//-------------------------------------------------------// Core -by Key4Hope- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// First Encounter. //-------------------------------------------------------// First Encounter. I'd be be lying if I said I was fine. After everything I have had to go through.I still remember that day. It's like a broken record that has no end. I was weak and I couldn't keep myself together and I suffered. I deserved  every second of it. "Ah Nick get a hold of yourself... just ... get some breakfast" I said aloud to myself. I don't think I need to say it but I just can't stand winter, it's cold.  To many bad memories are brought back up.   And I don't see many of my friends that much thanks to the weather. Before going down to get breakfeast I go into my bathroom and look in the mirror and look at my face I see my bead head hair it goes down to my neck and part of it covers my right eye (partially).  I put my hat on and leave my bathroom.   I walked downstairs to see the kitchen empty as usual or I should say MY kitchen. Winter Break is only gonna last a few more weeks so I should call some of my friends and see what there up to. As I turned on the TV the news was on and I listen to it as I get myself some cereal from the pantry. " Serious snow storm is inbound it's advised to stay indoors and a EMERGENCY ALERT." I quickly turned my head I stated at the TV. " Since Saturday ( Its Tuesday )6 craters have been appeared and are now considered to have been formed by meteorites."    Oh just some stupid harmless crap.   " ... three of them accrued over in dense woods, two formed over a lake about 39 miles apart the last appeared at a local museum and 5 kids were injured. Eye witnesses stated something coming out of the crater."   Okay I take that back.   It's advised if you see anything with burn marks or weird walking patterns stay away and contact authorities."    They showed a map where the " meteors " hit and..   Oh crap that's near me and my friends.   I grabbed my phone and tryed to call anybody in so they could turn on the news and see this.   I can't  get a signal. "That Stupid weather ."   I said being frustrated.   I quickly looked outside to see what it was looking like. And I can quickly see the groundbreaking results snow snow snow and some more snow.   Fascinating.  I  turned around and finally decided to start eating my breakfeast.   After finishing my breakfeast the lights started to flicker and I heard a loud bump. I went down in the basement to see if anything was wrong with the circuit breaker.   Once getting downstairs I made my way through usless junk that was from who knows when.  " Let's se here annnnd... nothing wrong ?"   Why were the lights flickering then it can't be the lightbulbs dying I just changed the yestrerday.  I close the circuit breaker  and began to walk upstairs . THUMP! THUMP THUMP!   Hearing those noises caused me to run back upstairs and look outside.   I looked through the window only for my jaw to drop.   Beyond all of the snow I couldn't help but... just look at it. I quickly ran outside and walked towered it without even grabbing a coat.   There imprinted in my brain was a yellow fur colored,with pink hair cartoon like pony.   Before I even had the chance of getting closer it talked. " Guys...... where are you." Or I should say she talked. She looked up at me and I was speechless.   My guess was that she was going to scream but didn't have the energy to do it.   I think we just stated at each other for a solid minute until she passed out right in front of me.  What was I going to do?   I thought about just leaving her until I heard a voice say. " We'll retard what are you going to help her or stand there and die with her in the cold. " Whatever said that made me go over to her she looked a bit malnureshed  and dirty.  I picked her up and carried her into my house and set her down on my couch.   I decided to touch her forehead and... great it's hot she, has a cold.  Now what?   It's not like I have any medication for ponys !   Maybe... ok that's it I'll wrap a cold towel around her head and get some medicine I have in a my bathroom.   So that's what I did I put a towel around her head and poured medicine down her throught the medicine I have is for a common cold not that I had much medicine to give her.   For all I know this could kill... no it's not your fault she dies you can't blame yourself for someone's death.   Wait a minute.   WHAT AM I SAYING !   It's like I already know she is gonna die.   Wait.. Since when did I start careing for this... Pony ?   Okay... I've done all I could. I problebly should take it easy.   I walked upstairs and took a nap for who knows how long.  I woke up a little wobely and I heard a BANG downstairs.  I quickly rushed downstairs and spoke loudly in case I somebody broke in. "HELLO is anybody there?"   Before I could take another step I heard a loud CLANG and I fell backwards before I passed out I saw that yellow pony coughing and holding a frying pan. //-------------------------------------------------------// Mary //-------------------------------------------------------// Mary                        Mary's POV   " MARY we'll be gone in a hour if you need.."   " Yeah mom just go. "  I said cutting her off.   A time to myself, something that I get very rarely.  Don't get me wrong I like people in fact I'm one of the nicest people on the planet well.. maybe.   I turn around and look at the window.  I look outside on the farm I live on.  Outside I see the barn house coverd in snow.   Hmm, maybe I,ll pay it a visit.   I get my coat and walk to the barn it's so cold but I get to barn open the door and climb to the top.   All of the animals are asleep, so none of them hear me.   As I see the view at the top of the barn I can't help but enjoy the beauty of it all.  The grass looks smooth, the house looks like a star, and even the dead lifeless trees look like they have snow leafs. I'll miss it all when the snow melts. Everything here brings back memories.  My dad is moving us to a house not that I have anything against it it's just that I'll miss being so close to nature.  My friends are in for a surprise next year.  The sun makes my brown hair shine but only barley since it's mostly snowing.   I can't help but feel as if something is going to happen but what? Why?  Is it the strange meteors that hit? I don't know but whatever's out there makes my skin tingle.   " What the.... " I say as I hear grunts coming from the woods.  Hm... must have been a animal. All of sudden I hear the grunts getting louder and closer.  I run down from the barn and near to the woods.  I see a shadow like figure getting closer.  Fear takes over my entire body on the outside I say nothing but on the inside I want to scream" WHAT'S GOING ON!" I run back into the house and look for anything I can use as a weapon .  I think toyself is it really dangerous ? What If it's just a stray animal.  Something in my brain says NO it will attack you you better kill as FAST  AS YOU CAN !  But.  JUST DO IT.  For whatever reason I listen to the voice and do as it pleased.  I found a knife that can cut really good and I ran outside.  As the thing comes out of the forest I look at the thing.   Sorry but what else can I call it ?  It looks like a ...cartoon pony but why... wait is it hurt ?          She gets closer to me and my body starts to shack and I try to hold my knife.  To my suprise she walks past me and heads toward the farm house I'm can't help but look at her.  From what I can tell she had a hopefull grin and she now has a disappointed smile. "Look...I don't know you ...and you don't know me ...but what are you looking for ?"I say finally after trying to ignore my fear " I'm trying to find my friends, when I saw the farmhouse, I thought I was home and maybe my friends were but they aren't since your not a pony.  I notice she has a strong southern accent.   Now what do I do? It's not like I can help her find her friends.  She looks away from me and stairs at the barn house with sadness.   I look at here wounds most of them haven't even begun to heal.  I look at them they don't look like scratches from a bear or a preadator.  They look more like... bullet wounds that just avoided hitting her.  The thought of her being hunted by a human made me finally crack and I spoke.   "How about you come into my house and get your wounds healed, ten MAYBE...I can help you find your friends " "Really?"   "Yes, we can get my friends and see if they know anything about where your friends are. "   "Are you sure that it's the best idea to get your friends I mean no harm to your friends but are you sure they will react calmly?" "I'm not freaking out am I?" But really I was screaming on the inside   "Okay you got me "she said. "Okay let's go inside and get you inside and patched up... and fast it's freezing out here." A million thoughts run through my mind I have no idea why I just let this thi...pony I need I start calling her pony.  Something towels odd about her but I just can't tell what though.  We get to the house and I unlock the door and let her I grab my first aid kit and begin cleaning her wounds, and cover them with band aids.   "By the way, what's your name?" I ask finishing up on her wounds.   "Oh sorry I'm Applejack."   "We'll hello Applejack my name is Marry." I said in response.   I reached for the phone and Applejack looked up in suspicion. Before I could begin dialing a number she talks   " So... Can you tell me..."      "No, I just found you so I'm not going to tell you anything about me or my friends."     She looks at me like I'm stupid and speaks.   " I mean that thing in your hand." "Oh" I feel like the most stupid  person on the planet for a few seconds before I answer . "It's a phone." I said "Come again ?"   I sighed and said   "It allows me to talk to friends from far away."   "How does it work ? " she asked.   "We'll... it... I don't know to be honest." Seriously who knows how they work ?  I debated on who to call first then I settled on Xaiver, since he gets into trouble maybe he saw this pony a one point.   I began to dial Xaiver's number first but it takes 5 times before I could get through.   "Yeah What !" Xaiver shouted as if he was afraid.   " Uh Xaiver we " I look around to look at Applejack "we have a problem." I said.   " YOU DON'T KNOW THE HALF OF IT" he said.   "What do you mean", I heard a ring. He had had just hanged up on me and in a panic. //-------------------------------------------------------// Xaiver //-------------------------------------------------------// Xaiver Ah....downtown in the middle of winter.  The worst ime to be here during winter and just my luck.  I walk out of Jewel and I see the busy street with cats going up and down the street and a few hoses across it.  My dad made me go down to Jewel Osco(without arise there I might there) and now that I have his food I need a ride home.   I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called my dad put I had no bars.  I began to walk around to see if I can get any .  Eventually it lead me to the other side of the building.  Well... what can you expect it to look like it has trash spread out and snow covers most of the ground, and there is a flipped dumbster.  Only about 15 feet away is a forest, and that's about it for all that's behind jewel.  I finally get 2 bars after walking around in acircle for a while, and call my dad.    "Hello"    " Hey dad it's me I need a ride home."    "Why ?" Are you SERIOUS he asks WHY!     " We'll one I have the groceries you told me to get, two There is a storm coming in a few hours, and uh.. oh yeah!  I have no way of getting home you sack of crap ! " I say very loudly.    " Watch... Your... Mouth... I will be there soon.., where are you? "    "Jewel." I say before hanging up.  My dad can go full blown retard at almost any time.  Now all I have to do is wait. ________________________________________________________________________________ Dad it has been 2 hours... WHERE ARE YOU! I say to myself.  It's freezing out here and the only thing I have on is my jacket which doesn't help much.   I sit against the brick wall and turn to my right.  The dumpster doesn't look to hard to open and I can fit in it. Hmm...I could stick it out here, or I could hide in the dumpster to get a little bit more warm.  So dignity, or Warmth? The second I said that the weather got even colder.  Dumpster it is I guess. The second I opened the dumpster what I saw was " interesting" .  There was a old rough sleeping bag, tons of cans that look as if they were eaten out of recently and a flashlight that hadn't been turned off.  A homeless person couldn't be living here since, the town had put up a homeless shelter.  I kneeld down to the flashlight and saw 2 photos. I picked them up and.... yep this is the weirdest day of my life.  One of the photos had 6 multi colored pony colored things.  Who did this?  Some freak or somebody really good at photoshop.  I kept looking at the first picture.   Out of all of the pony things the blue fured rainbow haired one drew in the most attention to me.  I finally looked at the second one and this one was differen't.  Instead of 6 pony things there was only two the skittle haired pony was in this one with somebody else.  She looked way younger then her and her fur was orange. I put the photos in my pocket, maybe one if my friends know what they are. Before I could turn around I heared a voice.   " WHAT ARE YOU DOING !"  I turned around and saw it.  The blue fur colored pony with a rainbow mane was behind me. I couldn't comprehend it she was real and coverd in dirt.    " WE'LL! " she shouted.    " Your.... real." I said,  well what could I say I was trying to grasp the fact that she was even real. She walked right pass me in anger and shouted again.    "Where are the photos!"    "Wh..at" I responded before she punches me outside of the dumpster.  Wait.... HOW DOES SHE EVEN DO THAT!   I heard her say   " I will give you one last chance... give me the photos." Like a idiot from a horror movie I ran into the woods with her giving chaise.  I wasn't going to give her the photos.  After I saw her and demanding them back, I wanted to know what was going on.  Maybe I one of my friends know anything about this.   I ran through the snow coverd woods, running through branches. Finally I triped and I heard coming for me but from where ? RING RING What my phone now what ! "YEAH WHAT!" I shouted in my fear. "Hey Xaiver we... We have a problem" " You don't know the half of it !" I shouted back and I then hung up on whoever was calling. I then saw that pony behind me with a furious face. " GIVE ME THE PHOTOS !" She said. "I will... BUT I want you to tell me about everything !" I demanded "About what !" " How you got here and who you are, and who these things are." "I'm not going to tell you anything." She responded. Now what, the only option I have is getting the crap beaten out of... WAIT. I pulled out the picture of her wither the 5 other ponies. "Tell me about what I want to know. Now !" I then ripped it up and let the scraps fly away. I looked at her eyes and they went wide from anger and saddens. " Do it now before I ripped the other one up." "...." She didn't say a thing. I then slightly ripped the other photo. " FINE JUST STOP!" That's what did I stopped, and I waited for her to speak. " Those THINGS are my friends."  After she said so I then asked her. "What's your name ?" " Rainbow Dash."  Wait.... her name is Rainbow Dash?  Well I couldn't be surprised I mean she looks like a cartoon pony and can TALK after all. " Why do these pictures even mater so much to you ?" She gave me a "are you kidding me " look. " Do you SEE where I even am !  Last ime I checked there aren't many ponies looking like ME last time I checked ! "So you want to find your friends ?" " What do you think !" Yeah I'm a bit stupid. " Is that orange pony here, the one with the purple hair ?" I was curious I got the feeling she was a tomboy. " No Thank Celestia." For some reason that I can't explain, I think I actually cared about her. " Who is she ?" " Why do you care !  All I know is she isn't here !" " She's your sister isn't she ."  I expected a response but she didn't say a thing " The pictures matter so much to you since your afraid you might not see them again."  I said finally figuring out why she wanted them so much.  Still she remaind quiet.  Finally I asked my final question " How did you get here ?" "....I don't know ." "What do you mean ?" " I don't know how I got here."  I was shocked.... and mad I wanted answeres. "You must remember something !"  I shouted. " We'll I do remember something." " What is it!" " I remover I was with my friends Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, we were tuning from some pony."   Really "some pony". " Untill I got here, and I was seperated from my friends.  I don't even know if they are where I am." I was feeling simpithetic and I finally built up the energy to say. " Look... I can try to help you find your friends."  I didn't know what to expect until she spoke " Are you serious !  First you tear up a photo of my friends, force me to tell you about them why should I let some....one like you try and help me !"  I noticed she said somebody instead of some pony . "  We'll look at yourself your coverd in mud,hungry, and it's winter you'll die before you find them."  I said.  I don't know why I wanted to help her, maybe it was so I would never have to see her again. "Fine... But if you try anything, and I mean anything to me or my friends I will destroy you understand ?!"  She could and I mean it, after all she hit me so hard I flew out of the dumpster. " Ok, follow me we need to head to my house."  By now my dad problebly just left the house NOW to pick me up meaning that I still had time to get her home. We had been walking down the road to my house.  When I decided it was best to ask her one more question. " I'm pretty sure you know that you can't be seen from people like me.  She nodded. " Also you can't fly ."  That set her in a fit of anger. " WHY NOT!" "We'll do you want to be seen ?"  That made her stop.  Soon we finally reached my house and we went inside. Soon I noticed my phone was ringing .  I picked it up and noticed it was my friend Winter calling me. " Listen Xaiver I need to come over."  I was suprised she said fast and she sounded nervous. " But why do you.." I was cut off by a voice from somebody that sounded like they had to much coffe. " Ohhhb who are you calling NO wait let me guess! It's Ni.."  I then heard a large beep she had hanged up.  Rainbow noticed and said " What's happening ?" " We'll apparently Winter's coming over." "Who's that ?"