Mlp Generation 4.5.

Season 1, episode 2 Friends and fears part 2

Hope light was in a dark room. Even with her horn illuminated she couldn't see the walls.
"Hello?" Her voice echoed. She began to walk. Her hoof steps echoed too. For a moment she wondered if they were echos...or somepony else. "Is anyone there?"
No. Definitely an echo. She was alone.
Then came the whispers. When she heard it she swung her horn in an arc around her but there was no one there. Feeling on edge she cast a shield spell around herself, creating a shimmering light yellow bubble of light like a star in the dark.
"Show yourself." Hope said.
The whispering got louder and soon she began to recognize the voices.
"Mom? Dad? Is that you?"
"Such a disappointment." The voice said. Hope's blood ran cold.
"...ungrateful...waste of time...wasting our money...could be more useful.."
The unicorn shook her head. These weren't her parents. They would never say those things. And yet...why did it bother her so much?
I must still be in the cave under the school. She though. This must be the tree testing us with our fears like Lucky's Nana said.
I have to find the way out.
She began to trot, rationalizing that if she kept going in a straight line then eventually she would hit a wall. The whispers grew louder with her every step.
"Ungrateful...using all our resources...for what?...what has she done for us?"
Hope started to canter, as if she could out run the voices but they just got louder.
"Waste of time...ungrateful...useless..."
Tears started to streak down Hopes face. "You're wrong. Your wrong. You are not my parents. Leave me alone!"
Suddenly she slammed into something, luckily her shield took most of the hit. She looked up, expecting to see a wall but instead saw her mother, towering over her. In that same whispering voice she spoke.
"You were suppose to help us. Now you want us to pay for your schooling? Have we not payed enough to keep you alive?"
Hope backed away. "You're not my mom. She would never say that. You aren't my-" she slammed into something behind her and turned to see her father.
"You've been nothing but a burden on us. We have wasted years of our lives, sacrificed our dreams to raise you! When are you going to repay the favor?"
Hope crouched to the ground. "Stop it! You aren't real, you aren't my parents. I'm not a burden on them! I'm not!"
Her fake parents continued to whisper, circling around her. "Waste of time...ungrateful...when will you repay? When? When? When?"
"ENOUGH!" Hope sent a blast of light radiating from her and casting the darkness aside. The room was now illuminated and Hope could see that she was in a circular stone chamber with doors behind and ahead of her. However instead of heading for the exit, she sat down and cried.
"Pull yourself together Hope." She sniffed.
"It's ok to cry." The unicorn jumped. She looked up to see Double delight before her.
Oh no, he saw me crying.
Quickly she wiped her face. "Yeah but I'm not I'm just...tired is all."
Double delight sat down in front of her. "I saw bad stuff in the shadows too. It's ok."
Hope looked up into his deep blue eyes, so sincere. He pulled her into a hug. She tried to hold it in but eventually just began to cry into his shoulder. He didn't say anything. After a bit she pushed him away to clean her face.
"Ugh...I'm sorry, I'm such a mess right now." Hope tried to smile and laugh but it felt hollow. Double delight gave a half hearted smile. "The darkness messes with your head."
The stallion stood and offered a hoof. She took it. "We should probably get out of here." He said.
"And find the others." She replied.
As the two walked side by side out the door, Hope gave him a gentle nudge. "Thanks for not asking."
"It's not my business." He replied. "But if you ever need to talk about it, don't hesitate. Ok?"
"Ok." Hope replied. She felt her heart fill with warmth at his words. "But after. Right now we need to get back to the school with everyone safely."

Friend was running through gemstone encrusted tunnels, behind him a pack of Diamond dogs were barking at him.
"Run run little runt! We'll catch you!"
Terror pushed his legs onward. How did his old pack get under the school? Why were they after him? Did they expand their territory? Did they want to toy with him? Whatever the case he knew they would hurt him.
The tunnels were a maze and the smells were all messed up. Friend couldn't tell where anyone or anything was. He bumped into large crystals in the dark, and tripped over loose stones. Finally he found himself at a dead end. He turned back but they were already blocking the exit. Shivering with fear, friend turned and began to dig into the wall.
"You can't dig your way out of this." One of the dogs said.
"Yeah." Another agreed. "You've never been a strong digger."
"You've never been good for anything."
"Leave me alone! Friend barked at them in dog-speak. "I'm not a threat to you anymore! Just leave me alone!"
"Threat?" The pack replied. "You were never a threat. You were a play thing. And we want to play."
"Get a new play thing!" Suddenly Lucky burst from behind them, kicking at the hounds. They yelped in surprise but quickly began to rally against her, biting her legs and tearing at her sides with Crystal claws. One of the dogs was eyeing her throat and instinct kicked in. Friend dove at the enemy, sinking his jaws into their scruff and tossing them aside. He wasn't as strong as them but he wasn't going to let Lucky fight alone.
They struggled but eventually Lucky was thrown against the back wall. Friend jumped to stand in front of her. The fur on the back of his neck was raised into spikes like a porcupine and he growled at the pack.
"I will not let you hurt my friend!" He yelled.
The pack eyed him, seemingly hesitant to start the fight up again.
"So found your new pack huh? With pretty little ponies?" Said the pack leader.
"Yes." Friend replied. "And you are on our turf. Back off!"
All fear was gone to be replace by a protective rage. These dogs had hurt Friend since he was a pup. He knew what they could do. He wouldn't let Lucky, who stood up for him in the school, suffer through that.
The pack growled but they retreated back down the tunnels and disappeared.
Friend turned around and sniffed at Lucky.
"Hurt?" He asked in ponish.
"I'm fine. Just a few scrapes." Lucky replied.
Friend sat down and tilted his head then spoke in dog-speak. "You spoke dog-speak earlier. How?"
"Family friend in Abyssinia learned to speak Dog-speak during Spike's attempts at creating peace between them and the Diamond dogs."
"Aby-who now?"
"Cat creatures. Live in Abyssinia. Country South of Equestria?"
Friend gave her a blank stare.
"Have you been living under a rock the past 100 years?"
"I'm only four years and yes, I've lived underground until I escaped my pack in search of friends a few days ago."
Lucky blinked. "That's why you came to the school of friendship. You ran away from your pack."
Friend nodded. "My pack captured a pony one day and he spoke of the school and friends. I let him go and got in trouble for it. The pony promised to help me but..."
Lucky stood up and placed a hoof on the pups shoulder. "He went back on his word."
Friend nodded again. "But not all ponies are like that. Right?"
"No." Lucky gave him a hug. "You have a new pack now. And we will keep you safe. Ok?"
The pup sniffed. "Ok. Thanks Lucky."
"What's your real name?" Lucky asked as she let him go. The two began to walk back down the tunnel in search of an exit. Friend began to smell the others of his pack - Insomnia, Liberty, Hope Light and Double delight - and followed the trail.
"Friend." Friend replied after a pause.
"Your mom called you friend?" Lucky asked in disbelief.
"Nope. But friend is the name I choose to call myself." Friend replied. "So that anyone calling me knows I am a friend of theirs."
Lucky smiled. "I think that's a great name."