Prologue: A Cruel World
The opening of the forest was silent and peaceful. Nothing but the sound of chirping crickets filled the air. The field of the opening was full of green grass and dandy lions, nothing else was in sight. The peace and silence was broken, however, when distant yelling and shouting could be heard from a distance. All the sudden four creatures shot out from the tree line and ran across the once peaceful field, the howling of monstrous abonimations were not far behind them.
One of the creatures stops in the middle of the field, the other reluctantly follow suit to prevent leaving the other behind. "What are you doing?" One of the creature asks in a panicked voice. "They are going to catch us if we stay here!" The creature then said in a tense voice.
The creatures who stopped looks back into the forest from whence they previously emerged, then looks back at his comrades. He pulls a device off his hip that unfolded into a pistol glowing with energy. "We have to stand and fight, if we keep running they are just going to run us down eventually. This is the best place to end this." He sternly stated.
The rest of the group looked at him in shock. "Jake, you know we can't fight them head on! They will rip us to pieces faster than you can say 'bad idea''" A feminine voice replied.
"Jenny, my foolish dear sister, I never said we fight them head on, I say we let them come to us. They'll have to cross this field, leaving them out in the open so we can pick them off one by one. They won't have any cover to hide behind and we kill them easily. Its better than our chances in outrunning them." the creature named 'Jake' explained.
One of the unnamed creatures stepped up to speak. "I disagree." the creature stated. "I say we keep running. The sun is coming up soon, if we can outrun them for a few more hours they'll leave us alone. Let's move, we've wasted enough time here." He said as he turned to begin running. He was stopped however by the last unnamed creature, this one who wore a metal mask with two glowing eyes.
"Its already to late for that Jack, they're here." He said as he pointed towards the woods. The monsters were already beginning to shot out of the woods.
They were wolf-like creatures that stood on their hind legs and where armed with razor sharp claws and teeth, both meant for the disembowlment of others. Their eyes glowed a bright red and their mangy fur varied from black to almost pure white. They were a terrifying site to look at. "Shit! Everyone open fire! Jacob, Prepare a shield we are going to be needing it in a minute!" Jake shouted.
Everybody pulled out their weapons and began to fire upon the monsters. Jake with his energy pistol, blowing huge chunks out of the beasts as they charged forward. Jenny with a small energy SMG, spraying down any wolf that got to close. Jack with a slightly primitive projectile assault rifle, firing precise three round bursts into his targets. Jacob was beginning to concentrate energy into his left hand, causing the eyes of his mask and marks from under his sleeves to start glowing bright, forming a ball of energy in his palm.
The wolves started to retreat back into the woods, Jake, Jack and Jenny picking off the stragglers as they ran. Once again it was silent. The group, however, was still wary. "Keep your eyes open, its not over yet. They are surrounding us now." Jake informed. The wolves could be heard getting into position around the tree line, rustling the bushes and making low growls as they moved. Jake glanced at Jacob who was still holding the energy in his hand. "Are you ready brother?" Jake asked. Jacob nodded in response. After a minute the rustling and growling stopped, leaving the field in a uncomfortable silence.
An hour of this silence passed, Jack eventually decided to break the silence. "Do you think they left?" He asked. Jake looked around the tree line seeing no activity what so ever, but he didn't believe it. "It may look like it, but let me try something before jumping to conclusions. These things don't usually give up this easily. They are probably just waiting us out." Jake says taking a few steps forward. As he steps forward he begins to concentrate red energy into his left hand, causing his eyes to and marks beneath his sleeves to glow brightly with the color of the energy, forming a ball of red energy in his hand. Once concentrated to his liking he tosses the ball of energy, it erupts into a ball of fire and sails towards the tree line. it shoots into the tree line and explodes, setting everything within a ten foot radius of the explosion on fire. The small fire illuminated the tree line revealing a massive hoard of wolves just beyond it, far more than what was chasing them before. Jakes eyes grew wide with surprise. "They called reinforcements" He shouted pointing his weapon back up.
"Holy Shit!" Jack shouted in surprise and panic. He looks around to see more wolves slowly pouring out of the tree line surrounding them. "HOLY SHIT! Its an entire family reunion!" Jack shouted in increased surprise and panic. The wolves were growling and foaming at the mouth and the closed in slowing picking up speed.
"Jacob, Deploy that shield now!" Jake commanded as he began to open fire. Jacob threw the ball of energy he had been holding into the air, it deployed into a glowing blue dome surrounding the survivors. The wolves began slamming into the shield not long after words. The shield allowed anything to leave but not enter. The survivors fired into the hoard as they mercilessly pounded into the shield with bloodlust driven rage. The shield was holding, however it was starting to crack.
"The shield is not going to last much longer!" Jacob informed as he was firing small combustions of fire from his hands into the hoard, incinerating and burning anything it touches. He was starting to slow down and tire, however, due to the massive output of energy he was using to cast these combustions.
"I know, just keep firing!" Jake shouted as he blasted the head off one of the wolves. His energy pistol was starting to overheat at this point, so he started concentrating energy for another shield. The current shield began to crack even more. As Jake concentrated enough energy for another shield, the other broke. Jake immediately deployed his shield, but not before Jack was grabbed by one of the wolves.
"AHHH NO!!! GET HIM OFF! GET HIM OFF!" Jack screamed in terror as he was pulled into the hoard of the bloodthirsty monsters.
"JACK!" Jenny shouted as she sprayed bullet into the wolf holding him captive. It was to late however, the wolf pulled Jack beyond the boundaries of the shield before it finally deployed completly. Jack screams were reduced to gurgles of bloods as his head as ripped from his body. "JACK NOOO!!! Oh God..." Jenny Screamed as she watched Jack become nothing more than mutilated limbs. She dropped to her knees and started crying at the horror before her.
Jake rushed over and forced her to her feet. "This is not the time, Jenny! Keep firing or WE WILL ALL DIE!" He shouted at her. Jenny was still in shock and wouldn't move. "God damn it..." He muttered as he slapped her hard enough to bring her back to reality. "KEEP FIREING!" He shouted as he shoved her gun back into her hands. She hesitantly nodded and continued firing.
The longer Jenny fired into the hoard the more rage within her began to build up. When her gun overheated she tossed it aside and began to cast combustions of fire into the hoard. "BURN... IN... HELL YOU GOD DAMNED MONSTERS!!!" She screamed in uncontrollable rage, Her eyes and marks on her arms pulsing with the red energy. Wolves were instantly incinerated in her combustions. She showed no sign of slowing down.
The shield was beginning to fail again, but the wolves' numbers were diminishing as they died or retreated back into the woods. However there where enough of them to overrun the survivors if they got through. The shield began to crack even further. Jake sighed in defeat as he knew they would not be able to stop them this time. "Well, we definitely gave them hell." He muttered. The wolves were starting to get through when they suddenly stopped and looked to the sky. Confused the survivors looked in the direction. "What the hell is that?" Jacob asked.
There was a glowing blue orb in the sky approximately two miles north from their position, it was growing larger and brighter every second. The wolves backed away and suddenly darted off into the tree line away from the orb in fear. "Well it definitely isn't the sun" Jake replied. He was beginning to become more wary as the orb grew larger. "What ever it is, its got the wolves spooked and I rather not be here to find out what it is. Lets go before..." He began before the orb suddenly disappeared with a loud bang. The shockwave from the invisible explosion broke what was left of the shield and sent the three survivors to the ground grasping their ears.
"AAGGGHHHH!!! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT" Jenny screamed as she was trying to shout over the ringing of her ears.
"WHAT!!!???" Jake shouted back fumbling back onto his feet. His ears were not in any better condition.
Jacob however was on his knees in silence cupping his ears, waiting for the pain and ringing to go away. He took a moment to look back up to where the orb used to be, just in time to notice something falling into the forest. This made him very curious, setting his mind off the pain and ringing as he removed his hands from his ears. He stared as the mysterious object as it fell from line of site. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he thought it may be the thing that caused the anomaly.
He snapped back to reality as he looked around him. Jake was still trying to get the ringing out of his ears while Jenny was standing next to the remains of what was previously Jack. Tears were pouring out of Jenny's eyes as she stood there. "Oh boy..." Jacob muttered as he got up and approached Jenny.
As he walked up to Jenny he notices that she still had traces of red energy pulsing through her, he stops ten feet from her. "May I approach, sister?" He asked. She looks at him, there was still traces of red energy in her eyes as well, tears were still present on her face. She slowly nods and looks back to the remains of her friend. Jacob slowly approaches and stands next to her. They remain silent, all that could be heard was the groans of Jake and the grass swaying in the breeze. Jacob breaks the silence. "I understand that he was a good friend of your, maybe even more than that, am I correct?" Jacob asked.
Jenny doesn't say anything, she just remains silent, staring down at the remains. several seconds past before she spoke up. "It not fair..." She said almost inaudibly. Jacob waits for her to finish. "Its just not fair, first our parents, then Stephan and Mcfarland, then that little boy Tristan, then Rebecca... "Jacob involuntarily flinched at the name Rebecca. His sister didn't notice and continued. "... and now, Jack. Its just not fair. Why does this keep happening?" The red energy was starting to die down now, leaving her eyes to natural light brown color. However her tears were still there.
Jacob sighed as he tried to come up with an answer, he knew nothing he said would satisfy her. So he just told her the best truth he could think of. "It's a cruel world sis, it's a cruel world we live in. In this world, death is a monster we have to fight everyday. Unfortunately, its a monster we cannot defeat, and eventually, we are all going to lose. All we can do is fight for as long as we can. If not for ourselves, then for the rest of the world in hope to make it a better place. To once again make it a peaceful and beautiful place it once was." Jacob explained. Jenny remained silent. "Now tell me, Jenny. Are you still willing to fight death to achieve that goal? For Jack and all those who died before to achieve that same goal?"
She remain silent for a moment before answering. "Yes. Yes, I am." She quietly replied. She was still staring at the body, all traces of red energy were gone now and she was no longer crying.
"Good" Jacob said as he hug her. "I am glad to hear that, sis." He then said. She returned the hug. Nothing else was said between the two siblings.
The silent was broken, however, by Jake who had been watching the whole ordeal. "As touching as this is, I think we should get moving. Those wolves will probably be coming back." Jacob and Jenny released the embrace and walked back over to Jake.
Jacob then remembered the object that fell shortly after the explosion. "Should we investigate the anomaly we saw earlier? We may find something useful." Jacob suggested. Jake didn't look to enthusiastic about it.
"No, we leave it alone. If the wolves were running away from it, then it would probably be wise to steer clear away from it. Let just go home, its been a shitty morning. Maybe we'll go another day." He replied as he looked around the one beautiful field that was now littered with bodies.
Jacob wanted to protest, but now was not the time for an argument. Jake was right, the wolves would not stay scared for long. "Fine, lets go." Jacob replied.
The three siblings made their way out of the field and into the east tree line. Jacob paused before entering with his brother and sister. He looked back to the direction of the strange anomaly. It was starting to bother him, something felt wrong. He was feeling a strange sort of energy since the anomaly occurred. However, that was not the only thing that was bothering him. That object that he saw fall wasn't just an object. It looked like some sort of animal, some sort of equine.
"I'll check it out later today, with or without my brother and sister." He thought to himself as he followed his siblings into the forest.
Meanwhile...
The forest was quiet, not a sound was present, not even the sound of crickets. It was an unsettling silence, a kind of silence that tells you something was amiss. This silence is broken, however, by a groan from small lavender unicorn laying in the middle of the forest. "Uhhhhhg... Spike, what in the name of Celestia just happened?" The unicorn asked. There was no answer, just eerie silence. The unicorn opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she looked around her unfamiliar surroundings. "Spike?" She asked again, still not getting an response. "Spike!?" She asked again becoming increasingly panicked, still no response. "Oh Celestia... Spike!? Rainbow Dash!? Rarity!?..." She shouted in hope to get a response, she still received none. "...Fluttershy?...Pinki?... A.J.?... Anypony?..." She asked, getting more distressed by the second. There was still no response. She looked down at the ground a sighed.
"Where am I?" she muttered to herself.
