The Fate of a Monster

Chapters

-Prologue- Gravestones, Enemies, and Prophecies - Part 1
-Prologue- Gravestones, Enemies, and Prophecies - Part 2
-Arrival- Things could have gone better
-Forward-Thank You!

-Prologue- Gravestones, Enemies, and Prophecies - Part 1

It was dark, but the moon was full over the clouds giving off soft light. Its light made the landscape look alive and dead at once. A small break in the clouds let a ray moonshine dart across the land. If it were alive, it would have felt joy to be free to shed its' soft light. Before the clouds could snuff out the intruders' light, it revealed a dark hooded figure standing in front of six gravestones. The gravestones were setup in a five pointed star, with one marker in the middle. The strange figure stood outside of the grouping with its head down. Who's markers were these? Who or what is that? Why was it here?

~CRAWK~

The figure looked up to see that a black raven had alighted on the marker in the center, and the bird wasn't happy to see the intruder.

~CRAW~ ~CRAWK~ It seemed as if it was saying, "Your fault!"

The figure returned its gaze to the ground and spoke with a pain that couldn't be healed, "I couldn't save them."

~CRAWK~ ~CRAWK~ "They trusted you!"

Tilting back its head, it gazed at the moon through the hole in the clouds. Memories of pain and loss filled its mind, but also happiness. Happiness for being brought out of a life of hate, destruction, and loneliness, to unconditional love, peace, and... friends.

So many friends; friends that weren't bothered by its appearance and attitude, friends that were there to stand by its side, friends that cared.

But why did it have to end in so little time?

"No, not just them."

~CRAW~ "Betrayer!"

A rouge wind howled in the trees, billowing out the dark cape and throwing back the hood. The moonlight revealed a pale head topped with flowing silver hair and golden eyes. A single tear fell from the creatures' face in the fading moon light, "But all of them."

~CRAWK~ "MONSTER!"

When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Somewhere in the Rocky Mountains...

He's late.

Just the thought alone was enough to make me grind my teeth together. Too bad the pub's music choice already beat it to the punch...I'd say...around two hours ago. A group of partying dwarfs had been singing and drinking nonstop. The worst was when they started singing a human song called Wreaking Ball. To say that it was a smash would be by far an understatement.

"Another refill sir?"

Turning my head to face the waitress, I shot her a glare that said "Don't ask." She flinched and almost spilled the mead from the pitcher as she went about to refilling my drink. I couldn't blame her for being scared of me. As a Dryad, she knows what I am. But she knows what will happen to her if she tried to attack me. There will be one less tree in this forest.

"There you are sir." she said with a fake smile. With her mission done, she turned away and headed towards the still partying dwarfs to help minimize anymore damage. Now refilled for the umpteenth time, I palmed the glass and took a big drink. It went down just the same as before, rough and hot. Just the way I like it. The reason I'm not on the floor dead drunk, I'm made of tough stuff. Too bad my enemies aren't.

I settled back into the cushioning of my seat with a sigh, letting the moment of peace fill me. The warm atmosphere was erring towards being uncomfortable in my grey "Suck my Jolly Rogers" sweatshirt and army cargo pants that covered my chest plate, gauntlets, and shin guards. Feeling my arm slide against something smooth, I turned my head to see my sword propped against the wall. Peace. The thought rolls around my head like a bowling ball as I caress the length of deadly metal.

Peace is the hope for fools. Peace doesn't exist here on Earth, among the Gods, hell it's not even in the fucking Afterlife! Letting my thumb slide against the sharp edge, I let the blade bite into my skin, but not enough to draw blood. The only way for peace to exist, is to have everything erased.

I shake my head to clear out the morbid thoughts and guzzle down more of the mead to focus on the task at hand.

Waiting. More ungodly~

*ding *ding

I looked up at the door to see a dwarf stroll in. He didn't look like he was here to party, hence the crossbow/war-hammer strapped to his back and his armor bore the Order's insignia, so score one for me. His eyes roamed the room until they found me in the corner booth. Picking his way through the debris of the party-goers, he set his weapon at his feet and slid into the seat across from me with a stern expression.

"Your late again Narvi." I growled, "Do I have to ask what kept you this time?"

"Oi it taint no picnic tryin' ta git round these days ye know," Narvi explained, "flyin' coach fer seven ours will do ye in faster than drinkin' nightshade."

I resisted the urge to just punch him in the face, I didn't think the employees would know how to clean out brain matter from seat cushioning. "I don't care if it kills you," I scoffed, "you work for the Order and you know it's never a good thing to keep people like me waiting."

"Where aye come from, it's called bein' fashionably late," he countered, "nothin' ta git yer boulders broken over. Sides, killin' me will only give the Order another reason ta kill ye."

"So," I said, giving Narvi a glare to match his, "did you ask me here just to talk smart, or business?"

Narvi grinned, "A drink!" He turned his head and shouted over the ruckus. "Oi! Waitress! Give ol starvin' Narvi ere a tankard o yer finest honey!" I rolled my eyes and found that my hand was on the handle of my claymore.

That idea of ending his life is starting to sound very appealing. A voice spoke in my head mischievously.

YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!

"Ye alright there Adrian?"

I looked back at Narvi who had a steaming tankard in his hand and he was giving me an odd look. "I just need another drink!" I snapped. Pulling my hand away from my sword I grabbed my drink and chugged. "That's the spirit Adrian!" Narvi cheered and tipped back his drink to join in.

After the both of us came up for air, my throat was burning and my mood was no better, Narvi spoke first, "Business." I glared at him. About fucking time! I mentally screamed at him.

Narvi reached for his belt and unhooked a small black bag from its spot and set it on the table. I raised an eyebrow, "This isn't another assassination attempt on someone in the U.S. Government is it? This world doesn't need another nine eleven."

He shook his head, "Nay mate, no one that we know of is tryin' ta commit mass genocide on the Fables***." Taking a swig of mead, Narvi gave me a knowing look, "And ye didn't 'ave ta bring down the towers ta kill Merihim****."

"Hey," I cautioned, "I wouldn't have destroyed them if your boys weren't pissing around at the Pentagon."

"Be that as it may," he harrumphed, "ye still put enough strain on the Mist* ta kill an ogre."

"Well damn that ogre!" I almost shouted, still aware of the ongoing party, "If Merihim would have gotten away, we would be back to square one and he would be ratting out the few hidden villages that remain! Any human that gets caught between me and my objective is just another nuisance."

I waited for a response from him. Narvi just sighs like he was dealing with a child that just threw a tantrum, "Ye still 'ave no remorse fer the humans ye kill do ye Adrian."

"You ought to know," I said, "humans were the reason the Fables were forced to go into hiding in the first place."

"And that gives ye reason ta kill them?"

"Aside from the fact that they take more than what they need, they kill each other because their leaders told them so, and they don't care for the fact that they are quite literally killing Earth!?" My grip tightened on my drink, 'Yeah, I'd say that's more than enough reason to treat them as nothing more than a bunch of brain-dead animals!" With a little more pressure from my hand, I could have broken my glass.

It's nice to hear your opinion Adrian, said the voice, but aren't you forgetting something?

Taking a deep breath, I put a lid on my impromptu rant and looked back at the black bag on the table. "So if not for an assassination," I pried, "then what?"

"Special delivery," he answered, "ye 'ave the deliver that the Istuion in North Korea before tomorrow."

"That's it?" I growled, "You flew in from gods knows where, just to give me an first-class express delivery job to one of the most politically tense nations in the world. Let alone the fact that the place is home to sixty percent of the entire ogre population on Earth and their new war-chief is allied with the Blood-moon. What's so important in the bag that is worth this much trouble?"

Your doing it again Adrian.

"Ta answer yer first question, yes." He reached for his belt and grabbed a bigger bag that was brown. Setting it next to the black bag it made clinking noises. "Yer payment of two hundred and fifty Alyas**."

Red flags were flying higher than the steeples of Moscow as I took in this new turnout. A potentially risky mission, for political safety more than my own, with an upfront payment that's a little more than a small fortune, and Narvi's choice of travel. He's hiding something, but what?

"Fer yer second question, it's confidential." Narvi stated, "But what aye can tell ye is that it must git ta Istuion as soon as ye can and yer ta only one aye can trust with this."

Oh how touching.

Be quiet!

Just take the job already.

SHUT UP I'M TRYING TO THINK HERE!

What's the worst that could happen besides dying a lonely death in a ditch? What are you afraid of?

IT'S CALLED BEING AWARE OF POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES SHUT UP!

But the voice did have a point. What am I afraid of? Nothing. I don't have anything to lose.

Releasing a sigh, my gaze met Narvi's, "Fine, I'll take it." I grabbed the bags and tied them to my belt, "But this is the last time I'm doing favors for you." I said. Pulling out a Alya, I spoke the command word conversion and a handful of Dwarven currency took its place. Placing down some to pay for the bill and tip, I handed the rest to Narvi. "Here, go drink and eat what you want." I grumbled while getting out of my seat and picking up my sword I set it in its cradle on my back with the tip of the sword just inches off the floor, "at least enjoy yourself for you troubles." I said, turning for the door.

"Adrian." I stopped and looked back at Narvi. "Under no circumstances are ye allowed ta open that bag. Just git it ta Korea."

Giving him a shrug, I made my way towards the door. When I was passing the bar, I saw the waitress relaxing with every step I took. You get to live another day. I thought to myself. At least you kept me from dying of boredom. Opening the front door of Crazy Jay's Pub and Grill, I stepped out into the late afternoon sun. Letting the sun warm my face, I breathed in the musky smell of autumn.

Just another day in paradise Adrian?

Only when you keep your proverbial mouth shut.

Reaching into one of my pockets I pulled out the earbuds to my I-Phone and let Elena Siegman rock away as I walked towards my new objective in North Korea.

Author's Note

Here's a little index to help you understand some of the words I'm using.

Mist* - A magical veil that obscures the Fables existence from humans.

Alyas** - Also known as "currency of the gods". Made by Alyas the goddess of riches.

Fables*** - They are the people and creatures that went into hiding from the humans. This includes; Elves, Dwarfs, Centaurs, Dryads, Fairies, Satyrs. and others.

Merihim**** - A demon from the underworld that was the leader of the largest group of demons called the Eclipse that staged raids against the Order.

-Prologue- Gravestones, Enemies, and Prophecies - Part 2

Ten minutes later...

Walking the path down the mountain was quiet. No bird or insect could be heard. Only the crunch of my boots broke the silence. This was the norm for me. Like the Dryad waitress, most of the animals knew me as well. The resulting silence was comforting to me.

Put on some music Adrian! The voice wailed, shattering any sense of comfort. I can't stand all of this silence!

This was also the norm for me. Being unable to silence the voice in my head, that I had to put up with for almost two hundred years now.

Oh shut up. I groaned. You lived through worse. Remember Egypt?

Oh please, the voice deadpanned with sarcasm, don't remind me of the long hot days filled with nothing but sand and a camel with indigestion. I swear whoever owned him probably named him after the Hindenburg.

No argument there. It took close to two weeks to get the smell of camel shit out of my clothes, and now I walk whenever I can.

So put on some music.

No.

Why?

Do I need a reason with you?

I'll keep talking.

Then I'll-

Tree.

Wha-

Pain shot through my nose as my face said hello to the trunk of a Western hemlock. "MOTHER FUCK!" I cursed, bringing my hands to my nose as I rocked my head back and forth to lessen the pain.

Did you at least break you nose? The voice chuckled with glee. Cause then that will be the most excitement I've had all day.

OH SHUT UP!

Brushing off the bits of bark from my face I let my magic pool into my right hand, causing a golden glow to appear. Bringing my hand to my head I slowly released the magic into my face. I winced slightly as the magic healed my nose as cartilage realigned and mended to its previous state.

"Never thought I would see you do that." That was not the voice in my head.

Acting on years of fighting instinct, I ripped my sword from my back and I whirled around to bring my sword just a hairbreadths away from the neck of a little girl cradling a stuffed bear. How did she sneak up on me? My eyes roamed up and down her small body for the answer.

Her jet black hair went past her shoulders and she was wearing a plain white dress with a waist length blue cape that looked like it belonged in the 1940's. What stood out was her eyes. They might have been hazel or honey colored at one point, I wasn't entirely sure, but now they were clouded over with a sickly shade of white.

"Then again," she continued, oblivious to the fact I almost decapitated her, "Teddy always says the future isn't set in stone."

Great! The voice said mockingly, You have just let a little blind girl walk right up behind you without you noticing.

Shut up! I snapped as I returned my sword to its sheath to look less intimidating, but still alert for anymore surprises.

"Who-"

"-Am I?" She interrupted with a giggle, "My name's Tirananniel. But you can call me Cassie."

Cassie? The voice mused, as in Cassie the-

"Oh!" she gasped as if she forgot something, "And this is Teddy! Sorry I didn't mention you first." she cooed to the stuffed toy.

Did she just-

"Teddy doesn't like it when I don't tell his name first." she said apologetically, "He gets cranky and doesn't want to play with me."

She di-

"Cassie." I growled, commanding for her attention.

"I already now what your question is Adrian," she giggled, "but I'll play along with you."

I huffed and leaned against the tree that nearly flattened my face. "Does your mother know your in the physical realm right now?" I questioned, ignoring her comment.

"No she doesn't," she tilted her head, "at least not for another two hours, depending on how long daddy can keep her busy."

I raised an eyebrow, Keep her busy?

Cassie rolled her eyes, "It means I'm here on business, like Narvi, except it's on a more personal level concerning you."

"What kind of personal level?"

She looked at her bear as if waiting for permission then back at me, "Your future."

I face palmed, "Care to elaborate more?" My patience towards this little smart ass of a prophet was starting to fade.

She held out her hand that was soon wreathed in wisps of gray smoke that swirled around into her palm. Then the smoke left as soon as it came, and in her hand was a folded piece of paper. "Here. This should explain what I mean. No offense that you can't understand what I'm saying."

"None taken." I grumbled as I grabbed the letter and unfolded its contents. "It's written in purple crayon." I deadpanned.

"I was playing Doctor with Teddy when I had the vision." she pouted, "I was short on writing material."

"Whatever." I snapped as I tried to read the message.

This world is dead,

the first-born is after your head.

But one place, pray tell,

has never seen the likes of hell.

Stay on the path of the Light,

and this world may be spared a fight.

But take to the Darkness my friend,

if you wish to save them in the end.

I turned the paper over looking for anything to help me explain this gibberish. "What's this supposed to-" Looking up from the sheet I did a double take at the empty spot where Cassie once stood. "mean?" Other than her two footprints in the dirt, I couldn't see any other trace of Cassie's sudden departure.

"You couldn't have waited for one more minute?!" I shouted into the forest, not caring if she could hear me or not. "Fucking gods." I muttered to myself. Folding the paper up and stuffing it into my pocket, I continued on to my original destination.

"That wasn't nice Teddy; leaving him like that."

"..."

"He deserves to know what will happen if he chooses the wrong path."

"..."

"But he'll be so heartbroken. Again."

"..."

"I-I understand. I just hope your right."

"..."

"Alright, lets go see if Mirima wants to play twister wi-"

"..."

"Gone? What do you mean gone? Gods don't just disappear for no reason, not unless... oh no."

'Nother fine view of a mountain side sunset.

Narvi smiled at the view from his seat on a freshly made tree stump. The last bronze rays of the sun bathed the cold snow capped mountain range in a warm haze. Even the chill of the breeze failed to brush away the warmth on Narvis face.

Bringing his pipe to his lips, he drew a lungful of air. The sweet aroma of cherry nut filled his nose and burned his lungs. He didn't smoke much, but it was his only gift from his father along with his medallion that bore the family crest. May his soul remain unshakable as the mountains that was his home.

Don't worry Narvi. Ye did the right thing by giving it ta Adrian. Releasing a cloud of smoke from his mouth, Narvi mulled over the thought of the bag that was now in Adrian's possession. Even if his criminal record might land 'im in the worst shit pit on the planet, he's not one who'll mess up with assignments he takes.

Narvi tapped the pipe against the side of his impromptue stump, emptying the still hot ashes onto the moist earth, and watched as the sun sank below the horizon. But aye played my part, and soon Adrian must play his. In the absence of the sun, the first of the stars began to dot the barely lit sky.

~snap~

Before Narvi could reach for his weapon slung on his back, something heavy collided into his right shoulder shattering the bones in the joint and upper arm. The momentum from the assailant hurtled the stocky dwarf into a nearby tree causing the bark to erupt in a shower of splinters.

Bitting his lip to contain his agony, Narvi struggled against the monster that landed on top of him. Only to receive a scaly fist to his left temple that sent white spots across his vision.

"You don't know when to give up do you."

If Narvi wasn't so close to falling unconscious he would have shuddered in fear. The creature on top of him was Verin. With the appearance of a giant lizard, complemented with taloned feet and sharp claws, who wouldn't be scared. But Narvi had to hang on just a little longer.

"Taking a plane instead of the Underground Rails," The beast on top tsked, "you almost had me there. Never would've thought a dwarf as crazy as you would be so willing to be so far from the ground." With one arm holding Narvi down, Verin tore at Narvi's pouches like a bear after a bee's honey comb.

"Now where is it." Verin hissed as trinkets and small items were cast aside, "I know you have it some- what's so funny?!" Even with the threat of death upon him, and a possible punctured lung, Narvi was chuckling like if it all was some sort of morbid joke.

"A-aye will t-tell ye *cough* where i-it is." Narvi was struggling to keep his eyes opened as he thought his plan through.

"Well?" Verin growled, tightening his claw on Narvi's shoulder, "Where is it then?"

"It-it's up..." Narvi trailed off.

"Speak up!" Verin hissed in his face.

Narvi almost lost his dinner as the smell of rotten flesh washed over him. "Where?!"

"It's up yer arse."

Verins snout wrinkled into a sneer as he picked up Narvi with one arm and hurled him into another tree. The impact wasn't enough to set off another display of splinters but Narvi was left on the ground gasping for air. "Very funny Narvi," he hissed as he approached the nearly incapacitated dwarf, "but we both know I am going to get what I want in the end." Grabbing Narvi by the neck, Verin brought him to eye level with a smirk; while failing to notice that the medallion Narvi wore wasn't around his neck . "Personally I did enjoy the chase, so this would be the part where I would congratulate you for your efforts to avoid the inevitable but," Verin's voice took on a sickly sweet tone as he licked his teeth, "I still don't have what I want. Getting you to talk didn't work, so I'll just see what your memories have to say."

Narvi felt a numbness grow in his limbs as he slowly lost control body, he had to do it know. He tightened his grip on the medallion in his left hand and directed a little magic into the crystal embedded in the medallion. The normally dull trinket began to glow like a lightning bug, but as Narvi poured more magic into his medallion its glow swiftly grew in intensity. "Then g-good luck with t-that." Narvi spat out before the medallion exploded like dying star.

Narvi was dead before the supernova like temperature could incinerate his body. What Narvi could describe as he felt now was weightless. No longer would he have to carry a burden on shoulders.

He was free.

Jumping over a fallen tree that was on the path, I left my thoughts behind as I focused on the blissful silence to try to understand the meaning behind the crazy girl's prophecy.

She interrupted me. The voice broke in.

Shut up! I'm trying to-

Not once, but twice!

I said shut-

Oh if I get my hands on her I'm going to rip her a new-

JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!

Grabbing my ear-buds and stuffing them in my ears and Green Day started up its rock ballad. If there was one way for the voice to keep quiet, music was it.

Wait a minute, you also interrupted me twi-

SAY ANYTHING ELSE AND YOUR LISTENING TO COUNTRY THE REST OF THIS TRIP!

Several hours later...

Digging into my pocket I fished out my I-Phone and checked the GPS where I was. Hmm, still nine hours from the nearest airport. Checking the direction on the compass I mentally reached into the surrounding magic and focused a tiny stream of magical energy towards my destination. After setting it up I instantly felt a small tug in my head. Now with the directional spell in place I adjusted my walk towards the pull and continued walking. Go ahead and call me out for forgetting to cast such a simple spell but getting ticked off by the voice in your head can seriously ruin your IQ.

It's nice out isn't it.

Yeah...yeah.

The temperature had dropped since leaving the bar, but the chill was still bearable as I turned my head up to gaze at the stars. Through a small clearing in the trees, the waning gibbous moon shined like a beacon as it made its way across the sky against the backdrop of mountains and trees.

Another 23-26 days before the next full moon.

Ten to one odds you'll miss it.

Knowing you, not betting against you would be the sane thing to do.

Aww your no fun.

The beautiful scene disappeared along with the clearing as I continued walking through the woods.

If I was fun, then fun would be insane.

Nah, you'll just be a walking meat bag chasing the tail you don't have.

Oh hardy-har.

I didn't make 5 feet before a faint buzzing started going off in my head. I stopped in my tracks and slowly scanned the area with all my senses. Eyes, nothing but shadows from trees. Ears, aside from the occasional chirp of a cricket, it was quiet. Mouth, eh, forget it. Nose, I couldn't smell anything but dirt. Magic, the woods lit up like a roman candle as pinged the area like a sonar system. Pinging again I sifted through the magical feedback for what set off my sixth sense.

I counted four hooded bodies, two hiding in the trees and the other two in the ground. Well, nothing better than a good ass whooping to help liven up a walk through the woods. I thought sarcastically as I set myself into a defensive stance. Just try not kill them too quickly Adrian. I do love to hear them scream. I ignored the voice as the assailants began their attack.

The two in the trees dropped to the ground with weapons ready and moved to attack from both sides to split my attention. Lefty swung its blade first, aiming for my lower legs. I countered simply by doing a backflip not only to dodge the attack on my legs but also to drop my shoulders from Righty's swing at my head.

In mid-flip, I grabbed their hands and yanked. Carried by the momentum of their swings, I sent them on a collision course with each other, causing them to smash their faces together and fall to the ground in a heap. Wasting no time, I brought my boot over Lefty's head and crushed it into the ground, causing brain matter to coat the earth. With brain matter and bits of bone coated on my boot, I did the same to Righty with no hesitation. Turning my attention back to the ones in that were in the ground and were currently charging at me, I went on the offensive.

I juked left of the one closest to me to avoid his spear and kicked his legs out from beneath him, causing to drop his spear in shock. With the weapon in my hands, I aimed the blunt end at the second guy's heart and thrusted into his chest, causing several ribs to snap.
I pressed my attack with a punch to his jugular causing him to stumble to the ground and breaking his jaw with a kick from my boot.

I halted my assault to return my attention to the first guy who was up and running, away? Might as well finish up here. It's not like he's going anywhere fast. Bringing the bladed head of the spear around I planted it two feet into the ground in the guy's head like a makeshift grave marker before turning to pursue the deserter. Pinging ahead of me I tracked his movements through the trees as I closed in.

Fifty feet..

Twenty feet...

Now that I could see my target well enough in the somewhat thick brush, I stopped pinging.

Fifteen feet...

Five feet...

I tensed my muscles to leap at my fleeing prey when I felt a new buzzing.

I pinged once and stopped in my tracks.

There was a fifth, he was readying a spell, and he was right behind me hidden in a tree trunk.

Acting on instinct, I abandoned the wild goose chase and I whipped around towards the new threat. Drawing my claymore, I charged the tree faster than my legs could carry me as I plunged my sword to the hilt in the tree. Blood had begun to drip from the wound in the tree as magic started to discharge like lightning. I pulled my sword free only to become overwhelmed by premature magical discharge.

My muscles cramped and twitched as pain flooded my nerves. I'm not sure how long this went on but something started to burn on my hip. I tried to see what the cause was but I couldn't make my head turn. The burning was getting worse so I figured I might as well be on fire.

Your not on fire dude.

A-and y-y-you kno-ow this-s how?!

It'll be over soon.

Wha-

I never finished my thought as the burning had reached its peak, only to disappear and leave me with a strange feeling that felt like I was being ripped apart atom by atom. Then a bright blue light overpowered my vision before I lost consciousness.

My time on Earth was over.

Author's Note

Don't worry, our demented protagonist isn't dead. But you readers already knew that.

-Arrival- Things could have gone better

"Have a good weekend my little ponies!" Cheerilee called merrily over the ringing of the school's bell, "And remember to finish the homework I've assigned for you last week! You only have four days left to turn it in!" If the fillies could hear their teacher's announcement over the sound of stampeding hooves on weathered floorboards and saddle bags laden with school supplies being jostled from their cubby holes, they didn't show it. The only thing on their minds was getting out of the school as fast as their legs could carry them and find something fun to do before the sun sets.

As the fillies poured out of the school a certain Pegasus, unicorn, and earth pony headed towards a scooter parked against a fencepost with a little red wagon attached to it. Scootaloo's little wings buzzed with excitement as she half glided half galloped towards her waiting scooter. "Hurry up guys!" She called over her shoulder to the unicorn and earth pony struggling to keep up. "Our cutie marks aren't going to appear by themselves!" Her hooves pounded against the ground as she imagined a finish line on her scooter, waiting for her to cross it.

"We don't really have wings Scoots!" Sweetie Belle complained in her slightly squeaky voice. "And even if we did, you would still beat us to your scooter." A chuckle escaped from Scootaloo's mouth as she leaped onto her scooter. Silently celebrating her imaginary victory, she puffed up her chest proudly to no pony in particular.

"That's because I'm awesome at it." She huffed like a Wonderbolt that won a derby race. Coming to a stop, the two fillies loaded themselves into the already laden wagon before Applebloom turned her head towards Scootaloo.

"Would that be the same awesome that got us banned from the laundromat?" Scootaloo hesitated putting on her crash helmet for a moment as an awkward smile made itself known.

"Uh-well, how was I supposed to know that ironing a wedding gown can start a fire." Plunging the helmet on her head, Scootaloo pulled her scooter away from the fence post ready to start the days adventure.

"Scoots I told you repeatedly that you can't just leave the iron sitting in one place. You have to move it back and-EEP!" Sweetie Belle nearly fell out of the wagon as the force from Scootaloo's wings suddenly propelled the trio down the dirt road at an impressively dangerous speed.

"Did you say something Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo giggled at her friend, "I couldn't hear you over the sound of our new crusade." Sweetie Belle groaned in defeat. Trying to explain even the most simple of instructions to a pegasus like Scootaloo would be a lost cause.

"So what's today's crusade?" Applebloom asked Sweetie Belle over the pile of stuff in the wagon. Her sister Applejack had kept her from meeting her friends to help Grannysmith with making zap apple jam.

"Scoots and I couldn't decide between fly fishing, water purifiers, archery, and treasure hunters so we agreed to try them all." Sweetie Belle explained. Applebloom mulled over today's possible course of action.

"Well, those are some good ideas you guys thought up. Even though water purifiers doesn't sound exciting I'm up for the archery and treasure hunting after it."

"In that case," Scootaloo turned her head back to her passengers, "we do the boring stuff first and end the day on a high note. Sound like a plan?" The smiles on their faces was a good enough response for Scootaloo.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER WATER PURIFIERS YAY!!!"

"Anything yet?"

"Nope."

"Nothing here."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were splayed out on the floor of the clubhouse that was the CMC headquarters. "Ready to call this crusade a bust?" Applebloom moaned at the ceiling. The crusade had consisted of getting tied up in fishing line, being able to hit everything except the target apple with a bow and arrow, and contaminating the local water table. To those that were well versed with the CMC's antics would see that this was a pretty average failure for the CMC.

Scootaloo's response was slower than molasses with the tone to match. "We haven't done treasure hunting yet."

"Scoots," Sweetie Belle rebuked dryly, "we don't have a map or any idea where to look for treasure." The trio groaned in unison, another day has gone by and the title of 'Blank Flanks' still hangs over them.

Pulling herself up, Scootaloo shuffled over to the window facing the sun and plunked her head down on the window sill. "Hey Abby, any chance you can figure out the time from here?"

"Um." Applebloom struggled to find her hooves as she almost tripped over Sweetie Belle's tiny body to stand next to Scootaloo. Covering her eyes with a hoof, Applebloom made some rough estimates of how far the sun was from the horizon. "Ah think we have about three or four hours of sunlight left but ah could be wrong." This wasn't enough to restore the vigor that Scootaloo had when they left school but it did give her some hope that all may not be lost.

"That sounds like enough time to think up someplace where to start hunting for treasure. Right guys?"

Sweetie Belle rolled to her stomach before getting up on her hooves with a weak smile, "We're crusaders Scoots, I'm sure we can handle a few more hours of crusading."

"Ah don't have to be back home till it's dark." Applebloom pointed out, "like Sweetie said, we're crusaders. A few hours ain't gonna stop us from possibly getting our cutie marks." Scootaloo couldn't stop her heart from swelling at their dedication. It was always the moments like this that she looked forward to. Despite all their failures since day one, the CMC had always bounced back ready for the next crusade.

Putting a hoof up, Scootaloo exchanged glances between her two best friends. "Are we ready to finish this crusade on a high note guys?" "You can bet on it!" Applebloom affirmed bringing her hoof up with Sweetie Belle's.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TREASURE HUNTERS YAY!!!" With the anthem spoken, the three hooves came together in a group bump.

"Take a left here Scoots." Scootaloo complied with Applebloom's instruction with the slow turn at the fork in the dirt path.

"How do you know where we're going Abby?" Sweetie Belle asked with a tinge of concern.

"It's not the first time ah visited the castle of the two sisters to get some ingredients for Zecora's brewing stuff." Applebloom assured, "and don't worry about it. As long as we stay on the path, most of the local critters won't bother us." Sweetie Belle didn't know whether to be proud or ashamed by Applebloom's confidence. To Sweetie Belle, the Everfree Forest always sent a little chill down her spine. The tree branches were so packed together the sunlight was having trouble reaching the ground. With less light, the already spooky trees looked even more intimidating.

"It's a good thing we can take the scooter and the wagon as far as the rope bridge," Applebloom continued, "it would've been dark before we would've gotten there."

"But that means leaving my scooter at the bridge." Scootaloo grumbled, not happy with the thought of having to leave her prized possession alone next to a rope bridge.

"Scoots, I highly doubt that the wildlife here would be interested in a piece of wood on wheels. Oh and keep going straight here. It'll bank left but stay to the right. You won't be away from it for long." Scootaloo huffed out her stress. She shouldn't be upset with Applebloom. It's not her fault they can't bring the scooter and wagon across the bridge, but having to leave it behind doesn't mean she's ok with it. Turning the bend, the trees opened up to sunlight and a chasm that stretched out as far as they could see and the rope bridge that spanned its length looked like it has seen better days.

Scootaloo let her scooter roll to a stop next to one of the weathered posts before dismounting and grabbing a short rope with her mouth to tie up her ride to the old post. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle also climbed off the wagon to strap on their saddle bags. Holding a hoof against the knot, Scootaloo gave a good jerk on the rope. Confident her scooter won't roll away, Scootaloo trotted over to the wagon to grab her bags as well. A few grunts and a bitten tongue later, the CMC was crossing the bridge with ease. Though a few rotted out boards were bypassed to be on the safe side.

"You weren't kidding Abby when you said we didn't need to take the scooter all the way there." Sweetie Belle squeaked with excitement. "The castle practically a stone throw away."

"Ah wouldn't call a five minute walk a stone throw, but if it makes you happy ah won't argue." Applebloom shrugged.

"Then why not make it a one minute run and save a little time." Scootaloo suggested, kicking up some dirt before bolting up the path.

"Not cool Scootaloo!"

"Getting the head start on us! That's low!"

Their cries of indignation elicited a bubble of laughter and giggles from all three adventures as they quickly covered the distance to the castle ruins and not even the spaced out trees could hamper their mood.

And I win again. Scootaloo thought to herself as she skidded to a stop before the massive double doors that were laying on the tiled floor in a heap among some piles of stone. Turning her gaze up towards the vine covered walls and battlements, tried and failed to picture the castle as it was before it was abandoned.

"Pretty cool is it?" Applebloom inquired, pulling up next to Scootaloo.

"Looks like a dump to me."

"Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle seethed, "this dump as you my call it, just might be where we get our cutie marks. I would be a little less picky if I were you."

"It was just an honest observation Sweetie." Scootaloo brushed off nonchalantly, "Nothing to get upset about."

"You two won't be getting any cutie marks if you keep arguing out there!" Applebloom's voice called out from inside the castle entrance.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Sweetie Belle hollered after Applebloom. Climbing single file over the rubble, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were soon standing next to Applebloom in the foyer. Even though the place was in need of repairs, the high vaulted ceiling and decaying banners gave off a feeling of silent power. That maybe the walls themselves could start moving at any moment. "So where do we start looking?"

Some time later...

"Anything ~cough~ yet?"

"No~hack~ope."

"No~ah~ahAHCHOO~thing here ~sniff~."

Searching the underground cellar had yielded nothing but crates of decayed food and dead maggots and looking through most of the rooms they could get in were either filled with nothing or were home to dozens of moths. "Lets get out of this basement." Scootaloo turned on her hooves and climbed up the stairs. The other two were too happy to leave the smelly food cellar. The sound of their clopping hooves against the stone echoed up and down the halls.

"All in favor of calling this a bust?" Scootaloo announced.

"Aye"

The CMC were disappointed with the lack of cutie marks and also treasure but at least they would be heading back to their beds. "Wait. Did we check the throne room?" Applebloom asked as an idea popped into her head.

"I'm not sure if there's any treasure there Abby." Scootaloo responded with nudge, "besides we already agreed to call it qui-Hey!" Peeling a left down a hallway lined with broken stained glass, Applebloom bolted away from the exit and towards where she was sure where the throne room lay.

"It won't hurt to look for a bit Scootaloo! Unless you're turning chicken!" Scootaloo instantly seized against the seemingly benign insult.

"Get over here and say that to my face!" Scootaloo tore after Applebloom with every intention of taking away that big red bow from her. Sweetie Belle very wisely followed them, one would be needed to restrain an angry pegasus.

Applebloom chuckled at her folly, angering Scootaloo may have been crossing the line, but Applebloom pressed on. Turning the corner, Applebloom came to a stop in the doorway to a vaulted room lined with half collapsed columns, slightly more intact banners, and larger than usual stained glass windows. "You're mine!" Applebloom couldn't react fast enough to dodge Scootaloo's flying tackle hug. The momentum sent the two fillies rolling into the throne room causing some of the contents from their saddlebags to spill out onto the stone floor.

"Take it back!" Scootaloo ordered as she launched an all out tickle barrage upon her hapless victim. Applebloom tried to defend herself to no avail. Trying to push Scootaloo's hooves away only opened up more holes in her crumbling defenses.

"Sweetie-GAH-ha help me!"

Hidden in a bush, a manticore tensed his muscles in anticipation of a quick meal. A white rabbit was sitting on a half-rotted out log scanning the area to determine if it was safe to chow down on a plump carrot he had found. Finding nothing, the rabbit set to devouring his prize. The hungry manticore wasted no time to pounce as his powerful legs hurled him out of hiding and onto a collision course with his prey.

With his cheeks full of munched up carrot, the rabbit turned his head towards the massive flying cat and lazily jumped off his perch to the ground. The manticore realized too late he had put too much power in his jump and this caused him to sail over the spot where the smug looking rabbit sat and into a nearby mud-hole. Swallowing the rest of his carrot, the rabbit hopped back on the log to overlook the wild cat struggling to extricate itself.

As the manticore tried to free itself, it caught the rabbit blowing a raspberry at him before it turned tail and scampered into the forrest. The manticore fumed at the rabbit's arrogance, even more so at his mistake that costed his dinner getting away. He had slept too long to catch breakfast let alone lunch. Pulling himself out, the manticore set to cleaning the mud out of his fur and scorpion like tail. With winter coming soon, he shouldn't be slacking off with building body mass.

"GAH-ha help me!"

The manticore's ears twitched towards the sudden outburst coming from the direction of the old castle. A hungry grin stretched across the manticore's face as a thought flitted through his head. 'Why not start with something that can't get away from me?'

"So, where do we look genius?" Having finally called a cease fire, the fillies were able to pick up their stuff off the floor in peace though the occasional giggle would escape the second when either the three of them would look at each others face.

"Um, maybe theres a loose tile somewhere or a lever on one of those two thrones there." Applebloom mused before getting nudged by Scootaloo.

"This room isn't going to investigate itself, Abby you and Sweetie check the tiles, I'll check the thrones."

"And what makes you think you're allowed to look around the thrones and not us?" Sweetie Belle questioned, "When it was Abby that remembered to check this room."

Scootaloo turned to face Sweetie Belle with a scrunched face, "You weren't the one that volunteered to check the bathroom. Besides, the two of you will cover more tiles than just one of us doing it."

"Eh-heh," Sweetie Belle blushed, "point taken."

Leaving them to their own devices, Scootaloo trotted up to the thrones, and hopped onto the larger one with a symbol of a star on it. 'If I was a secret lever, where would I hide?' She thought to herself. 'Maybe here?' Pressing a hoof against the star symbol, Scootaloo grunted as she tried to push it in. If it was a button, it was jammed tight, but it was most likely just an engraving. Disappointed with her findings, Scootaloo jumped onto the other throne to continue her search. Her efforts were met with the same result. "Find anything yet?"

"Nothing under the tiles but dirt and bugs." Sweetie Belle reported, "Though it would be easier to find loose tiles if we had more light."

"I got a flashlight we can use." Applebloom offered, already reaching into her saddlebags before a thought stopped her. "Wait. What time is it again?" Being the closest to a open window, Scootaloo hopped off the throne and pushed herself onto the edge of the window. As if on cue, the sun disappeared behind the mountains along with Scootaloo's confidence.

"Lets say it's half passed 'time to go.'"

"What!?" Sweetie's voice cracked from the shock in her voice as she started to pace nervously, mumbling to herself,"My sister's gonna ice me this time. She's gonna ice, gonna ice me!"

"What? You joined the Mafia or something?" Jumping down from the window, Scootaloo tried to put on a brave face as she made her way to calm down her flustered friend. "Relax. It's not like this is the first time you stayed out late with us."

"I know that Scoots," Sweetie Belle wished she could cover up the anxiety that was radiating from her like her sister putting on her mascara, but her voice betrayed her, "but I'm supposed to get up early tomorrow for a recital at school."

"Don't worry 'bout it Sweetie Belle," Applebloom assured with a nudge, "even with the sun down ah still know how to get back to Ponyville from here. Besides, ah won't hear the end of it if AJ catches me and ahm not in bed." Not wanting to stay any longer, Scootaloo took the lead as the CMC left the throne room and trotted down the hallway.

"You guys think we might get our cutie marks in landscapin' or somethin'." Applebloom asked, trying to help calm down Sweetie Belle as they turned down the hallway that led to the exit.

"I don't know Abby," Sweetie Belle responded with a huff, "if i get any sleep tonight, I'll brainstorm ideas with you tomorrow after I'm done with the recital."

"That can work Sweetie Belle." Entering the grand hall, Applebloom turned her head to Sweetie Belle with a smile on her face, "I'll let you know after ahm done helpin' mah sis with pickin' apples t-" Applebloom stopped as a low growl began reverberate off the walls.

"Please tell me that was someponies' stomach." Sweetie Belle squeaked out before following Applebloom's gaze towards the entrance, and landing on the debris pile in the doorway. Standing on the fallen doors bathed in the rising moonlight, was a grinning manticore, purring with glee.

Scootaloo said what every sane pony would say, "RUN!" Doubling back the way they came the CMC tore away into the hallway as fast as their legs could carry them. Not wanting its prey to get too much of a head start, the manticore loped after them at a pace that was slowly closing the distance.

"What do we do now?!" Sweetie Belle shouted over the sound of hooves and the manticores huffing.

"Um, uh!" Scootaloo struggled to think of a plan to lose their carnivorous pursuer. "Up the stairs!" Taking four steps at a time, the trio scurried up the stone stairs.

"Where to?!" Applebloom gasped as they reached the top of the stairwell.

"Left!" Following the turn into a corridor, Scootaloo shoved open the first door she came across. After all three had cleared the threshold, Scootaloo kicked the door closed with a bang. The manticore only just turned the corner to have his sensitive ears succumb to a bombardment of echoes bouncing off the hallway. Mewling slightly at the pain, the manticore shook its head to clear its senses.

Inside the room, the CMC had taken refuge in an old cabinet that felt like it would crumble at the slightest touch. The smell of rot filled their noses, almost threatening them to break down into a fit of coughing. Out in the hall, the manticore sniffed around heavily, trying to find pinpoint where his prey was hiding. But unfortunately for him, the CMC's previous fruitless search for treasure had just gave them the slip they needed. Their scent was everywhere, and the manticore wasn't happy at this discovery. Resolved to search every room, the manticore lined himself up with the door near the corner he came from, lowered his head, and charged into the door with a crash.

The CMC practically jumped out of their skins at the sudden noise, but they kept their mouths shut tight out of fear of being discovered. But that didn't stop them from quivering as they listened to the muffled sound of splintering wood as the manticore tore apart any possible hiding spot in the room across from them. "He's not in the room." Scootaloo whispered to her friends, not bothering to try to make eye contact in their poorly lit haven.

"Not yet." Applebloom replied in a hush voice, "So what do we do now?"

"Can you guys move over?" Sweetie Belle asked quietly.

"Whats up Sweetie?" Scootaloo replied.

"There's something loose pressing against my flank."

"If it's loose then just push it away." Applebloom suggested.

"Fine." Putting her weight against the unknown object caused it to give a little before it seemingly disappeared into the rear face of the cabinet with a metallic groan. With its departure, Sweetie Belle let out a sigh of relief as the cabinet became less crowded to her. But her relief was short lived as the sound of stone grinding on stone began to emanate through the cabinet. Caught unaware, the trio toppled onto each other as the ground beneath their hiding spot began to turn.

The manticore, upon hearing the commotion coming from behind the door across from him, turned from the dresser he had torn apart and charged into the room. Sending door fragments flying into the room, the manticore quickly spotted the source of the noise. Spinning on a stone platform was a section of the room wall with a pony statue mounted it, and it was more than halfway in its turn. The manticore charged the spinning wall with the intent to make it through the rapidly closing gap in the wall.

In the cabinet, the CMC were suddenly shunted by an unknown force that sent them rolling to the ground. In a daze, Scootaloo waited for everything to stop moving before trying to orient herself. "You guys alright?" She whispered into the darkness.

"Yea."

"I think so."

"Applebloom, can you get your flashlight?"

"I-" Applebloom's whisper was drowned out by the manticore's bellow of rage as he failed to break through the wall.

"Please hurry!" Trying to get her hooves beneath her in the pitch blackness wasn't easy as Scootaloo tripped over something she couldn't see.

"Got it!" A lance of light appeared from Applebloom's mouth and illuminated the room they were in. The light revealed an old wooden staircase that spiraled down into darkness.

"The manticore can't get in here right?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously, not wanting to chance fate with a rotting staircase. As if to answer her, the wall behind them shuddered against a charge from the persistent animal, causing a few blocks of stone to fall to the ground.

"We don't have a choice." Scootaloo's answer crushed Sweetie Belle's hopes of having a short rest, "It won't take him long to break through. We have to keep moving for now until we lose him." Combined with todays activities, the usual energy that surrounded the CMC was giving way to fatigue and exhaustion. The adrenaline that was pounding through their veins was leaving them trembling and scared.

"Lead the way Abby." With the flashlight showing the way down, Applebloom took a tender step to test the woods integrity. Aside from the protesting groan from the wood, it held up to her weight. Slowly Applebloom started the descent followed by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo brining up the rear. The echoing of groaning wood wasn't helping them with their nerves as they continued their descent as it coupled with the manticores attempts to bring down the wall.

The manticore's head was bleeding from being rammed into a stone wall repeatedly, but his efforts was showing results on the stone surface. Pieces of the wall have fallen away and holes were starting to show. Digging his claws into the floor for some extra traction, the manticore charged into the wall for the final time. The wall gave way to the manticore's impunity as it crumbled to bits, giving the manticore passage to the stairwell, and sending several blocks of stone down the stairs causing the wooden steps to shatter.

"Faster!" Upon hearing the sound of a pile of stone hitting the floor, the trio descended the stairs as fast as they could without tripping over each other.

Then came the sound of splintering wood above them as Sweetie Belle called up to Scootaloo, "I see something!" Whatever it was, Scootaloo couldn't see it as the sounds drew closer. Too close. Her vision suddenly blackened as a pain shot through the back of her head and down her spine, causing her descend into darkness.

Oh gods whats happened to me?

You look fine to me dude.

Go to hell.

The atoms that were split off from me felt like they were trying too hard to put themselves back together. The pain changed from being stabbed by thousands of microscopic needles to become something with the consistency of sand, getting packed together in a car crusher, and then getting set on fire again. I honestly would have been happy if my atoms decided NOT to put themselves back together.

But eventually the pain began to slowly dissipate and sensory functions powered back on. Feeling that I still had two arms, two legs, and my head still attached, I let my senses tell me where I was.

Touch? My skin feels like it's going to get hit by lightning, and somehow I'm laying spread eagle on a stone floor. Possibly tiled.

Smell? Musty with an aroma of some kind of plant life. Someplace old i guess.

Sight? Nope, eyes are still burning. I'll come back to that later.

Sound? Nothing but crikets and other small insects.

Hey. Sleeping beauty. You waiting for a handsome young prince to give you a kiss or something?

Screw you! Despite the pain, I pulled myself up and looked around with burning eyes. I was laying in the middle of a room that had a vaulted ceiling, morning light pouring through glass-stained windows, several large banners that were torn (probably from old age), and two throne-like chairs sat on a raised dais.

And it's a ruined castle. The voice grumbled in my head, Why not make it a prison cell or a torture chamber at least?

As I tried to stand up I heard the sound of coins hitting the ground below me. I looked down to find that the coins were falling out of a charred hole in the money bag that I got from Narvi. Must've been from the discharge of magic after killing that spell caster. I thought to myself.

Serves you right. The voice mocked, You panicked and forgot the golden rule for killing people that are casting magic; Don't do it if you want to keep your skin attached.

No. I didn't. Taking the bag off my belt, I poured out the remaining coins to free up some space to fix up the hole. Before I started the spell to mend the fabric, several dark objects in the pile of coins caught my attention. Letting the bag fall to the ground, I picked up the marble sized...rocks I summarized. They had a rough texture to them, though some had a smooth surface to them on a side or two. It was like they had shattered off of something bigger. An idea popped into my head as I began to sift through the coin pile to find several more rocks. After I found as many as I could, I set them into their own pile and began to put the pieces together.

You can do arts and crafts. Thats amazing. I Ignored the voice I bonded another piece on. It was taking on the shape of a large egg-like-oval-thing that was sitting comfortably in the palm of my hand. Sliding on the last piece of rock, I half-admired-half-wondered the purpose of the stowaway that possibly tried to kill me. A side of the egg-thing was blackened with soot whiled the other side showed a pearly white color.

"I have no idea what this thing is." I mumbled to myself.

Oh surprise surprise! The voice wailed with sarcasm, The mass murderer doesn't know what a simple rock is. Oh wait! He would know what is was, if he just used a little magic to help him find out.

For the love of god, would you just do the world a favor and go crawl into the corner and die already! In a small fit of rage, I hurled my psyche into the world's lay-line to acquire magic to investigate the purpose of the rock. The only problem was that I never made it to the lay-line before I was completely overwhelmed by an absolute tsunami of magic. I heard the rock shatter on the ground as my body descended into a flurry of seizures, muscle cramps, and projectile vomiting.

Dude, that's just disgusting.

F-fgtk gr-ru!

Unable to contain it all the excess magic discharged itself back into the surrounding area, leaving me dry heaving on the ground. "What?! The actual?! Fu-urgh-ck?! Was that?!"

I'm sorry were you talking to me now?

Pulling myself up to sit on my knees, I tried to calm down my breathing as I stared at the contents before me. What kind of rock did Narvi put in the bag? Why was there a titanic amount of magic pouring out of the lay-line, let alone why it was it too easy to reach? So many questions, but one in particular stood out. Can I reach the void from here?

Feeling safe with not having to worry about gathering outside magic for this test, I put my hands on the coin pile and mentally called out my safety code to open a portal to my personal storage spot in the void. And I waited for the telltale smoke from the void to appear around my hands to take the coins into storage, and waited. About thirty agonizing seconds later the smoke appeared with my command to take the money and within no time at all the coin pile disappeared along with the smoke. Well that's one mystery solved.

Standing back up, I rolled my shoulders and stretched my legs to work out any cramps left behind by my fiasco. So the large presence of magic would cross off Earth as my current location, and I can still reach the void which leaves out the Realm of Death. Where the hell am I?

Look at it this way. You just became a god in an unknown region of the Realms with nothing to stop you. How do you feel?

I could go for some breakfast and a nap right now.

And here I was hoping for something epic like "I shall rule this untamed land with an iron fist!" or something.

One step at a time. One step at a time.

Finished with my stretching, I walked through the doors and into the hallway. Now to get outa he- My thought was interrupted by a lion-like roar echoing across the hallway.

He sounds like he knows.

Numbness was the first thing Scootaloo felt as she slowly regained consciousness. Pain was quick to follow. 'How long was I out?' Scootaloo thought to herself. The memories of the stairs, rocks, and the manticore slowly brought her to attention. Her friends! Where were they?! Did they escape?! Did the manticore eat them?! Were they crushed by the falling rocks?! Frantic to find them, Scootaloo tried to get up from the floor. But Scootaloo couldn't move. Was there something on top of her? She couldn't tell with the numbness and pain washing back and forth within her. In her panic of waking up, she almost didn't see the faint light coming from a small hole in the darkness that surrounded her.

Finding the light filled Scootaloo with hope and despair; hope that she could yell for help and won't suffocate to death, and despair for having her so close but so far away from freedom. Knowing that the manticore may still be out there, Scootaloo gathered as much air her lungs would allow and screamed "Help!" as loud as she could.

Nothing but a raspy wheeze escaped her. Scootaloo's hope for rescue was crushed and replaced with dread and fear. Her fear of suffocating changed to starving to death alone in the dark. Overcome by emotion, Scootaloo silently let her tears fall from her face and onto the ground of her tomb.

Unknown to her a shadow pass over light from the hole, but she heard the sound of rubble being moved. Scootaloo was once again filled with the hope of rescue, but who was it? Her friends? The manticore? She hoped it wasn't the latter. The sound's of rubble being removed intensified as it drew closer. Soon cracks of light appeared around the hole and grew as chunks of debris were pulled away to reveal the one behind it all.

Scootaloo's despair returned to her in force as the manticore stood above her liking his lips in glee at his hopeless prey. Unable to do anything, Scootaloo closed her eyes an winced for the bite from the manticore to end her life.

But it never came. Instead, the manticore let out a pained yowl that was followed by an impact against a wall and falling stones. Curious, Scootaloo opened her eyes to see something that looked stood about seven times her height and had the appearance of a shadow that had two claws and looked like it was shaking. As if it was struggling to stay in existence before her.

Getting up to face the intruder the manticore roared angrily as it charged the shadow. With claws and scorpion tail drawn, the manticore pounced after the shadow. To Scootaloo's astonishment, the shadow didn't try to dodge from the assault. It simply raised a claw and made a swipe too fast for scootaloo to see. The manticore fell to the ground in a heap, but its head kept rolling a few meters before stopping with its face down.

Scootaloo could feel her consciousness slipping as the shadow turned towards her, with two glowing red eyes the shadow slowly approached where Scootaloo lay. Unable to stay awake, Scootaloo's vision slipped back into darkness.

Author's Note

Little fun fact: 90% of this chapter was written on a tiny little I-Pod in the back of a truck. 12 hour family road trips are sooo fun.

-Forward-Thank You!

Hello and thank you for opening my first fan-fiction story that I have been dying to put up (it's starting to haunt me in my dreams) so every brony can enjoy reading it. (I probably wont get a cutie mark for story writing but I'll have a stab at it.) I do have a fairly good idea how to lay out the story but it will take some time to get it right (living on the family farm almost never has a good work schedule) so I will do my best to make time to work on the story. I will try to keep the word count per chapter above 2,000 words cause no one likes short chapters. If you have any questions for me just let me know. I would be happy to answer them the best I can and honest criticism if you will. Also if you do, spot out any typos and confusing sentences so I can fix it pronto.

"With that being said, I hope you will enjoy this story and-THWAK-ow!"
Adrian-"Will you just hurry up and get on with it gt! No one wants to listen to your intro; your not even in the story."
gt-"Jeez! your fist hurts! ;_; I had to start the story somehow."