Prologue (Longer chapters will be coming, also leave a thumbs up if you enjoyed)
It was a silent and blissfully cool night, the stars painted an exquisite and stunning painting in the sky, dimly illuminated by Luna's beautiful moon lay the Gryphon outpost of Southclaw on the edges of what the ponies called the Everfree forest, the foolish things avoided it, feared it even! They were scared of a few dark trees and the occasional creature.The gryphons were not frightened by a mere forest, no! It was very useful in fact, they used it for their hunting grounds, so many little creatures, so many unsuspecting little creatures, the rats were particularly good around summertime. It was a good thing the rest of the gryphons did not know of this treasure trove of a forest or they would have bled it dry months ago. This is how the residents of Southclaw had lived for 8 months, surviving off all the tasty little things that scampered across the forest floor.
Watcher Gold Claw stood at his post, listening to the sounds of the night time with rapt attention and scanning the treeline with his beady eyes. He took his position of Watcher incredibly seriously and took great pride in his job. It was he who paid attention to any dangers that might attack their small village, it was he who would alert the townsfolk if anything such as a manticore or a pesky little Cockatrice came to find trouble. There had been only one occasion when their settlement did come under attack, it was 2 months ago and Gold Claw had noticed something stir in the bushes, that was when a manticore sprang from his hiding place and charged toward Southclaw. Gold did not hesitate one second, he yelled manticore! At the top of his voice and leapt into action, now the watcher is supposed to sit and stay out of trouble if something arises and only intervene if he is needed. He felt like being the hero though, and as the warriors flew to attack the beast, so did he. With expert skill and graceful movements, he flung himself onto the creature's back and clung on, dragging the filthy hybrid down to the ground not 3 feet short of their perfect little outpost. He clawed and punched it until it gave up, and with a last defiant roar, fled back into the forest in search of easier pickings. Gold was heralded as a hero and ate like a king that night. The memory brought a smile to the young gryphon's face as he continued to sweep the are for threats.
"Come on... come on out. I know you're there, you little pricks! Come out and fight like you should." He whispered under his breath. He wanted to be a hero again, he wanted to be praised and looked up to. He got the taste of attention when he stopped the manticore attack too long ago, and he wanted more. A thin, wispy mist slowly crept along his vision,
"No, No! Damnit! I can't see a bloody thing! There could be anything on the other side of these mists!" That was when a thought popped into his mind. Why not just...go past the mists? Go a little further out, not too far into the forest, not too far to get lost, just far enough to get past these mists. Yeah, this is a good idea, I'm being a good watcher aren't I? Risking my life to protect Southclaw. Yes. No one could possibly replace me. And he walked, not worried about the potential dangers, he was too sure of himself, thinking there was no way he could be bested in a fight no matter what the creature.
In he went, into the cloud of eerie mist that had taken hold of the dense forest. He was not frightened, no, he was an exceptionally brave individual. He could not deny the fact though that the forest shrouded in this mist was incredibly creepy, like the stories his elders used to tell him when he was but a young boy, when they lived with the larger gryphon tribes. It was like a soft yet sharp cloak which enveloped the trees and suffocated them. It seemed to sap all life from the plants and even the critters were silent.
He wandered on. And on. And on. But the mists never seemed to dissipate, never seemed to move on.
"I have to get passed these mists!" He told himself, "the fate of my village could rest upon it." It was about 3 minutes later when he happened across an area in which the phantom cloud was less dense, with a few areas untouched by it's tendrils of grey.He was deciding which direction he would take next when he heard the crunch of twigs underfoot, about 70, nay, more like 50 feet away. He crouched down behind a large, warped root and lay waiting for what foul spawn of the Everfree could be approaching. The mists were swirling around slightly, light blue and almost ethereal in appearance. He heard hushed whispers, not frightened ones, albeit confused ones. He was contemplating what these could be,
They talk, could they be ponies? No, too far from their side of the forest. Wait... what is they're gryphons from a different tribe!? What is they come to claim our land and befoul our beautiful grounds? I must warn the warriors-wait.
He stopped his train of thought when he saw a peculiar shape through the this veil of sinister blueness. A creature of strange form, with different parts or segments bobbing slightly up and down.
What in the world?
As he crouched he pondered what this weird thing could be. Was it a threat? What was it? What does it look like? What- snap! He nearly jumped out of his feathers. It was moving ever closer, curiously bobbing up and down. As is came closer, it noted it's true form, no their true forms. What he had mistaken for one creature was in fact, five. And they were strange, they were tall, slightly taller than Gold save one of them who seemed to be the same size. They didn't look like a threat, they were not as muscular as gold and lacked claws. They were walking past, he had not glimpsed their faces, just their general body shape. He had seen enough.
I should head back now and tell the chief about these...things. As he turned to walk away, he tripped on an exposed root and landed with a dull thud on the cool, leaf strewn ground.
"What was that?" He heard one of them call out.
"Check it out." Came the voice of another.
Gold lay still on the forest floor, breathing heavy, heart pounding, he was beginning to get frightened. The footsteps came closer and closer till they stopped.
"I came from behind this root thing." The chosen scout called to his companions. Gold's heart beat ever faster against his ribs, threatening to break through. Slowly, it peered over the root and Gold's eyes were met with a sight one shouldn't ever have to. It's face was rubbery, with stitches all over it, cuts were slashed on it's brow and it's mouth... a twisted mockery of what a mouth should be, a thin almost vertical gash with what appeared to be a zip over it. And the eyes. Those madness inducing eyes stared into Gold's mind, they were slightly yellow and appeared to be diseased. It had a long metal rod in either hand, raised in a threatening position high above it's head. This monster... this disfigured hell spawn was horrifying. Too horrifying for Gold. He was scared now. With a high pitched yelp, he scrambled up, bumping into more than one tree in the process. And fled. The great Gold Claw was fleeing. And he couldn't care less. Need to get away, running, running is it behind me, will it catch me, please God, don't let it catch me! He ran for two whole minutes when he turned around. It didn't follow! He was safe! Elation turned to dread however when he realised he had no clue where he was. He looked left, trees, he looked right, he saw trees, he turned to survey his surrounding when he tripped on a rock. He cried out in shock as he rolled down the hill he hadn't even known to be there. His wing struck a rock and he heard a sickening crunch. His cries to shock turned to those of pain as he nursed his wing. He stopped. He was on a small island, surrounding it was a small stream and on it were three twisted, black trees. He slouched over to one and lay there. He was panicking.
I don't know where I am! No one knows where I am! I cannot fly away because my wing is snapped. DAMNIT! Why didn't I just fly from...it in the first place instead of running like a dog! Then I wouldn't be in this mess! He wept. The great hero of Southclaw, weeping like a grieving woman. Little did he know though, he was not alone on his island and he never noticed the manticore's claw as it swung down to crush his head.
Chapter 1: So they arrive.
Chapter 1: So they arrive
(please don't forget to vote and comment as it is much appreciated, and tell me why you voted. Also I would love to put people's OCs in the story if you guys want. )
Some talk about drugs which is essentially weed. You probably don't care but I thought I should say anyway.
"Come on dude, I'll show you the sweet spot I found those leaves!" Came the voice of a very laid back pony by the name of Chill Mists to his slightly more sensible friend, Pluten.
"I'm not so sure Chill, I mean isn't it dangerous in there? I mean, it is the Everfree forest." Was his friends' reply. It was early morning and Ponyville was just waking up, the first rays of morning sunlight laced across the once dark sky and Celestia's dazzling sun was getting set to take it's place amongst the heavens. It was a frost bitten morn, autumn was winding down and winter was slowly creeping up on everyone. The fallen leaves crunched satisfyingly under hoof. Chill loved that sound. He loved the winter, it was one of the few things in life he actually was bothered about.
"Call me Chilly man! How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Chilly sounds ridicu-"
"I mean, don't you want to try this? It's the bomb! I first had it and my head was so... so...good! And free and nothing mattered!"
"Nothing matters to you anyw-"
"You're not a chicken are you?"
"I am not a chi-"
"Bawk! Bawk!"
"Hey man, let me finish my freaking sentences! Really! I mean, I am not afraid of trying this stuff, you made it sound good... real good." Pluten spaced out for a second. Or maybe it was a minute. He violently shook his head to clear his mind.
"It's just that, you know! There's manticores in there man! And wasn't this stuff what got you fired from your job of chief of police? Well, that and the fact you never did any police work and just ate food all day... come to think of it how did you become chief in the first place?"
"No bloody clue."
"Yeah, I thought as such."
"I mean, I didn't even know I was chief until I'd had the job for a year."
"It's worrying that this does not surprise me. Also wasn't there that whole thing about when Rainbow Dash was on the run?" (which is a different story for another time)
"Yeah, but come on dude. How bad can the forest be? I've been there before like, twice! We're both tough, we'll look out for each other. Besides, it's not far in. And when you smoke this shiz, it's all like mind. freaking. blown. brother. You'll love it!"
"You know, let's just get this over with" Sighed Pluten dejectedly, secretly really looking forward to trying this "wonder plant" Chill found. He never called him Chilly, despite his constant insistences that he did. Chilly sounds stupid.They entered, the wall of dark, creepy trees created a canopy of sorts, which even light could not penetrate fully. It was because of this that the forest lay constantly shrouded in shadows, a foreboding sea of darkness waiting for a weary traveller to stray from the path and drown in the pit of despair that was the Everfree.
Even with Chilly's I-am-currently-finding-it-incredibly-difficult-to-give-one-single-buck-about-the-current-situation kind of attitude, the walk was a nervous one. The ever present darkness played cruel tricks with their eyes and squeezed their hearts like a vice.
"This is scarier than when we rode those shopping carts down that hill man." Commented Chilly, trying to lighten the mood.
"You mean when YOU rode those shopping carts."
"Whatever man." Dismissed Chilly. "How old was I, like fifteen?"
"Eighteen."
"Damn!... How old am I?"
"Nineteen."
"What!? Really?"
"Why am I even friends with you?"
"Beats me bro."..."So-"
"Nineteen also."
"Ah."
They continued on their walk at a brisk pace, now that it was a smidgeon lighter it was easier to see where their hoof steps brought them. They chatted to pass the time, usually about the strange, dangerous and though Pluten would never admit it, fun things they had got up to in the past. Acting their ages was not particularly high up on their agendas. Ever.
"...then boom! Man it took forever to pay him back!"
"And even longer for the cane marks to disappear from your sorry flank!" Laughter drove them on past the disturbing trees and they were even starting to enjoy themselves, well, as much as one can in the dreaded forest. So on they trotted, the crisp sound of frosty leaves being crunched had been replaced by the sharp snap! Of split twigs and the occasional soft thump followed by a,
"Stupid bloody root!"
The two friends carried on for what seemed to be hours but was actually much more close to the twenty five minute mark.
"I can't wait to get a hold of this stuff, from what you told me, it's gonna be amazing!"
"Yeah bro! It's better than mares!"
"You've never touched a mare in your life."
"Huh, you know what? Why am I friends with you?"
"Because you would probably forget to breathe without me around." The two shared a look, Pluten's a smirk of triumph, Chilly's a glare of death. Which only lasted for roughly three seconds before they both broke down in a fit of laughter.
"Damn! I can never keep a straight face." Gasped Chilly through gaps in his laughter, the jolly sound echoed throughout the forest and bounced off of the ugly plant life, lightening the mood and atmosphere by a considerable amount. Their mad hysterics were cut short by a series of soft thuds coming from the forest floor. Too quiet to be a manticore, but the footsteps indicated more than one creature was heading their way. They heard whispers, one voice, which seemed to stab at the air with it's words muttered,
"It still makes no sense." Straight after another voice, this one more of a growl replied,
"I know but let's not worry too much, I mean, think of all the opportunities, you saw how that thing reacted to Joe over there, if all the life here is like that, we could be kings or something!"
"We would be the worst leaders in history. But we totally should do it. That thing was intelligent, you know it, they could be our slaves or something."
"I wonder where it is, the big chicken lion, I mean, did it alert it's friends or something? Will they come after us?" Came a third voice, this one sounding quite calm.
"Awww, little Jack's scared is he?" Mocked the first voice.
"Screw you, you little prick!" Retorted the one known as Jack. Snorts of laughter resonated throughout the forest and burrowed deep in the two stallions' ears. But this was not the kind of laughter that the ponies had partaken in mere second before, no, this was a cruel, demonic laughter from voices far deeper in pitch than they had any right to be.
Chilly gave Pluten a look a look as if to say,
"WTF man!?" Pluten stared back grimly and motioned for Chilly to keep his head down. And that's exactly what Chilly did, for once being serious. He made sure his spiky grey mane was not visible, unfortunately for the two friends, Chilly's bright white and turquoise tail was easily visible, poking out of a pile of dishevelled, dead leaves. Acting as a beacon in the gloomy bushes.
"Dude, the fuck's that?" Came a voice from a distance not far enough away. Chilly popped his head up in a quick motion and shouted,
"Don't hurt us man!"
"Wow! What the fuck?! Talking horse!" A chorus of
"Holy shit!" Came from the intruders. Pluten jerked his head up too, and they saw the monsters, there were five, two of them were carrying objects, steel barrels atop their heads and one had two long metal bars in it's hands. But Pluten and Chilly were far too busy staring at their faces, each one was different, each one a twisted, disfigured mess that sat on their heads an assortment of gashes, zips, holes and warped, messed up skin. And their eyes, they were pools of hate and spoke hostility.
"Hey, get your ass here right now!" Screamed a muscular man as he raised his steel barrel in a wicked pose. This was all the hint the two ponies needed, they turned tails and ran, zipping through the forest back where they had come from, leaping over roots and fallen giant trees. They heard the demons scream after them, but they never looked back. Wouldn't look back. Couldn't look back. They sprinted, fast as a pair of bullets, caring not for the vicious, cruel branches that whipped and cracked at their faces, by the time they had reached the edge of the Everfree their clean coats were muddy and dull, their faces red and sore from dozens of tiny lacerations and their leaf ridden manes were dull and dirty. They stared at each other for a second, eyes glued to each other, not knowing what to do.
"Dude, we need to like alert Ponyville!" Cried Chilly desperately,
"A good idea man, come on!" And they ran screaming for the quaint little village to warn them of the demonic figures seen in the forest.
Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville's librarian was having a splendid morning, she had had a delicious breakfast of pancakes, courtesy of Spike and the new shipment of books had arrived on schedule. She had just finished putting them away in the correct places on the shelves, she was going to ask Spike to but he had left as soon as he had finished eating, something about
"Rarity got to go bye!" Anyway, she was standing on her balcony, enjoying the smell of the crisp morning air. Then she noticed that a crowd of ponies had formed down town, her curiosity was piqued and she had to investigate what could have caused these ponies to be together when surely they had business to attend to. She exited her home.
All sorts of thoughts were swirling around in her mind, did something bad happen? Is somepony hurt? Is Trixie back? She noticed her friends at the back of the group and walked up to them.
"What's going on?" She asked. It was Rainbow Dash that answered her,
"Some crazy ponies are shouting hysterics about some things they saw in the Everfree forest. No one believes them though. "
"Who? Who are the ponies?"
"Pluten and Chill Mists."
"Ah."
"Exactly."
"Well let's go to the front so we can hear what they're saying." The group of six ponies cut through the crowd, splitting ponies left and right, what they saw made them gasp with surprise. Dirty coats, faces that looked like they'd been in a blender and wild, panicked crazy expressions met their eyes.
"Listen to us! LISTEN TO US! It's serious freaking business! You didn't see them! You wouldn't want to see them, you weren't there!" Came the strained voice of the stallion named Chill Mists.
"Yeah! Big! Messed up, tried to get us but we got away!" Cried Pluten, running in circles to face everypony
"You believe us don't you?!" He screamed as he clung to some mare's face.
"Let go!" She spat at him.
"Oh man! Hey, Twilight! You're clever! You believe us don't you?!" Twilight was stunned, these ponies were reduced to hysterics.
"I won't believe you until I have proof, but first tell me. What were you doing in the Everfree forest?" It was Chilly who answered,
"Well, we were going to get some of those smoking leaves-" Groans of understanding escaped the ponies mouths and a few turned away to get back their homes or businesses.
"WAIT! But we never got to them! We saw these monsters, big with hands and faces that were scary and we turned and ran and we never smoked anything!" He cried in desperation.
"Okay, calm down, can you describe what they looked like for us?"
"Ye-" Chilly started but was cut off by Pluten.
"Yeah! They were tall, like almost as tall as princess Celestia except one who was shorter than the rest. Two carried steel drums and one had these metallic rods in it's hands."
"Hands?"
"Yeah, they walked on two legs."
"Carry on."
"Well, they had these horrible faces! Covered in cuts and there were chunks missing and they were all rubbery looking! Some had zips for mouths!"
"What!?"
"I know right?!"
"They sound horrible! Well, if they were real..."
"WE ARE NOT HIGH!!" Yelled Chilly from the other side of the street.
"Anyway, they saw us, well they saw Chill, and they shouted at us to come to them, they sounded like they meant business, so we ran here!" Twilight was staring at the two ponies in front of her, reduced to quivering wreaks, her mouth agape at the tale she had been told. Did creatures like this exist? Wait a minute...
"They shouted at you to come to them? How did you know?"
"They spoke Equestrian." Was their response.
"Oh hay! Everypony look!" Came the voice of a purple pegasus. "Look over there!" She pointed to a bit of land a couple of miles away. And sure enough, were the distant figures of five tall creatures. Slowly advancing on their peaceful little town. This, naturally caused mass hysteria, and maybe a not so stallion like yelp from Chilly. Ponies rushed to get to their homes, tripping over others in the process. This chaotic dash was only 40 seconds long, but quite some damage had been done to some unfortunate individuals who were caught under the mass of stampeding hooves. Only the six element bearers,Pluten and Chilly remained. The element bearers because they wanted to see what these creatures were, and the two foolish friends because Chilly's foreleg had been broken in the chaos of a couple of minutes earlier, and Pluten was there with him.
The eight ponies could do nothing but watch as the specks in the distance grew steadily bigger with each passing second.
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