Banishment

by PureLogic

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Tragedy, Dark, Twilight Sparkle, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 10706

"TWILIGHT, NO!!!" She screams, but I can't listen to her. I need to hurry. I need to leave. He's about to start a war and only I can stop him. B-but how...? She's banished me from Equestria...

Banishment.
Such a powerful word with such a simple meaning. A word most ponies never hear in their life...
"Twilight Sparkle,"
A simple word meaning to be sent away as a form of punishment...
"You have been proven guilty,"
But I haven't done anything wrong, have I? Anything to deserve to be punished? Being framed? Is that a crime?
"You are banished from Equestria,"
Why would they all just give up on me? I know the truth, but they refuse to hear it. Why won't they just listen?
"You are required to leave at once."
Just listen.
Before war overtakes us all.

Featured-- 3/5/14
Give cover art respect where it is due, meaning this guy.

Published 2014-03-05 19:20:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-03-26 05:21:28 UTC

Exiled

“I hereby revoke your crown, Twilight Sparkle. You are… You are banished from Equestria,” Princess Celestia growls, tears forming in her magenta eyes. This isn’t possible… I was her faithful student… I was her highest hopes.

And I’ve crushed her.

I sit down, fighting back the tears in my own eyes. I should’ve seen this punishment coming… It was the most personal. It means she doesn’t have to be held responsible for my death. I foolishly assumed that the truth would come out before sentencing. Now… Now, it’s too late, but I won’t cry. I will not give anypony the satisfaction. “I’m innocent, Princess… Please…” I lower my head.

“The terms of your banishment-” her voice breaks, yet she continues to speak. “Th-the terms of your banishment are as follows: y-you may not set hoof in Equestria for-… I-I’m sorry,” Princess Celestia looks towards Luna, who sits in her throne. Her face is set sternly, but I can see where tears have matted down her fur.

Luna nods and goes to take over. My eyes can’t help but follow Princess Celestia as she drags herself to her throne and cries silently. “Prin-,” Luna begins, but stops herself, softly clearing her throat. “Twilight Sparkle,” I flinch. They are using my formal name as an insult.

“You shall not enter upon any Equestrian lands, including our Embassies, our Empires, and the land of Equestria itself until it ceases to exist or you cease to exist,” she takes in a shaky breath. The way she speaks… Maybe it’s the tone or just her choice of words, but this sounds rehearsed. How many banishments have been done in Equestria?

She continues, “You shall not communicate with any family or friends currently living in any of the aforementioned Equestrian lands. Any ponies attempting, or succeeding in communication with you will be charged with treason. A guilty charge of treason may result in life in the catacombs, banishment or- or execution.” Her voice catches on the last word, but that is the only bit of emotion showing through her tough exterior.

I glance over to my family and friends. Never see them again? Never talk to them again?

I look back to Luna, catching her eye. Guilt plagues her features for a moment, but she quickly regains her composure and continues. Her voice remaining steady and clear. “You may not send letters or parcels of any kind into Equestria or Equestria’s Embassies or Empires. Anyponies harboring a letter and/or parcel from you, Twilight Sparkle, will be tried for treason. If proven guilty they may face life in prison or the catacombs.

“Anyponies caught protecting you or attempting to sneak you back onto Equestrian lands will be tried for treason, and, if proven guilty, may face banishment or the catacombs.” Would they do that? I can’t even endure the possibility that the Princesses would hurt, or even kill my friends and family because of me. I had no idea that they were capable of such a shocking act, but I’ve never been to a banishment before. I didn’t even know that the Princesses still practiced banishment.

“Finally, you may not address yourself as an Equestrian citizen, a student prodigy of the Sun Goddess Princess Celestia herself, and most especially not as an Equestrian Princess.” Princess Luna stares at me as she finishes the last words of my conviction, sadness leaking into her voice. She manages to keep herself under control, unlike Princess Celestia, but I guess that’s because she doesn’t know me as well. But it could also be for Princess Celestia’s sake, or maybe the ponies that had gathered to watch my exile into Cimmerii.

I take in a deep breath and sigh. Glancing over to my left, I notice just how many ponies believe I didn’t do this… And just how many believe I did. I don’t even need to count my believers because I can glance at them and know the answer.

Three. Two ponies and one baby dragon.

The side protesting me is much larger. Half of it is Ponyville, at least a third of the small town, and the other half is from nearly everywhere else. The news of my conviction spread quickly, and everypony wanted to rid Equestria of me.

Most of them, though, were against letting me live. Especially in Ponyville, as they were hit the hardest.

I look back at Luna and she turns, walking towards Princess Celestia. I can’t hear them, but they exchange whispers until finally, Princess Celestia stands. She trudges towards me, her usual regal posture is tainted with grief, and her head hangs low to the ground. The crowd of ponies are arguing among each other, but when she looks up they cease all conversation. She utters a simple sentence, “It’s time.”

The words send a cold shiver down my body. “Princess Celestia, I swear I’m innocent. Y-you have to believe me. Please…” I bite my lower lip to keep it from quivering. I have to keep a strong face. She always told me that I have to stay hopeful and that I have to stay strong. Always. I can’t let her down now that she’s gone. I just can’t.

“The investigation is over, Twilight Sparkle. Your innocence is… It is no longer up for debate,” Princess Celestia stands a little straighter and turns away from me.

I let a tear fall despite my attempt at a tough exterior. Never in my life had I ever expected the Princess to just… Just give up on me. “B-but Princess Celest-,”

She turns back to look at me, and all I can see is hatred in her eyes. Despite the tears running down her face, I can only see anger. “NO!” she shouts, using the Royal Canterlot Voice. My ears are ringing and I cringe back, though I can’t move much with these shackles on my hooves and a pair of heavy weights chained to my wings.

I must be an idiot, because I speak up once more. I give her one more chance to trust me, just one more. I beg her, “Please, Princess… Y-you’ve known me-”

“JUST STOP IT!!!” she screams, slamming her hoof down. Her decorative, golden shoes meet the tile and crack its pristine, white surface. I cower as best I can, and clench my eyes shut. My friends and family scream, and I want to look at them, I want to tell them that I’ll be okay…

And the screaming comes to a shattering halt.

The only noise I can hear is my own breathing and the ringing in my ears. Why is it so quiet all of a sudden? I try to sit up, but I can’t.

I’m just too exhausted.

I wish I could be positive of something, anything. A-am I dead? I may as well be dead. I- I feel dead, and a nap sounds like a dream right now, so if I don’t wake up… I- I don’t think that it would be an awful way to die. Just like going to sleep.

“Daddy!” I squealed and ran faster. “You can’t catch me!” I giggled.

“RAWR! I’m gonna GETCHA!” he laughed and chased me up the stairs and into my little bedroom.

I hopped over my bed and grabbed Smarty Pants in my magic. “We’ve gotta hold down the fort, Smarty! MAN YOUR STATIONS!” All of my most loyal toys hopped onto the bed to defend me just as Daddy came rushing in.

He roared again and Smarty Pants called to me, “Twilight! We have to abandon ship! The crew is getting wiped out!” I gave him a stare down, and was about to shout opposing orders when my entire defense was strewn about the war field! This must be Daddy’s doings…

I squealed and rushed out of the warzone and into the kitchen. Daddy chased me the whole way down, although he wouldn’t let me run down the stairs.

At the bottom he let me run again, so I ran into the kitchen towards Mommy. “Mommy! Mommy!” She was making cauliflower patties with hayfries for dinner, which is my most favorite dinner ever! I almost ran into her when I was picked right up off the ground!

I looked around, and everything was blue, even Mommy and Daddy! “Hey! Magic is cheating, Daddy!” Hanging upside-down in Daddy’s magic, I crossed my forelegs and gave him an angry look which I thought should’ve been really, really scary, though Mommy and Daddy just laughed.

Carefully, Daddy flipped me over and placed me on his back. I giggled, and he trotted into the backyard. “Hold on tight, Twily,” he said. His blue magic wrapped around me in a soft, warm blanket, and Daddy galloped all around the backyard.

I bounced along on his back with a thumpity, thump, thump, thump. Finally, he slowed down just a little bit, and said, “Do you think Mommy would want to play with us? It is a very pretty night out.” I nodded my head really fast, probably so fast that it would have fallen off had Daddy not been holding me in his magic. Daddy laughed at my silliness and trotted back to the house saying, “We wouldn’t want to leave her alone.”

“Alone.”

“-alone! What kinda sick bastard would do that?!!” A gruff voice growls. It sounds masculine. A lot like a stallion, but with something… different about it. I can’t place my hoof on it, but it’s definitely a stallion.

Thumpity, thump, thump, thump…

“I’m not sure,” another voice says, seeming only vaguely interested. This one sounds distinctly feminine. She continues, seeming more attentive now. “She looks dehydrated. Can you pick up the pace a bit?

The first voice grunts, and I feel wings shuffle around me as I slide forward. I open my eyes, but the sun is right in my face, so seconds later I close them. I try to move my legs, but they’re still heavily weighed down. “Night? I think she’s wakin’ up,” the second voice says. Whoever is carrying me slows his pace some.

I open my eyes again, the sun blocked by the figure in front of me. I allow them to slowly adjust to the change in lighting. I blink a few times and look at the pony standing in front of me. Only, it isn’t a pony. It’s a griffon.

She smiles at me. The griffon. The griffon is a she, and she’s smiling at me.

What have I just wandered into? Where have I just wandered into?

“Hey, hold tight, kid. We’re about twenty minutes out,” she says.

She walks ahead, flicking her maroon tail behind her. I take a shaky breath in trying to overpower the pain. I close my eyes, hiding from the bright sun. I’ve really got to think this through. Usually it’s an easy task, but it hasn’t been easy since Pinkie…

What do I know about griffons?

Well, Twilight, you know next to NOTHING about griffons! Why? Because you never thought that they’d be on a test, and Ponyville has NOTHING on the subject except for the book Pinkie Pie wrote on Gilda!

Oh, goddess… I guess I’ll just have to play it safe, but I don’t think I should be too trustworthy of anypo- anyone. She seems nice at first glance, but Gilda never left me with a very good impression of griffons.

I allow sleep to overcome me, temporarily blocking my pain.

Applejack! I-it’s not like that! I-I swear it wasn’t me! Why would I lie to you? No! I know she was your friend, R- But she was my friend, too! That’s why we’ve got to figure this out! Rarity? You’ve got to side with me on this… Please? Not you, too P-… Girls, don’t go! Please… It wasn’t me. Spike? Please Fl-I would never!! Y-you can’t… Luna? Princess Celestia, no! Please…

I groan and open my eyes, bringing my hoof up to my spinning head. My face is wet and I shake my head to clear the bad memories surfacing.

Ouch. I really shouldn’t shake my head with such a massive headache. I attempt to sit up, but the chains pull me back down onto a bed of some sort. It’s really more like a sleeping bag that’s been slightly overstuffed. The maroon griffon from before walks in, along with two others. “Hey!” she chirps. “Glad you woke up. Now we can see about getting those chains off of ya.” She sits down by me. “Where are my manners? I’m Scarlett, but most people call me Medi.” She grins and begins to help me up.

“I-,” I croak, but the words catch in my throat. I open my mouth to speak again, but nothing comes out. I swallow, wincing at the pain coming from my dry, burning throat.

“Huh. That sucks. Makes sense, though. You’re really dehydrated. I don’t think you’ve had water for at least four days.” She says it very casually, almost as if it’s the most normal thing happening. It takes me off-guard. Four days? It’s been four days?! That blast must have drained me more than I originally thought. She continues talking, as nonchalant as ever, “By the way, that’s Winchester, but we call him Night,” she motions a white and silver griffon who’d already began picking the lock on my chains. “And that’s the Sergeant, Daemon.” A huge navy-blue and dull-yellow griffon steps up and starts trying to get my wing weights off, as if he only just now notices me.

Rather quickly, they get my restraints off, with the exception of the metal band still clamped around my foreleg. Medi told me that she’d never seen a lock like it, and wanted to have their engineer look at it before trying to pry it off. No magic for now, I guess. Well, at least my wings work. Even if I’m not nearly strong enough to use them yet. Now that I’m free, Medi asks the other two griffons to leave, and they comply. Although, the Sergeant, Daemon, waves her over and whispers something to her before his departure. She just rolls her eyes at whatever he’s saying.

Medi walks outside of the tent we’re in and grabs a bottle of water. She hands it to me, but I can only stare at it. Particularly at the lid. Without my magic, I could never open something like this. I glance at her before attempting to twist off the cap with my teeth. Which isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. In the end, Medi had to unscrew the cap for me.

The water feels amazing on my dry mouth, and I think it’s abating the pain in my head and throat. It’s gone too quickly, and Medi grabs another one. I swiftly down three more, before realizing how urgently I needed to use the bathroom.

I open my mouth to ask, but I’m frustratingly reminded that I’ve lost my voice. Medi nods and leaves for several minutes. When she comes back, she’s carrying a pencil and a notepad. She flips the notepad open to the first page and hands me the pencil. I take it in my mouth and write my name down on the paper.

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE”

She looks at me. “Is that your name?” she asks. I nod. “Hmm. Cool.” She smirks. “So, Twilight Sparkle, what were you doing tied up in mutt territory?” Mutt territory? What does she mean by that? I shake my head, confused and not willing to ask. I find that I just don’t want to know anymore. I feel curiosity pulling at me, but… I just haven’t had a desire to pursue it.

Medi pulls me out of my thoughts. “Uh-huh…” she doesn’t look completely convinced, but she doesn’t say anything either. I sigh. I really wish Equestria had more books on griffons.

My urgency flashes back to the front of my mind. “MAY I USE THE RESTROOM?” I scribble, which isn’t easy when you’re holding the pencil in your mouth.

Medi looks up from her thoughts and smiles. “Sure, c’mon.” She leads me out and towards a small camp with about ten tents pitched in a small, dusty area of dirt. I glance around, looking for a patch of grass or any plant life at all and notice that all of the griffons are staring at me. Maybe it’s best if I keep my eyes on the ground.

“Here,” she says, showing me a small tent with a zipper on the front. “This one’s for the girls. I’ve gotta warn you, it smells like ass in there. I guess that’s to be expected, though.” She laughs. I stare at the supposed ‘bathroom’. I-is she serious?

I grew up in a castle. I’ve never seen a stall in real life before, but I’ve heard about how… unhygienic they are. I look at her, and she glances between me and the stall with an overly-amused look on her face.

Oh, dear Celestia.

I’m desperate, and the trees around here are stripped bare.

I go into the tent and zip the ‘door’ closed after me. I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. It’s just a hole in the ground. I groan.

A foul odor is permeating from it, the lewd essence practically dripping from the air. I gag. Well, at least there’s some hygiene. A roll of toilet paper sets on the ground beside the revolting rupture in the floor. I’m growing nauseous from the sickening smell of the vile mixture hidden in the hole.

I’m not going to last long out here.

I finish my business as quickly as physically possible and get out. Medi is waiting for me outside. She sees me practically run out and suppresses a laugh. I give her an annoyed stare.

A growl causes me to jump. I look around for the source, but don’t see anything. “Hungry much?” Medi asks. I blush, nodding. “Come on, lunch is starting.” She leads me back to the center of the camp where all of the griffons are gathered around a bonfire.

Medi directs me to the silver griffon from earlier before just… taking off. I’m not sure where she’s going, and if I wasn’t surrounded by griffons, I’d probably take off after her. She seems to be the only friendly griffon here. The others keep casting me suspicious glances.

I sigh and sit down next to the griffon. Winchester, or Night, I think. I prod the dirt with my hoof. I’m trying my hardest to not let my thoughts drift into the past.

I look up from the ground. The air around the fire smells different, somehow. Through my hazy mind, I can’t pin-point what exactly it is. Whatever it is, it leaves me feeling slightly uneasy.

A talon taps me on the shoulder, and I look over to see the griffon grinning at me. “Hi,” He says pulling me out of my thoughts.

I give a tiny smile and a wave. I really hope that this is friend of Medi’s…

“Ah’m Night.” He smiles. I think I recognize his voice… He’s the one that carried me. “Ah never got your name,” he presses on. Why should you even care about my name, Night? You might be able to look at me and guess, unlike you. Why? Because your name is contradictory to your appearance!

Oh, no. I sigh. Great. I’m talking to myself again.

I just point towards Medi, who’s walking back towards me. He must be confused, but I can’t explain. I’ll just let Medi do the talking.

I make room for Medi to sit down beside me, scooting away from Night. Medi must know what I’m doing, because she pushes me closer to him and sits on the other side of me. I groan inwardly.

The griffons are passing around a large, round tin. I turn my attention towards it. It looks slightly rusted in certain areas, but is otherwise a monotonous grey. It’s possibly a bowl or a bucket, depending upon how they use it. Currently they are pulling a dark-brown… What is that? I can’t tell from my view, but it’s roughly the size of my forehoof and they’re eating it.

When the tin reaches Night he passes it to me without pause. “Wait, Night-!” Medi cries.

My pupils shrink and I instantly recoil from the tin, knocking its contents onto the ground in my haste. The tin was filled nearly to the edge with skinless, roasted rabbits. My mouth opens in a gasp.

Sure, I’d seen Fluttershy feed the bears before but… But rabbits?! Fish aren’t exactly sapient, so it doesn’t matter to me as much as, well, seeing Angel skinned and roasted! I’m not exactly sure how the griffons will react to me ruining their lunch, but I don’t want to stay and find out. I don’t think any more on the subject, instead choosing to turn and run.

I’ve only just realized this, but I have no idea where to go. I don’t waste any time choosing to go to the medical tent. I dive through the opening, zipping it closed after me.

“Twilight, stop! They didn’t know!” Medi calls out after me. She must think I’m afraid of them, which I am, but not because of their diet. I’m afraid of them because of the little I know about them. How do I know that pony isn’t on the menu? How do I know that griffons don’t do ritualistic sacrifices on whatever creatures wander into their territory? How do I know-?

I stop the train of thought right then. I don’t know. But, I can learn. And if bad goes to worse, I can run from them. My earth pony stamina will allow me to navigate the terrain easily and last longer, while my lightweight pegasus bones will allow me to run faster. I could outrun them, even without magic.

“Twilight!” Medi gasps, running into the tent in her haste. Quickly she unzips the front and rushes in, mumbling unkind words to the tent. “Craston, you’re quick!”

She steps in, sitting in front of the tent door. “I’m not sure if you knew this or not, but griffons eat meat,” Medi says tentatively. “But we don’t eat ponies. I mean, not usually-,” she stops abruptly.

I open my mouth in a gasp.

“I- I didn’t mean that we sometimes eat ponies! The-they had it once-! N-no! Dammit! We- we never eat pon- GAAH!” Medi falls to the ground in defeat. “I’m done talking now.”

I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but there are enough griffons here to easily take down one, measly, magic-less alicorn. I don’t have any reason to trust her. I don’t have any reason to trust anyone around here.

After several moments of silence, Medi speaks again, “You still haven’t eaten…” She looks at me expectantly. “I know a place where plants actually grow in this deserted area. If you’ll come with me, that is…” I shake my head, not about to move towards a hungry griffon. “You can trust me, ok?” I still don’t move. She should be getting frustrated at my stubbornness, but she doesn’t look like it at all. She actually looks kind of sad. “I’m not going to hurt you. I have nothing against ponies. I actually kinda like you. You’re… different.”

Well that told me almost nothing. Still, I’m curious, and I haven’t been curious in a while. I guess I do have that escape plan if things go sour… But, I don’t think- uh. Whatever, what have I got to lose anymore?

I stand up, and follow her out of the tent, her face slightly happier than before. To my joy, she completely swerves around the griffon camp, leading me down a narrow, winding path. I stay several feet behind her, keeping away from the strong tail swaying behind her.

I hope this trip doesn’t take too long, because I haven’t eaten in two weeks, not counting the distasteful gruel they served me in the catacombs. I still get a shiver whenever I think about that underground crypt where all the worst offenders of Equestria are kept. It was worse than what Princess Celestia had told me. Much, much worse.

“Here we are,” Medi says, stopping abruptly. The trip took longer than I expected, a good twenty minute walk which has only succeeded in making me hungrier. I think that it was worth it, though. This place is… beautiful. It is the only lush area in this otherwise dry wasteland.

Medi pulls her rucksack off of her shoulder, stretching her wings. She immediately begins picking specific herbs from the greenest area by the pond. She’s very picky about what she gets, only choosing the best. Then, she wanders from the bank, picking these tall, bushy, flowered plants growing through the dry soil.

I don’t waste another second watching her, and began grazing by the bank. These flowers are amazing! The last time I tasted something this good was Pinkie’s last party!

I sit down.

Her last party. She tried a brand-new recipe. A special one, just for the Cake’s. She’d made Pumpkin and Pound a huge cake for their birthday, it easily towered their parents. They foals had just turned one. She used a special flower… Sh-she even planted it in my garden afterwards. It was beautiful…

Tears pool in my eyes, and I move my train of thought. I really should gather some food to take with me. I expect to leave tonight, while everypony, well, everyone is asleep. I glance around, hoping to see something that would work. I spot… nothing. I sigh, and continue grazing, pointedly ignoring the flowers. Their taste would really spice up this very dull grass, which seems to be leaving a disgusting aftertaste, but I don’t want to deal with any memories pertaining to my friends.

I can’t help but glance towards the fabric wrapped around my foreleg, just beneath my shoulder. You wouldn’t even see it unless you were looking for it, as I disguised it to match my fur tone perfectly. I tear my eyes away, not wanting to see it for longer than a second. Memories can wait until later.

I fill up on the bad grass, with the occasional burst of flavor and grief when a flower is missed. “Hey,” Medi says, handing me a small canvass bag. I strap it around my neck as she continues, “Grab some to take back with you, so we don’t have to trek out here in the morning.” She looks at the Pinkie flowers, noting, “Especially those.” She doesn't give any sort of explanation, which doesn’t help my curiosity any, but it does give me something to take my mind off of Pinkie Pie.

I fill the canvass bag, hoping to come across something to transfer the food from. When I leave tonight, I don’t want to leave a thief. While wandering about the bank collecting food, I stumble across a berry bush.

Actually, this doesn’t even look like a bush, rather a grove of tall, stemmed flowers closely packed together. The flowers are beautiful, though. They are star-shaped, and the most beautiful shade of purple that I can only compare to Rarity’s mane. The berries growing on it are glistening, black berries that look so big and juicy. Something so pretty and delicious-looking couldn’t possibly be poisonous, could it? I sniff the berries, their sugary-sweet smell alluring me in for a bite.

“TWILIGHT!” Medi screams.

I stop, and look back at her. She’s dropped her bag and flown over to me. She pushes me away from the sweet berries and shouts at me. “Did you eat those?!” I too shocked to answer at the moment, backing away from Medi and the berry bush. She begins hyperventilating. “DID YOU EAT THOSE BERRIES, TWILIGHT?!”

I shake my head, trying to stop myself from shaking so hard.

“Oh, thank Craston!” She sighs, tucking in her wings. “Nightshade is toxic, Twilight!”

I back farther away. H-how was I supposed to know that? I’ve never even gone camping before! It’s very clear that the first thing that I need to do here is find a library if I want to survive.

“Are you all right, Twilight?” Medi asks, stepping away from the poisonous berries. I close my mouth and nod, getting to my hooves. I’m ready to go back to Equestria. Death seems to hang over here like a fog. If I could only talk to Spike and prove my innocence…

Medi casts me an unsure look, but hovers back to her dropped bag. She slips it on. “Let’s get going,” She says, walking back to me. I motion for her to walk ahead, and then walk behind her, watching out for her swaying tail.

I sit in the back of the Medical Tent, watching Medi pull the herbs from her bag and boil them over the small fire she set up just outside. She goes to the corner, pulling a small, metal case over to where her concoction is brewing. She opens it, pulling out what looks like tree bark, and puts it into the brew.

After several minutes of silent waiting, Medi strains the larger items out of the pot, leaving a brown liquid filled with small stems and colorless petals. She does an extra strain, this time removing a majority of the small plant parts from the liquid.

“Twilight,” Medi says, pouring the substance from the pot into a collapsible, plastic cup. She glances up at me, waving me over.

I stand and slowly step towards her. She’s not looking at me anymore, instead focusing on pouring honey into the cup. “Here, drink this.” She hands it to me. I don’t take it. Instead, I look at her, one eyebrow raised higher than the other.

She wants me to drink that? Nonononononono. I apologize, my dear griffon, but that is full of stems and leaves and bark. I stare at her, and she rolls her eyes.

“It’s for your throat,” she says, pushing the cup to my lips. It smells sickly sweet, and vaguely woodsy. I take it in my hooves and take a deep breath.

Can I trust her?

I exhale, and quickly gulp the liquid down, the heat searing my tongue. The taste is bad enough without the feeling of stems going down my throat. I invision spiders crawling down with the stems and shudder. Now I’m getting the disgusting after-taste, and start to pull the cup away. Before I have a chance to set it down my vision grows hazy, and the world starts spinning. I can’t help but fall over from dizziness.

I don’t think I can.

Uncertain

“It’s been four days, Graphite!” Princess Celestia shouts, ruffling her large wings.

A gray unicorn adorned with golden armor trots up to her. “Yes ma’am, I understand,” He begins cautiously. “Our best techs have found her. But they place her in…” He bites his lip, but her hard stare tells him to continue. He clears his throat, “Umbrage’s territory, y-your majesty…” He shuffles his hooves, keeping a small distance between him and the Princess.

She goes rigid and her heart stops cold. His pack would rip her apart if they were to stumble upon her. “Where exactly…?” She asks, her lip trembling.

Graphite takes another step back. He nods, motioning towards the ponies toiling away in the control room. “Uh-… They’ve checked multiple times, and it seems she was sent to the edge of-,”

“Cimmerii…” Princess Celestia says. Her fears have been confirmed. She’d berated herself for days for her foolish mistake. As powerful as an alicorn is, they cannot allow themselves to be swayed by emotions. Princess Celestia was swayed by Twilight, and now the young pony was lost in merciless pack territory.

The guard nods solemnly. “I can arrange a search team-,” He begins, but is cut off by the Princess.

“No. I want you to retrieve her today.” She walks towards the locators in the far side of the room. She double checks everything the technicians do, making sure she was pinpointed correctly or else her rescue mission could swiftly change into a suicide mission.

“Of course, your majesty.” Graphite bows. “I can have a search team out in a few hours-,” Graphite begins, but is once again interrupted by the Princess.

She gives him a glare, causing him to stop in his tracks and back away. “Were you notlistening, Captain? You are to escort her back into griffon territory. You are to ensure her safe arrival and leave her with General Niddan.”

Graphite gapes, “N-Niddan?! Of the Eastern Wing?!” Princess Celestia gives him a hard glare. He steps back, bouncing on his hooves. “To get from her location to his quickly would require traveling straight through the very heart of Loveless, and Pack Retreat!”

Princess Celestia rolls her eyes at his worrying and turns back towards the locators. Graphite continues talking, “If I am to accompany her through such treacherous lands- alone, I might add- then I must request proof that she is even still alive!” He stamps his hoof. Celestia shoots him an angry look as he adds, “Uhh-, y-your majesty.”

“If you knew anything about locators, Captain,” She says pointedly. “Then you would know that they can only find living creatures. You cannot detect the magic within something that is dead, for their magic would have passed with them.” She continues watching over the shoulders of the nervous technicians.

Graphite gulps, fearing that he won’t be able to talk his way out of this deadly mission. “She has alicorn magic, your highness, and-,”

“And?” The Princess sighs, not even bothering to glance at him this time, instead focusing on the transcriptions coming from the machine.

Graphite bites his tongue. He growls, “And… I will pack for my mission.” He trudges towards the exit with his face set in an enraged glare. “Am I to bring any other guards, your majesty?” He adds before levitating the metal doors open. “I recall that Flash Sen-,”

“No.” Princess Celestia levitates the transcription away from the technicians, looking over it herself. Something sticks out at her, nagging at her worries, but she can’t place it. The jumble of numbers and letters would normally make perfect sense to the Sun Princess, but today her mind wasn’t all there. It hadn’t been all there in two weeks, and every day she grew more edgy and anxious. It was starting to show.

“N-no?” Graphite says numbly, abruptly releasing his hold on the door. The loud thud resonating from the slam jarred his senses back to life. “B-but, your highness-! What if she resists? Surely you can’t expect me to fight an alicorn alone and brave the desolate landscape!” Graphite turns and nervously trots towards Princess Celestia.

“No, Graphite. He’s a guard of the Crystal Empire.” She turns to face Graphite, who stands rigid and at attention. Her voice is quickly growing louder and more rage-driven. “You’ve been conditioned to live in such a landscape alone, while all other guards have not. Now, unless a stray captain is lying around already packed and ready to run through the badlands at your beck and call, you are to go alone!” She shouts, her bloodshot eyes boring holes into the Captain’s tough demeanor.

Graphite stares at the ground in shame, and gives her a weak, “Yes, ma’am.”

The Princess glances back at the technicians. They’d stopped working in favor of observing one of the Princess’s rare outbursts, which were becoming increasingly less rare as the days go by. One look from her sent them scurrying back to their machinery. Princess Celestia lifts the scroll from the ground. She’d dropped it in her anger, but now proceeded to scan over it once more, painfully oblivious to the answers she was searching for.

“Dismissed.” Celestia waves her hoof, striding past Graphite. He quickly trots to the door, holding it open for her.

“May I go home first to make my arrangements?” He asks, keeping his voice low to hide his anger.

Princess Celestia steps through the doorway, levitating the parchment above her head. “Hm.” She purses her lips. “One hour.”

“An hour?!” Graphite gasps. “To make all of-! Uh… Y-yes, your majesty.” He bites his lip, attempting to contain his disdain. He slams the door harshly behind himself. He growls at the passing Princess, but if she notices it she doesn’t make it known.

Princess Celestia walks down the hallway towards her room. Her mane looks dull and colorless as it drags the ground. Sighing, she pushes open the large, golden doors to her bedroom. They close behind her with a silent thud, despite their great size. The Princess finally allows her fatigue to show as she plods over to lie on her bed, atop the sheets. She closes her eyes, attempting to calm her breathing. Her white coat lacks its usual luster and shine as it rises and falls, perfectly in tune with every breath.

Somepony knocks at the door. The faint sound is almost missed by the Princess, but the years have taught her how to listen for worrisome workers. Wistfully, she says, “Come in.”

Slowly, the doors open and the chef’s apprentice walks in. She pushes a silver and gold cart in front of her. The cart carries several hoof-polished platters and an unsightly, brown box. As Princess Celestia sits up, she glances at the cart. Her eyes fall hungrily to the box first.

The young pegasus clears her throat, “I- I mean we, h-have prepared your- your higness, your dinner.” She stumbles over the words, still new to the palace and the Princess. “N-no! I- I mean, no- we mean-! D-dinner is served…” She bites her lip, bouncing nervously on her hooves.

The Princess chuckles, as the clumsy apprentice gives a small curtsy. She begins to pull the platters of food from the cart. “No need, Golden.” Celestia gives a small smile. Golden Palate stutters a moment, but sets the trays back onto the cart with a small nod. “You may go,” Celestia says, levitating the brown package from the cart to her bed.

Golden Palate gives a clumsy curtsy before exiting Celestia’s quarters with the cart in tow.

Anxiety wells in her chest. It was finally here. She had worried over its arrival for two weeks, but now she can finally be at peace.

The Princess stares at it for another moment before ripping the box open and exposing a small, glass bowl wrapped in newspaper. It wasn’t the same as she’d gotten the first time, and every week since. She’d always gotten a green or blue bowl, but oddly enough, it was yellow this time. Not clear or bright, like the sun, but a sickly yellow entwined with a deep green.

Princess Celestia pays no attention to the change in color, eagerly pulling the bowl from the package and using the pale powder within to brew a tea.

When the package had first came two months ago, the Princess was very cautious about it. She checked for everything: spells, charms, hexes, and even curses. She didn’t find anything except a card addressed by Twilight Sparkle. Once she found that she didn’t worry any longer.

All she knew was that she was to brew a tea. And the tea calmed her mind. It helped her to focus.

Her mind goes hazy as she drinks, as though her troubles are being pushed aside, if only for a moment. She doesn’t have to think about anything as she pulls the card from the bottom of the parcel. She only watches as the instructions turn and twist themselves into new words. Words that she always seemed to agree with, no matter what they say.

“She is a lie,

Don’t save her,

Don’t try.

Her death is reachable,

But far away.

And she will harm you,

In a coming day.”

“Guards!” Celestia calls, her mind clearing up. She stands from her bed, her limp mane now glowing with life.

Two guards dash in, saluting the Princess. “Yes, your highness?” They say, nearly in unison.

~~~~~

Fluttershy, get Applejack! Go! You have to hurry! Rainbow Dash you’re- you’re going to be fine. Just fine, I promise. Applejack’s on her way, and then we can get you to the hospital, okay? Nonononono! R-Rainbow, don’t you close your eyes! Rainbow? Rainbow?!

“Twi?”

I’m here! C-come on, Rainbow… J-just get up and you’ll be fine. R-Rainbow?! Open your eyes… Just open your eyes!

“It-it wasn’t your f-fault… Twi…”

Rainbow?!

Wake up, Rainbow!

Wake up!

“-wake up!” A familiar voice grunts, shaking my shoulder. Her claws prick me, causing me to pull away. Everything feels wrong. Like it’s different somehow. I don’t like it. I blink open my eyes, kicking away the body currently pulling on me. “Hey!” Medi cries, quickly righting herself. “Watch it, kid!”

“Whatever…” I mumble, jerking away from her. D-did I just speak? I look up at the griffon, suddenly enraged by my entire situation. I lunge at her. “What did you do to me?!” I growl.

She pushes me off easily. “Relax! I’m on your side-,”

“On my side?! You just drugged me!” I crouch down, prepared to pounce if necessary. I hate taking sides. I don't think there are sides to take yet, but there might be! I don't know and I don't care. If I have to take a side in this stupid place then it’s the side that wants me dead!

She sighs, looking extremely bored. What’s her problem?! She’s the one that drugged me! It’s practically her fault that I’m here, considering that she’s the medical pony! She’s the one that made sure I lived long enough so that she could poison me with some foul-tasting brew!

“Enjoy that energy, because it’ll be gone in about fifteen seconds.” Medi snarls. “Now let’s put it to good use and get out of here!” She treads to the closed tent flap, pushing it open and looking out. She whispers, “All right, if we go now we c-,”

“What?! No-,” I shout, but a wave of dizziness sends me crashing to the floor. I attempt to stand, but my legs don’t seem to work. I can’t help but shiver at the sudden drop in temperature. Was it this cold earlier? It’s probably Medi’s fault.

I snarl as Medi pulls me to my hooves. “We’ve got to go,” she says urgently, pulling me out of the tent. Every step is shockingly cold, sending me stumbling around. I stop moving, because it feels like I’m walking on frozen needles. “Twi, you can’t-,”

I jerk away from her, stepping back. “No!” I growl. “Don’t c-call me that.” I shiver and bite my lip. “I d-don’t even know y-you!” I slur, falling to the left.

Medi sits and stares at me grimly. I’m probably a sight, with my fur standing rigid and my constant falling over. “I will explain everyth-,”

“And when has that happened?” I barked, fumbling to regain my hoofing.

“It will.” She stares at me. There’s something about her eyes. A flash of regret? Hurt? I can’t place it, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t care. She’s too secretive. If I have to have an ally to get home, I’ll find one. But it certainly won’t be in that lying griffon.

If ponies didn’t keep things from me, then half of my problems would be solved. I wouldn’t be getting blamed for a death that wasn’t my fault! If they were being honest with me then they wouldn’t have hid her from me! She could be dead now when I could have saved her!

She probably died days ago. It’s not like the Princess would have let me go to her funeral anyway.

“I’m leaving,” Standing clumsily, I stagger around Medi’s shocked figure.

“Fine!” Medi shouts. She jumps up and blocks my exit from the tent. “I’ll tell you!”

I don’t even care anymore. Anger flashes through me and I grind my teeth. “MOVE!” I shove past her, stomping out of the tent. She follows behind me.

“So maybe it was a strong brew. I didn’t think about this kind of negative reaction!” she shouts after me.

I stomp off towards the rising moon, ignoring the shock that I feel after every step. “Whatever! You’ve just lost your only ally, kid!” She barks. I glare back at her. “If you’re a princess or whatever, then you’re smart enough to understand this- Hippogriff.”

My body goes rigid.

Hippogriffs aren’t real.

“She was my daughter.” Medi walks towards me; her wings drag the ground, gathering dust.

I clench my jaw. “Hippogriffs are just an old mare’s tale!” I step back, glancing towards the narrow, dirt path leading to the rest of the camp. A large navy griffon is walking down the path with a smug grin on his face. When he sees me, his grin drops into an angry sneer. He looks to Medi, but she hasn’t seen him yet.

He strides from the path towards Medi, who tenses up at the sight of him. She stands at attention, as he stalks around her. She nervously clenches her claws and unclenches them until he sits beside her. He nods and Medi immediately eases, sighing. She says something to him, but I can’t hear it.

The griffon walks to me. I recognize him now as the Sargent that I’d met from earlier. The closer he gets to me, the more his anger fades into an expressionless face. “Follow,” He orders.

“No.” I sit, glaring at him. I already didn’t trust him, but masking his expression from me has made me even more wary. Medi shoots me a worried look, and shakes her head. Whether she means for me to not challenge him or not follow him is unclear. I don’t care. I’m choosing for myself. I’m leaving this camp.

I turn and trot away, trying to hide my limp. The pain in my legs has abated some, but now they feel numb. The thick chill is still there, giving me reason to shiver. I glance back, nearly expecting the Sargent to follow me. He doesn’t, but the enraged glare has returned to his eyes. It makes sense, as I doubt anypony has ever blatantly ignored his orders before. I’m glad to say goodbye to this camp, these griffons and their secrets, their constant mistrust.

The moon is raised high in the night sky before I finally sit down. I must’ve been traveling for hours, but the trees still look far out. I sigh, deciding to use the time to my advantage. I lift my foreleg and stare at the crystal-laced metal locked around it. Luna may be intelligent, but could her device outwit an alicorn’smagic? Even mixed with Luna’s spell, the crystals couldn’t possibly hold out forever. Maybe I could just wait for the spell to wear off, but that might take too long. Now that I think about it, waiting may prove too dangerous. If this device cuts off all magic, then I can’t fly. I’d need more time to walk, seeing as I wouldn’t be able gather strength from the Earth.

I wish I’d consulted Luna about this device. I know crystals can nullify a pony’s magic, but only for a short period of time. I don’t know what spell she used, or else I would be able to work out a method of countering it. If I could just ask her...

I don’t have any of the advantages I thought I did.

On top of that, I don’t have any idea where I’m going. For all I know, I could be heading into Cimmerii. No matter how far out, the trees look like the best option. They aren’t like most of the trees I’ve seen, but seem to be the closest to me. The grass is greener there, so I’ll possibly be able to find some food. First, I’ll get what I need to survive. Then, I’ll figure out how to get home. My friends-…

I wonder if they still are my friends.

Of course they are. Why wouldn’t they be? I mean… We didn’t leave on the best of terms, but they’ll help me. Just like every other time I’ve needed them. They’ll be there for me. I’ll come home, they’ll prove my innocence, and then we can help Pinkie Pie. Together. As…

As friends. Best friends.

But… I might endanger them. What if they abandon me?

No! They wouldn’t. I won’t put them in any danger, because nopony will know I’m there until after I’m known to be exactly what I am- innocent.

But Rainbow Dash…

They stopped me from seeing her. Why would friends do that? They wouldn’t let me see Pinkie, either. And the funerals… Even if I was allowed, they kept me away. Why would they do that?

Because it was the best thing to do. The other ponies wouldn’t be so understanding! They didn’t want to cause a fuss. They wanted to make sure that it was strictly grieving over lost lives, not somepony angered that I showed up. And they didn’t want anypony to disturb the doctors and nurses in the hospital. It only makes sense.

Right?

The sound of scraping and scratching pulls me from my thoughts. I stand, glancing around, but I don’t see anything. Actually, now I do. For some reason, a small area of ground seems to be caving in.

~~~~~

“If the tekkies are so smart, why don’t they build these things with instruction manuals?” Graphite gripes, tossing the locator into his saddlebag. He'd been walking the entire day, and it did nothing to lift his mood.

The white mare at his side rolls her clear eyes. “They did,” she whispers. “You just didn't accept it.” She smiles, flipping her white mane from her face. She wears no armor, preferring to lightly flit across the ground. The armor would just be extra weight.

Graphite sighs. He scans the horizon for any signs of life, seeing only the faintest outline of trees in the distance. They seem to be in the direction the locator wanted them to go, but it wanted to take them a longer route. He didn't have hours to wait walking around the Savanna. He packs back up, crumbling the paper map he was using for direction. It couldn't be read in this wind, anyway.

They are about to trot onward, but Graphite pauses and glances around. He’d heard the faintest scraping sound coming from the ground beneath him. The sound grows louder. Graphite stands ready. His eyes dart around, as the sound surrounds him. Hearing a loud scrape, he looks in the opposite direction. He watches as a spot of ground begins sinking in. He steps back, bouncing on his hooves as several other areas around him begin doing the same thing. Within seconds, a large, gray paw juts from one hole.

Not long after the first one, several others sprouted from separate holes. It doesn’t take much time before Graphite is surrounded by diamond dogs, but they aren’t anything like what he was briefed by. He was told that diamond dogs were scraggy and didn’t put up much of a fight. Their power was only in large numbers where they could surround and disorientate you.

‘These look like diamond dogs on steroids!’ Graphite thinks, looking up at the nearest, largest dog. It has a large scar running across the length of its side. The dog stands on all four legs, crouched and ready to pounce. He glances around and gauges his chances. There are only four of them, but he can see their large muscles bulging beneath their short coats. He bites his lip.

“Stay close,” he calls to the mare. She doesn’t reply. He glances behind himself, but she isn’t there. Worried, he checks the surrounding area, seeing if she’d gotten away before the dogs had shown up. He doesn’t see her. “Mom?” Anxiety flutters in his chest at the thought of her leaving again. "Mom?!”

The largest dog glares at him, its teeth bared. “Silly prey,” it growls. “No one is there.” The dog steps closer and the other three follow suit. Graphite clenches his eyes shut, but he forces them open. Now wasn't any time for panic. His breath quickens as he decides what to do. Normally he’d follow his training, but he wanted to get out of this quickly and find the mare. He worried that she might not come back if he let her leave.

~~~~~

I pant, exerting myself as the creature roars again, closer behind me now. I try my best to speed up, but I’m already getting exhausted. It looked like a Diamond Dog at first, but much larger and more canine, with a large scar running the down its side. I’m sure I hadn’t done anything to instigate an attack from it. It just ripped out of the ground, screaming and thrashing and howling. I’m surprised I was able to get away in spite of the shock.

I pant, trying my best to get off the ground. I flap my wings desperately, but they don’t lift me up much. I bite my lip, praying to run faster; praying to survive.

Deep down, I know that it’s impossible. I know that I won’t survive this attack.

My chest heaves and I have to slow down. Now I’m falling even closer to the beast. I can feel its hot breath right on my heels.

The creature pounces. I swerve, my numb legs causing me to stumble in the dust and fall. Peering over my shoulder, seeing it get back up and shake itself off. A new wound is bleeding from its head, matching the multiple others that litter its coat. It growls, blinking blood from its grey eye. It crouches and lurks towards me with its teeth bared in a snarl.

I cough, trying desperately to catch my breath. I get to my hooves and step backwards. I glance behind myself, looking for anything that could help. I’m desperate.

But nothing is there.

I don’t have a chance, but I’m not willing to give up this easily. I don’t know why, I just feel… determined. The pain in my legs is gone, as is the freezing temperature that followed me during the trek. I don’t feel alone anymore. I dash away from the creature. If I’m fast enough, I may be able to outrun it.

As I run, I suddenly feel myself getting pulled backwards. I feel the sharp stab of the creature’s claws in my hindleg and I scream. My legs crumple under me as it retracts its claws. I try to stand, but my leg won’t move.

I shriek, fangs piercing my flank and flooding me with pain. I clench my eyes shut and kick as hard as I can with my one good leg.

I hit only air.

“Happy birthday to you!”

“Happy birthday to you!”

The creature slashes at my flank, digging its claws in through skin and muscles. I howl, rolling onto my back and kicking again. Even using the metal manacle as a weapon. It hardly disorientates it.

“Happy birthday, dear Twilight!”

I glance into its ravenous eyes, one grey, and the other is completely red. I kick, managing to hit its jaw. It doesn’t even faze it as it slashes across my stomach. It stings and burns. I feel warm blood seep from the gashes and mat my fur as I try to push the dog back. But I’m not strong enough. It snarls, jumping forward and digging its claws into my forelegs.

“Happy birthday...”

I scream and choke, clench my eyes shut. I feel fangs clamp around my throat and tighten. My lungs burn, desperate for air. My kicks are weak and futile, hardly deterring the dog.

“To… you!”

The heavy weight of its fangs are no longer around my throat, only sticking blood clumping my fur. I cough and wheeze, taking a moment to lie there on the smooth stone, just breathing. The air here is chilled and soothing to my burning lungs. I blink open my eyes. I can’t see anything. Fear grips me and I hold my breath. It didn’t get my eyes, did it?

Several moments pass by, and anxiety wells in my chest when my eyes don't adjust. It takes me a minute to realize the darkness is too thick to see in. There are no stars to light the sky, and without the moon looming over me I feel alone. It’s always there to blur the night. I enjoy the night at home. It’s comforting, like the sun is taking a nap, but here… It’s like a thick smog is choking out all light.

I bite my lip, painfully attempting to sit up. It takes more time than I’d like, but I do it. I want to check my legs, but all I can do for the first few minutes is breath. Every movement is jarring. I can’t move my left leg, but I can feel it throbbing and burning. I just need a light-.

I gasp as a violet light illuminates the area around me just enough to see. How is my horn working? I still have the cuff on, don’t I? I painfully lift my foreleg and glance at the manacle latched around it. That’s… impossible. Luna made this cuff unbreakable… But as I’m seeing it now, it’s cracked. I breath for a second, unbelieving. I can feel magic flow through me once again. Where it once felt hollow, it now feels… heavy. Stronger.

Strange.

Maybe the crystals gave out. Maybe it cracked in the fight. Maybe… No. That isn’t it. That makes no sense. I cough, and clear my mind. I still need to examine my leg and see how badly I’m hurt. Looking down at it, I can tell immediately that I won’t be walking anytime soon. My leg is badly torn and mangled, with gashes that nearly reveal bone. Its purple color is hidden beneath a wet layer of blood. I wince, suddenly glad that the ground is made of stone. Hopefully I can keep it from infection.

Zecora taught me about potions, but one specifically sticks out. She taught me a healing potion. I don’t know if I’ll be able to gather the ingredients from here. Considering how dark it is, I doubt many plants can grow here. She taught me several, so I should be able to put something together.

I lie down again, feeling drained and dizzy. The light from my horn goes out as I close my eyes. The pain searing my body abates enough that I can ignore it. At least for the moment. I can't ignore the throbbing in my head, though.

I walk through the darkness, glancing into the windows unceremoniously speckled throughout. Their faint glow is the only light I have. I glance into the first window I come upon. It has a small family in it.

A blue and pink mare stands rigid in the back, her eyes locked on her two foals. The foals, who aren’t older than three, laugh crazily as they tear through dirty, brown packages skewed around the cement floor. A filthy stallion sitting beside the mare smirks, shouting at the foals to keep playing. I look at her, somehow catching her pink eyes. I look away, seeing Pound and Pumpkin pull out dangerous items and roughhouse with one another. They stop to open more packages. One foal pulls out a bomb that is quickly counting down the seconds.
Are they really passing that quickly?

A small, black package in the back of the cell glows a deep violet before erupting in a bloody explosion. A pack of large Timberwolves burst from its ruins covered in a sickly coat of crimson. They tear the foals apart, and the mare screams. The stallion laughs.

And the wolves turn on them.

I rip my eyes away from the murderous scene and trot away, bumping into the next glowing window. I can’t stop myself from peering in. Once I do, I can’t pull my eyes away.

An orange pegasus sits in the middle of a pitch-black room. She rocks herself back and forth, not daring to open her eyes. I can hear somepony calling to her, screaming at her, cheering her on. The voice- her voice… is overwhelming. Tears stream down her face, glinting off of the small light shining dimly behind her. She mumbles four words under her breath over and over again, getting louder as time passes. “This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening…” She raises her head, screaming now, “THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!” Scootaloo sobs, changing her words.

Now, she’s shouting, but it grows quieter every moment. “She isn’t dead… They lied, they lied, they lied. She’s not dead… Rainbow Dash didn’t die… won’t die… I’m dreaming… this is all a dream. Please wake me up. Wake me up. Wake me up…” She sobs, cowering under the light which grows bigger every second. She grows smaller… younger. Her broad wings shrinking; her long legs shortening.

She’s a foal again, trembling and breaking up over her worst nightmare. “I’m- I’m not sleeping…”

I moan, backing away and running, running directly into another window. I’m looking into it before I have a chance to pull my eyes away. There must be something wrong with it, because this window is murky. It seems disturbed.

There’s a brightly lit, white room with a single bed in the middle. The room is empty, save for a heart monitor beside the bed and the pony hidden beneath the drab sheets. I can only see a spot of her bright pink mane, but it’s the brightest thing about the room.

The door opens, revealing a tired doctor. As he closes the door, the resonating sound of the monitor changes, turning from a steady beat to a low whine. The doctor glances at the bed and frowns. He begins to change. He grows taller and skinnier, looking malnourished and gangly. His brown coat deepens to a dull black and his eyes turn a misty, swirling blue, missing the pupils.

The tall being walks to the bed and pulls the sheet from it, revealing the now-deceased pony hidden beneath. She’s a lively pink, contrasting the entire room. Her normally bouncy mane is lying flat against her head. Her once bubbly demeanor is now silent and still. Pinkie Pie will never be able to smile again.

The creature reaches a hoof out to touch her as the door is pushed open. An expressionless, grey pony walks in. She’s carrying a wooden box filled with multi-colored rocks on her back. They’re strung together with a black thread, and one set is worn around the earth pony’s neck like jewelry. The mare glances up, hearing the monitor flat-line. Maud gasps, rushing to the pony’s side. The wooden box falls from her flank, splintering as it hits the ground. The rocks colorful rocks shatter into small pieces.

She shoves the creature away, tightly hugging the mare in the bed. I shiver as the image clears. I stare directly at the creature.

And then the creature growls and the window shatters. I back away, shaking. I clench my eyes shut and run. I hit windows, hearing the same voice telling me to glance in. When I don't, the window shatters. I don't look back at them, but I can hear the voice taunting me to take a peek.

"Twilight,"

I don't move. Was that...?

I look up at a dark figure standing several paces away. All I can see of it is its eyes, glowing white and illuminating the gripping darkness. The shadows around us lift as it walks towards me. Instinctively, I back away. I hope this is who called out to me... I don't see anypony else around. The creature blinks, and her eyes fade back to their natural turquoise.

“We are not alone,” Luna says. She turns to walk down the path I came from, shattering windows with every step.