defensively, she pulled her hoof back from such a response which made the beast stutter. She now feared it like all others, the beast knew this would be the fate they would have to share. His thoughts interrupted by a hoof touching the lowest part of his mighty chin, The beast frozen by this what is it called..act of compassion. The beast stared down at her for what seemed to be an eternity, until the silence of their union was broken by a large red stallion and an orange mare running up fear in their eyes for their kin. They wasted no time leaping to her aid the stallion coming in  turning his body bucking the mighty paw of the beast as the orange mare pulled away his little red. It was instinct but one he instantly regretted as he swiped at the red stallion sending him toppling back. The mares called out for their injured kin, The beast backed away knowing what he had done. The beast turned to flee but as he did he thought for but a moment he saw his little red reach a hoof out for him as well yelling for him not to go, but that was not a reality they could share. The beast left back into the forest that was his home as both mares quickly got there kin to their friends home who could treat him.

A winter came and left, the thoughts of a little red maned mare stayed with the beast for the entire season. Oh how she must hate him, loath his existence. This thought plagued him and consumed him every day. By the time spring arrived he had resigned himself just to fade away, was this heart break he felt even within the stone that made his makeshift heart. But one day a most curious event happened as again the silence of his forest was broken by a red hooded mare. He could not mistake her for anyone else, but again she dared to walk his domain, why. Similar to before she walked the path again taking a now blocked path from the harsh winter that had besieged them all. Again the beast not knowing why had cleared her path and hid along the path. He did not make any flowers this time but still hid himself. As she came around the corner again his stone heart pulsing she stopped leaning her head down at the tip of his nose then turning and seeming to look right at him with a small smile. It lasted moments before she turned and began to walk the path again but a little slower until he had caught up with her. Did she know he was there watching over her, little red and her silent guardian. He was unsure but he had decided to be just that, her eternal guardian walking her along a path hidden by the forest.

 The beast and his little red would enjoy many walks through the forest over the years. Even when she grew older and wiser, when she had found love of her own and started a family. Still he walked her through the forest as her silent guardian. One day the now fully grown mare with a filly of her own walked the forest, her little filly wearing a cape of scarlet much like her mother so many years ago. The filly asked her mother, “Momma isn’t the forest dangerous….”

The elder mare looked down at her daughter with a smile, “Not for us my dear, for we have an eternal guardian who would let no harm come to us. Even if he hides in the darkness i know he is there and i know i am safe as are you.”

The beasts heart pulsed and he knew her words were true.