Secrets of the Everfree

Chapters

Prologue: Oh Look I've Been Impaled
Secrets of Apple Blooms Mother
Secrets of the New Guardian
Secrets of Fluttershy
Secrets of Paradise Falls Part 1
Secrets of Pardise Falls Part 2

Prologue: Oh Look I've Been Impaled

As a filly, you never understand how convoluted the world really is. Life is simple. There’s you, the ponies you consider friends, the ones you call family, and the ones you call your enemies. Aside from that there isn’t much else. I mean sure you understand that there are important things in the world like politics and wars, but you can’t see how they affect you. In fact you never realize they have an effect to begin with.

But for everpony, there’s a moment in life where everything suddenly stops, and you look around at the whole world. Slowly, you blink your eyes a few times, and in that moment it dawns on you. The world is huge. It’s complicated, and confusing. And most of all, it sucks. You realize that life is hard, that you can’t achieve your dreams nearly as easily as people had made it sound and the painful truth is that chances are, you’re not going to have even a fraction of the things you desired up until then.

For most that’s the moment they give up. They accept their fate and move on, more than happy to merge in with the majority, to become part of the norm. Some push on, struggling to achieve their desires regardless of what is thrown at them, though few actually achieve their goal while the rest fade into obscurity. Others simply run from the truth, refusing to acknowledge that such cruelty exists and in doing so, create a world of misery for themselves.

And yet there is another group. A rare singularity so alien from its siblings. These are the ponies whose lives truly begin. They are the ones who truly grasp what it means to be alive. To breathe the worlds air, to know that your existence is not just wonderful, but a miracle in and of itself. I am one of those ponies, and this is my story.

It all began long ago when I was still a young filly. Back then I was spiteful, rude, and cruel. I fed off the success of my father, believing myself to be above everypony save for the princesses themselves. I did what I wanted, when I wanted, and got anything I desired. If something didn’t go my way, I simply threw bits at it until it did. That day began like any other and I truly believed it would remain that way.

If only I had known.

Miss Cherilees eyes scanned our classroom, a slightly frustrated look on her face. She never seemed to enjoy this part of her job and frankly she seemed to wish she could just skip over it. And at the time I had to agree, it was only a silly nursery rhyme. Why the princesses were so adamant on it being mandatory for all the children of Equestria to learn I don’t think the world would ever understand and until the passing of recent events, Teachers all across the country wondered why a full month was spent teaching a few rhymes to children up to the age of twelve.

More than a few noble parents and high end instructors alike questioned Celestia over the necessity of the rhyme for many, many years. However her only reply was that it was, always had been, and would continue to remain, mandatory. There was never an explanation. Plenty of educators had pointed out how the sheer amount of time devoted to the schoolyard song was enough to stunt the childrens progress significantly.

Time and time again the instructors attempted to have Celestia remove it from the children’s curriculum but they were always shut down. I had heard that miss Cherilee was hoping that, when Luna became co-ruler once more, she would be able to see the reason her sister seemingly lacked.

A friend said she had been giddy the entire night of the court hearing. Even asking one of her unicorn pals to fire up a magical projector so she could watch the educators present their case live and she wasn’t the only one. Ponies had been talking about the event for weeks, some even placing bets as to whether or not she would approve the action.

But when the subject was brought up in the night court the princess oversaw, there had been even less discussion than when they had presented it to Celestia. “Absolutely not. Next.” the princess had said and that was it. They kept speaking but she simply ignored them even going so far as to call the guards to pull them away when they refused to move without further explanation. The princess of the night was known for her bluntness but that was harsh even for her.

“Ms Cherilee, can we please stop learnin bout this song? We keep goin over it every year and it don’t change none.” asked Apple Bloom wearing a bored expression.

“Yeah, this song is like, so not cool. Even Rainbow Dash said so.” Scootaloo replied. With her left hoof squished into her muzzle her words were a little mashed together.

“I know students I know, but the princesses have stated by royal decree that we MUST go over this. Don’t worry though it’s only one more week and then we can get back to our usual studies.”

Groaning sounded throughout the classroom and I hate to say I was probably a large part of it. “Hey Tiara,” I turned my head at the sound of my name to see a gray filly with silver hair whispering to me. Her name was silver spoon and she was my only friend. Well… if you could really call her that. It shames me to say she was more like a minion than a friend. Back then I abused our ‘friendship’ on a regular basis, using her in terribly cruel schemes and blaming her for things I clearly did. If I could use her to make my life better, I did and I did it every time without regret. “Don’t you think this song is stupid?”

I giggled and nodded my head. “It’s so dumb and easy to learn! Course I can’t say that everyone here is smart enough to remember it!” I replied. I said the last part a little louder than normal, looking toward the three girls who called themselves the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’. Of course they knew I was talking about them and glanced back at me. I gave them a little smirk as they stuck their tongues out in return before looking back down at my desk. Truthfully I liked the song a lot. So much so that whenever I felt sad I would sing it to myself to help me feel better. I never really understood why, but I always felt a strange connection to it, like it was a special song meant just for me. Of course I felt the same way about everything I owned, being as spoiled as I was, but even so that song was special in its own unique way.

“Alright class I’m going to drill you all again, one at a time this time. Try to sing the entire song without messing up once. Once everyone gets through the song one time that’ll be it for today and you can all go home!” Cherilee said, and the entire class burst into cheers.

“Alright alright settle down. Okay, let’s start with… ah! Diamond Tiara why don’t you go first?” I smiled, an air of perfection flowing from me. Normally I would actually be somewhat nervous about answering in front of a crowd, though I’d never let that show, but this was one thing that I was sure on. I coughed a bit to clear my throat, sneaking a glance to the CMC so I could gauge their reactions. Scootaloo wore a smirk on her face apparently thinking I was bound to mess up. Sweetie seemed curios but not hostile for once, and Apple Bloom didn’t look at me at all. I guess she just didn’t care.

Keeping my eyes slightly locked on Scootaloo, I mustered the most mature, lady like voice I could muster at the time before singing.

Oh little filly who has wandered from her home
Rest your weary eyes as I sing you my song
Struggle do you now, to breathe your final breaths
Trembling in fear of the darkness of death

If you so desire to take the final sleep
Then let this song comfort you so you no longer weep
But if your heart longs to linger in this world
Then sing with me these verses that anchor you to earth

But know this young filly who would dare to challenge death
A heavy toll must be paid to stave off ones last rest
And so if you are willing to give your soul to me
I will let you live in the forest Everfree

I gave a small bow before sitting back down properly in my seat. Scootaloo glared at me as she turned around mumbling to herself, obviously upset about my success. “Very good Diamond! Class that is a perfect example of how to sing the ballad of Everfree. Now for your question Tiara. Tell me what the song represents.”

“The song is about the spirit of Everfree forest. It’s based off the legend that says the spirit of Everfree will save hurt fillies that get hurt by the monsters that live there.”

“Very good Diamond. All right whose next? Scootaloo!” and so the class went on like that. Each pony singing the song and each being asked a question at the end. Finally when all was said and done, she waved us out so we could return home.

Of course, since I lived in Canterlot I couldn’t just run on home. I had to wait for my father or our coach to pick me up and so rather than running off with the others I stayed at the playground, waiting for my ride. This was always the hardest part of my day. I didn’t realize then, but I was actually very lonely and sitting in that playground always caused a deep tugging in my chest, like I was suddenly being brought down by weights. As a filly, and a spoiled one at that, I honestly just thought I got sick at the end of school everyday. After all, how can you be sad when you hold the entire world in your hooves?

On that particular day I was so wrapped up by my warped feelings that I never noticed Sweetie Bell walking up to me. “Hey Tiara, are you alright?”

I looked up with a start, flailing around as I nearly fell out of my swing. “What’s the matter? Get scared by Bells here Tiara? Haha!”

“Stop it Scootaloo! Hey Tiara, ya alright? Yer look a bit… worse fer wear.” After readjusting myself slowly on my seat I shifted my gaze to Apple Bloom. The heavy feeling in my chest began to ease up just a bit, and I was happy for that. I answered her question with a small nod of my head.

“Are ya sure? You look a little… sad.”

I gave her a surprised look that quickly melted away as I looked at the ground. “Sad? I don’t get sad. I buy anything I want whenever I want. The entire world is in my hooves. I don’t get sad.” I said hanging my head. I looked up seeing Sweetie about to say something, but she was interrupted from a voice not far off.

“Tiara! Tiara!” my father called. Suddenly I felt all the weight in my chest disappear. It was rare for my father to pick me up himself. He normally sent a butler or some other servant. I hopped down off my swing excitedly before rushing over to him.

“Daddy!” I shouted before jumping onto him and wrapping him in a hug.

“Hello there little lady! How was school?”

“Boring. We keep having to learn that dumb song. Can’t we just pay the princesses to stop teaching it or something?” My father just shut his eyes and chuckled.

“Believe me if I thought that would work I’d do it. Every child hates learning that song for a month but the princesses are quite clear that they have no intention of changing that.” I sighed. Well it wasn’t that bad I suppose, sure it was boring, but at least it was my favorite song. It could be worse.

“So what are you doing here, Dad?”

“I have urgent business to take care of in Manehattan. At first I thought I was going to have to leave you at home with the servants, but when I saw we were passing by ponyville at the same time you got out of school I had them bring us down so I could take you with me! We’ll be there for three days.” My face brightened up hearing that. Dad went on business ventures all the time, but I rarely had the opportunity to go with him. This time he was taking me along, and for three whole days. I mean sure, the majority of that will be spent at fancy parties and the like. But three whole days with my dad was great!

After giving me a tight hug, he set me down and we walked into our coach. The pegasi my father employed to carry us took off keeping our flight only thirty or so feet above tree level to avoid the storm clouds overhead. I watched as the sun set on the horizon, the princesses I knew to be hard at work by now. As an earth pony, I could never really grasp just how difficult raising the sun and moon had to be.

A few minutes later I looked over the side of the coach, the moon now high in the sky. There it was, the Everfree forest. A mass of twisted trees filled with horrible dark creatures. Everyone in the world knew about it. It was the darkest, most terrifying place on the planet and the main reason Equestria rarely saw war. The forest was maintained and kept at bay by the magic of the tree of harmony. But the tree itself was at the height of it’s magical strength when order was strong in the land of Equestria. Should orders hold break, the forest would feed on the chaos and the tree of harmony would weaken, causing the forest to grow exponentially. If left to it’s own devices, it would threaten to engulf the world as we know it. As such the only way to prevent such a disaster would be to launch a war and win it quickly, less you be consumed by a common enemy.

Ponies only ever saw terror and fear when looking at the forest. Hundreds of years worth of stories and warnings had given the place a reputation it would never lose. Looking down at it I couldn’t help but be reminded of the song. With nothing better to do as we rode through the sky, I began to sing quietly.

As I reached the end of the song a strong wind buffeted the left side of the coach. I hung on to the seat as hard as I could as we rocked back and forth in the air. When we finally regained our balance I looked back out over the side and screamed.

There, sitting below us, was a hundred screaming snake like heads, each as tall as skyscrapers. They roared again, slamming the coach with the gusts of wind they generated with their voice. I had heard of this beast before, this was none other than the dreaded hydra. A monster that could live for hundreds of years growing nonstop in size. In that moment I realized we had made a terrible mistake. We had flown far too close to the trees and were within range of the monsters that lived there.

To my surprise our pullers were far braver than I expected. Rather than detaching their harnesses and letting my father and I fend for ourselves, they carried on in their duty. I held onto dad as tight as I could while the two pegasi weaved in and out of the hydra’s heads. They flew quickly and with precision, narrowly dodging the rampaging beasts mouths time and again. But escape was far off. This beast was huge, easily much larger than any hydra I’d heard of. That meant he wasn’t just strong, he was old. Ancient even, and with age comes wisdom. A common technique for beating a hydra was to move around so the heads tied themselves up. But on a beast this old that trick would not work, he was too smart. Every time it seemed like we were going to make it out of the sea of heads, he made sure to keep seven or eight in reserve to force us back into the ocean of snarling teeth.

Seconds passed like days and minutes passed like years as they tried their best to protect us. Even though I was a spoiled filly, I wasn’t a complete idiot. I knew they couldn’t keep flying forever. They weren’t wonder bolts, they weren’t even Rainbow Dash, they were just slightly stronger than average pegasi. Eventually they were going to get tired, and when they did… well, I tried not to think about it.

I felt the coach tip violently to the right as we went into a dive. I watched as one of the heads appeared in front of us, it’s salivating mouth more than ready for us. They pulled up quickly barely avoiding it’s snapping jaws as they dashed forward. My father started to smile and I looked up at him as though he were mad before looking in the same direction he was. I gasped as a smile widened on my face as well. That had made an opening! We were free. All we had to do now was out run the beast which was easy in the air.

The puller flapped their wings as hard as they could struggling to create as much distance as possible. One of the heads made a final snap at us taking off the roof of the coach but otherwise leaving us unharmed as we finally pulled far enough away that it couldn’t catch up. The pegasi gave each other a high hoof as my father and I sat and hugged each other as tightly as we could.

“I can’t believe it Tiara we’re alive! I’m going to make sure to award you boys with quite the generous sum of money after this! And Tiara darling, forget about the business. Let’s just have a peaceful couple of days in Manehattan, just you and me. How does that sound?” I remember how I felt just then, like a weight I had been carrying for years was lifted off my shoulders. My eyes grew wet as I nodded my head up and down. I was so happy. We were alive and I was going to spend a full three days alone with my father. Everything was great.

And in that instant, right at the height of my happiness, my world fell apart.

A roar sounded out from the distance and we looked behind us. The hydra was not yet done. I watched as all one hundred of it’s disgusting heads took a deep breath, and together they let loose a roar that shook the ground itself. The coach flipped, rocked by the shockwave. I lost my grip, accidentally letting go of my fathers hoof, and I fell. I watched as the world slowed down. A look of pure horror on my fathers face as I reached for his outstretched hoof that was gradually getting farther and farther away.

When I finally reached the ground I was terrified. Not because of pain, but a lack thereof. I my eyes were open, I could look around and see, but I couldn’t move. Not a single muscle. The only feeling I had at all was in my head. As I lied on the ground I quickly noticed a strange smell, like rusted iron just before something warm touched my face. I didn’t need to look, I knew what it was. But I did anyways. With all the strength I had I tilted my head just the tiniest ways down, and threw up. A rock. I had landed on a rock. A very sharp, very pointy rock. I put my head back to where it had been before and just lied there.

For everpony there’s a moment in life where everything suddenly stops, and you look around at the whole world. Slowly, you blink your eyes a few times, and in that moment it dawns on you. Some accept the realization and merge with the crowd, others fight it pining for their dreams, and others run away pretending they never saw a thing.

Yet here I was, one of the rare few whose life had truly begun. I knew what it was like to be alive, as soon I wouldn’t be. I knew how great it was to breathe the worlds air, as these would surely be the last breaths I ever got, and I understood fully that life was a miracle. That the chances of me ever having been born growing up to be what I became, was nigh impossible. But the world acted in the way that it did and I reacted right alongside it with the behaviors I showed. My life was truly a miracle, one that was about to come to an end.

I was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I began to feel tired, like I wanted to sleep. And the fear took hold. So quick? Was this all the time I had? Couldn’t I be given just a few more seconds? I wasn’t ready to go yet. I was just a little girl! I had my whole life ahead of me! There were things I had to do, people I wanted to see. My memory flashed back to images of silver spoon and the CMC. I missed them and wished even one of them could be here. I didn’t want to die alone.

Alone… that’s right. I had always been alone. My father never had time for me, and because he wanted me to grow up with the same rustic lifestyle he had as a child I was forced to go to school in Ponyville instead of one of the Canterlot academies. Because of that I had practically no friends. The other ponies in Canterlot made fun of me for hanging out with ‘backwater’ ponies and I didn’t fit in in Ponyville because I was from Canterlot. The closest thing I ever had to a friend was Silver Spoon and I treated her terribly because I myself was so miserable. That’s what the heaviness I always felt was. Lonliness.

That’s when I remembered, the thing that always made me feel better when I was lonely. That song they taught us in school every single year. It always managed to lift my spirits, to make me feel just the tiniest bit better, just the slightest bit safer. And so I closed my eyes, and sang.

It was hard. My body didn’t want to listen to me at all. But with a great deal of effort I managed to form the words. It wasn’t my best performance that much I knew. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have a beautiful voice like Sweetie Bell so I was never amazing at singing, but I certainly never sounded this bad. Still though I had the strength to sing it and that put my heart at ease, if only a little. As I reached the end I opened my eyes and had I the strength I would have gasped in surprise but what I saw.

Standing in front of me was an Alicorn, but it wasn’t one of the princesses, no. This was a stallion, not a mare, but even so he was no less beautiful. He stood looking down at me, his entire eyes glowing gold like the sun. His coat was black as midnight, his ethereal mane and tail glowing a brilliant shade of green. Balls of light like fireflies flicked on and off in his mane and tail, adding to the soft green glow already covering the forest floor, showering it in specks of light like the white spots on a baby deer. He walked towards me slowly, his posture perfect and regal as grass and flowers grew from his hooves with each step. My eyes were drawn to his cutie mark and my mouth opened ever so slightly. It was the planet, and it was moving! His cutie mark wasn’t a still single picture like all the others. It glowed and shifted, giving off a soft light. I could see clouds moving over different places. Storms raged in Grifficus, while the oceans thrashed violently near Goldoa, for a moment I thought I could even see a faint crack appear near Terranorma as it writhed and shook. It was beautiful watching a live forecast of the world all at once. Seeing it spin and change as in congruence to what was going on in the world. I saw fireworks shooting off what looked like the sky scrapers of Manehattan and cherry blossoms falling off trees in Pandara. It took my breath away and I decided that if this was the last thing I ever got to see then death wouldn’t be quite so bad.

Do you wish to live?

My eyes shot back up to his face as he spoke.

Little filly, do you wish to live? He said, though his mouth never moved. In fact, I realized I didn’t hear a voice at all. It was more like a feeling, something that was reverberating throughout my whole body. It didn’t say a single word yet… somehow I understood. I nodded my head.

Then sing with me.

He raised his head into the air, horn glowing, and opened his mouth. I watched as the whole forest seemed to come alive, the once dead and twisted trees regained their color, flowers burst into full bloom showing their vibrant colors to the world for the first time in ages. Dying grass came to life and everything around me began to glow. I realized I was in a glade, a glade that now seemed more alive. I had heard that long ago the Everfree forest was beautiful, so much so that some ponies had even called it the Garden of Eden. If the legends were true, and the forest truly did look like this all those years ago, then I had no doubts as to why.

Then he began to sing, but it wasn’t proper singing. Like before no sound came from him. Instead it was a feeling but this one was stronger and seemed to come from everywhere. I realized then that it wasn’t just him singing, it was the forest itself! The whole forest began to sing, filling me with the words as it worked an ancient magic. Everything around me was alive and was working desperately to help me. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I realized that for the very first time, I was not alone. With joy in my heart I sang as loudly as I could, my voice growing steadier and stronger each time we reached the end. After the third time I noticed the feeling beginning to return to my body and it felt so nice and warm. On and on I continued to sing at the forests side until finally the song came to an end. The trees withered and died once more, and the beautiful glow was replaced by darkness once more. I shakily stood up and found myself to be completely healed. My celebration was short lived though as I felt the exhaustion catch up with me. I began to fall, bracing myself for impact only to be caught by the strange Alicorn. He set me down and lied next to me, covering me with his wing as he tucked me into his side. I could feel myself growing tired, sleep was ready to take me this time. But I couldn’t sleep just yet. I still had one last question to ask.

“Who… are you?”

Everfree.

Secrets of Apple Blooms Mother

“Lord Everfree, are you sure about this?” I watched as he nodded his head. He was king of these woods and over the past three years I had come to respect that, even going so far as to follow the tradition of my predecessors and call him ‘Lord’, though he never made a mention of preference. Seeing Lord Everfree wasn’t a rare occurrence for me, after all I was now one of his guardians. I had learned long ago the price for my life. I was no longer a part of Equestria. Like the beasts that roamed it I too had become a creature of the Everfree.

My mind drifted from the conversation as I recalled my past. When I had first woke I thanked him for his help before taking off and attempting to leave the forest. I managed to find the path to Ponyville but each time I stepped past its boundaries, I found myself walking right back in. I spent an hour dashing headlong through the trees, but each time I passed their threshold I found myself right back where I started. Everfree merely sat and watched as I tired myself out, collapsing to the ground with ragged breaths.

At first I was angry and demanded he tell me what he had done. But he refused to speak and did nothing but stare at me. Since he wouldn’t help me I decided to take matters into my own hands and began to walk through the forest looking for a way out as he followed in silence. Hours turned to days as my efforts failed time and again and all the while he cared for me. When my stomach growled he would find food, when I fell into a pond he would pick me up and dry me off. Every night he would lay with me, keeping me tucked gently under his wing. That was the only time I heard his voice during the first few days as he would sing his song while I drifted to sleep, like a broken lullaby.

After about a week I had a breakdown, crying as I realized there was nothing I could do. He pulled me to him and covered me with his wings as he stroked my mane, closing me off from the painful world and leaving nothing in my sight but his form. His fur was thick and warm and his body smelled of summer pines. Hours passed as my tears fell before I finally had the courage to ask him what happened.

A guardian. That’s what he told me. I had become a guardian. A guardian of Everfree forest. In order to save me he had no choice but to take my soul and bind me to him. And since he was the forest itself, I could not leave, at least, not yet. He explained that as a guardian many things about me would change and that until I had learned these things he could not return me to my home.

After that my training began. The first thing he did was take my tiara, saying that the light reflecting off of it would be dangerous for it would attract the beasts that lived here. My first lessons were on how to survive. Where to go for food, the places I should sleep. For me to live here I had to become nocturnal. The forest was safest during the day. If I slept at night I’d be ripped to pieces. There eventually came a time when he left me to fend for myself. In truth, he was never far from me, but I didn’t know that. When my ability to take care of myself was satisfactory to him, he instructed me on controlling the new powers I had been given. Those took time to master, especially being an earth pony with no knowledge of magic. When that was done he told me of my duties as a guardian. How I had to fight the creatures of the Everfree so that they did not attack those that lived outside of the forest. It was a long and grueling process, but I managed to complete everything up to that point. It would be difficult to take on the hydra that attacked years ago, but if such an encounter happened, I would not die so easily. All that was left was my domestic training. How to live in the outside world while being a guardian of Everfree forest. He admitted that he wished he could keep me and the other guardians here as he had once done long ago in the past, but sadly controlling the forest took too much of his energy. He would never be able to maintain a permanent sanctuary where we could live unless there were enough of us to help with maintaining it ourselves. A thousand years ago, when his guardians numbered in the hundreds that would have been a simple task, but now we were but a humble three. This made him both happy and sad. The number of children dying in the forest had drastically decreased, but at the same time he was also quite lonely.

He looked at me and my mind returned to the present. “But my lord, my training is incomplete! If I leave now I will only cause problems for you!” I felt his words inside of me, felt the urgency in his heart, but I could not for the life of me understand his reasons for sending me away. “My lord, please, just give me some sort of explanation as to why-” I was cut off. A blast of ominous wind shot forth from the depths of the forest. My eyes grew in size as my legs gave way and I fell to the ground. Fear. In that brief instant I had been consumed by fear. “Lord Everfree… what was that?”

I looked towards my master who had turned to face the direction of the wind. Throughout my entire new life I had never seen his expression change from anything but stoic. I had felt his emotions many times when he spoke to me so I knew he wasn’t something akin to an animated doll, but never had his expressions mimicked what he felt on the inside. Now however, his brow was furrowed as he stared intensely into the dark and a new fear took hold tight in my chest. Lord Everfree was master of this forest and all of its inhabitants. It was he who stood atop the dark blight which was these woods. He who was the king of all dark beasts and the one to whom demons bowed their heads, and while he himself was not malevolent, that did not demote his strength.

To see the king of the worst our world had to offer perturbed, I could only imagine what forces lied in hiding, waiting to strike out against all of ponykind. It was then that I understood his urgency. He wanted me to leave so I could be safe.

Tiara.

I quickly rose to my feet and bowed my head. “Yes, milord?”

Listen well. Leave this forest. It is true that your training is not yet complete, but that is of little importance right now. Hurry to Canterlot. Speak with the princesses. Tell them I sent you and that I need their assistance in the forest immediately. If you run into trouble do not be afraid to contact your sisters.

“But milord… will you be alright on your own against… that?”

He responded with a quick nod of his head before extending out his left fore hoof and wing saying Now go, and take this with you.

There was a flash in front of me and a loud pop. Looking down I saw my old tiara and was surprised that he kept it all this time. I placed it on my head, and proceeded to do as I was told without any further hesitation. Now armed with my lord’s permission, I did what I couldn’t do three years ago, and ran out of the forest.

* * *

I yelped as I walked past the final line of trees, shielding my eyes from the light of the sun. I waited for a few minutes as I let my eyes readjust before taking in my surroundings. It was about noon, Celestia’s sun sitting high in the middle of the sky. At first I took a step back thinking I had made a mistake for even though I was out of the forest I was still surrounded by trees. I looked closer though and suddenly my location clicked in my head. I knew these trees. Everyone who had ever been to Ponyville did. These were the best apple trees to ever grace Equestria. I was in Sweet Apple Acres!

I took a moment to giggle to myself as old memories came flooding back. Once I was done with my duties, I had to return to here. I desperately needed to make amends with the CMC, if they even WERE the CMC anymore. I only hoped they could forgive me for my misdeeds. I hung my head in shame as I gave out a sigh, tugging my tattered brown robes closer to me as a breeze passed through. It was the middle of summer so it wasn’t cold by any means however my master had given it to me at the start of my training, and I had come to feel safe with it. I guess you could say it was my security blanket.

I tucked my head into the robe, nuzzling it like a close friend as the memories of the forest and my childhood flooded my mind. What I wouldn’t give to see them all again and have them welcome me with open arms.

“No way… it can’t be. Tiara?” I jumped a bit at the sound of my name turning my head to find the source. “Tiara it IS you!” I heard before being tackled to the ground. I struggled to breathe as a pair of yellow hooves wound tight around my neck, threatening to kill me… again.

I turned my head to get a proper look at my cuddly executioner to find Apple Bloom crying as she rocked the two of us back and forth screaming my name over and over. I didn’t really know how to react. I thought for sure that…

“Apple Bloom, what in tarnation is all that racket you’re make… D-DIAMOND?!” I looked up to find Apple Blooms sister Applejack standing right in front of us. It didn’t take long before she was joined by her brother and grandmother, all of them wide eyed and slack jawed at the sight of me. Applejack rushed over and scooped the two of us up in her hooves as she cradled us both. “Oh my… look at ya Diamond yer nothin but bones! Come on let’s get ya inside and so you can eat something proper!”

“Um no that’s really not-”

“Nonsense Diamond! Celestia knows what you’ve been eating over the past three years! For an occasion like this the first thing you need is a proper meal!” I began to panic. I had an important mission, one I only thought I could achieve at a due pace because of peoples lingering resentment towards me and while I was admittedly very glad to have this reaction… I had a job to do.

Regardless however they ignored my protests, dragging me into their home against my will and instantly starting to cook. I tried to speak up, to explain that making all of that food was pointless, but the apple family is a stubborn bunch. Once they get an idea in their head it’s hard to convince them otherwise. And with everyone talking my ears off trying to tell me about what’s happened in the past three years I was lucky to get them to hear me at all.

After trying to be polite for a while I decided I’d had enough. I closed my eyes, looking in towards myself. I could see the swirling mass of magic stored inside of me. I reached out, beckoning it to come, to bend to my will and take shape as I saw fit. I felt it flow like a river into my head, past my brains and into my eyes. When I next opened them, the use of my spell was enough to force them all to stop what they were doing. It was the oldest and simplest technique taught to a guardian, but was highly effective in most situations. A smile formed on my face as I remembered laughing at my master when he told me the name of the technique. At the time a spell known simply as ‘The Stare’ sounded absolutely ridiculous. I laughed in his face for a good while… and then he used it on me. Needless to say I shut up. “I’m sorry, but I really need you all to hear what I have to say. Please, be quiet and let me talk.” I released my hold on the magic. They all just stared at me in stunned silence. It was quiet for a moment before Applejack broke the ice. “Diamond… what was that? I’ve only ever seen Fluttershy do that before… ”

I sighed looking away from them. It took a few long minutes for me to compose myself. I had not expected to explain my predicament so soon. With a deep breath I steeled my nerves and explained. “I… am not of this world anymore. When I fell into the forest I… well I didn’t survive. I’m only alive now because of my master who was capable of reviving me… at a price. My entire being is bound to the Everfree forest. I’m not even supposed to leave it… ever. If I do without taking the right precautions… well I’m sure you can guess. I know you wish to celebrate and hold a feast, but I’m afraid I cannot eat with you. I cannot partake in food that isn’t from the Everfree forest without special permission from the plant the ingredients come from. If I do eat without permission they will poison me and I will die. What’s more it does not help that those willing to feed a creature of the Everfree are reasonably few and far between.”

I felt a pair of hooves touch my shoulder and looked to find Apple Bloom with a solemn expression. “Tiara yer not some monster from the Everfree forest. Yer not like the timber wolves or the chimeras and whatnot that run around causin’ havoc everywhere they go!”

I shook my head as I gave out an exasperated sigh. I knew somepony was going to try and tell me that. “No I am Apple Bloom. That’s what you don’t understand, I’m bound to the forest by VERY powerful magics. For all intents and purposes I am no different than the creatures that live there and am quite content with that fact. Please don’t try to ‘comfort’ me by telling me I’m not part of the Everfree. It’s actually a little insulting, after all it is something I take pride in now. Besides I have a mission to do and must make haste to Canterlot. I know you want to help me, and I thank you for that, but if you really want to assist me then I ask that you just give me a place to sleep until sunset. I’m not used to being awake during the morning and I’m quite tired. This farm is close enough to the forest that I shouldn’t have to worry about any adverse affects for a few hours.”

They looked at me dumbstruck. Several minutes of silence passed as the Apple family looked around to each other awkwardly. It was Apple Bloom who finally spoke. “We can do that I reckon, though it’ll take a while fer my brother and sister to set everything up. So uh… why don’t we go in the other room and just… I don’t know talk or something?”

I closed my eyes as I sighed, nodding my head in response. A soft smile embraced my lips as I left the awkwardness of the kitchen and found myself in the Apple family’s living room. Apple Bloom hopped up onto the couch, laying on her belly as she stared down at me. I simply sat on floor, rubbing my hoof against the soft carpet underneath me. We sat quietly for a few moments as she stared at me in lost wonder and I looked around the room curiously.

“So Tiara… where ya been?” Applebloom asked. I took my eyes off a very interesting cuckoo clock in the back corner of the room and turned towards her smiling.

“As I said, in the Everfree forest.”

“Ya but… WHERE in the forest?”

I cocked my head to the side confused. “Um, all over it I guess. I never stay in one spot for long. If I did the beasts would eventually get me. I’m constantly on the move.” Her body went rigid as she brought up her head. There was a gleam in her eye as she leaned forward, but it wasn’t the nice kind. It was hopeful yes, but at the same time it was even more so… desperate.

“So uh… you’ve been all over the Everfree have ya? Ever see any other ponies there?” I shook my head, confused by the sudden look of sheer depression on her face. Something about that answer had bothered her greatly. I was worried now. I had come home to find my deeds not only forgiven but forgotten, the last thing I desired was to have her upset about something possibly pertaining to me. If it was in my power, I wanted to help her.

“Why do you ask Apple Bloom?” Apple Bloom looked around nervously, like a rabbit scanning for predators. She had sad eyes that seemed, well, a little wild. Like she was grabbing at the last straws of some hope she didn’t think she’d ever have.

“Can you keep a secret Tiara?”

“I live in the Everfree forest. Who am I going to tell? A tree?” I said with a little sarcasm. I chuckled a little at my own joke, some habits you just can’t break I guess.

To my surprise Apple Bloom laughed with me. “Now THAT’S the Tiara I remember!” She said, the smile returning to her face for but a moment before reverting to it’s previous lackluster frown. “Anywho, I was just wonderin cuz o’ my parents. Applejack and Big Mac rarely talk about them to me. They told me that when I was little, they went into the Everfree forest for something and… well… never came back. I was just wonderin ya know, because you said that master guy of yours brought you back and everything. I just thought maybe… he did the same for them.”

My eyes widened in surprise before becoming sad. I frowned looking down at the floor with a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and pity. “I’m sorry Apple Bloom, it doesn’t work like that. My master can’t help just anypony. The spell he casts is very unique and has two very specific requirements. First off he can’t bring back anypony over the age of twelve, and secondly you have to be dying of something that there’s absolutely no way you could heal from under any circumstances. I’m sorry. But Apple Bloom, you do know that you’re not-”

I was cut off by a door suddenly slamming open. Apple Bloom and I turned our heads in surprise to find Applejack and Big Mac standing in the doorway, wincing from the noise she made. “Eh he he, whoops. Looks like I pushed a little too hard. Well it’s awright, it ain’t hurt nothin so no big deal. Hey Tiara, we got that room you requested ready. Are you sure you don’t want anything else? No food or nothin?”

I nodded my head. “Yes I’m sure. Thank you for your hospitality, lady Applejack.”

Applejack took a step back in surprise. “Er, what’d you just call me?”

“Lady Applejack.”

“Uh, what’s up with the whole ‘lady’ thing?’

“You are, or were by this point in time, an element of harmony were you not? That makes you a ward of the princess and therefore your proper title is Lady Applejack.”

Big Mac and Applejack looked back and forth between each other for a few seconds. I had been taught by lord Everfree to refer to ponies by their most formal titles unless directed otherwise by that pony in particular. Some would not take my news of being a guardian so readily, and so it was best to wipe the slate clean and see where I stood in the eyes of others now that I was… different from what they remembered.

“Really now? I’ll be honest I didn’t know that. Still if you could just call me Applejack or AJ that’d be fine. I’m not the one for big fancy names like that, though I think I ought to tell Rarity. She’d love it! Then again, it might go to her head…”

I giggled. It was nice to hear that Rarity certainly hadn’t changed much in the last few years, though I’m sure by now her boutique had to be famous throughout all of Equestria at least. “Thank you then, AJ. If you’d show me the way I’d very much like to go to bed now.”

* * *

I awoke several hours later. The room they’d set up for me wasn’t too large or too small. Apparently it was an old guestroom but they tended to keep broken farm equipment inside since so few people ever stayed over outside the day of the apple family reunion. I had a twin sized bed with tan sheets, a thick red comforter, and a dark green pillow. The room was simple, white wash walls and a blue carpeted floor. Lazily I stroked my mane, tail, and fur. At first all I’d wanted to do was sleep, but when I noticed the open door in the room and looked inside I squealed with delight. A bathroom! They had a bathroom, with a SHOWER! I had spent nearly an hour with the hot water running down my body. I’d lathered myself up with their shampoos and conditioners, all apple scented of course. Now every hair on my body was clean and fluffy for the first time in years. With a yawn I stretched before jumping out of bed, grabbing both my tiara and my cloak. I prepared my body for the oncoming pain that had accompanied my sleep for the last three years, only to find my body felt fine. I giggled silently as I realized the cause. A bed. I hadn’t slept on one in so long I had forgotten what it was like to wake up without pain.

It was a pity I’d have to leave all of this soon enough, but that was fine. This was more or less like a vacation anyways. I’d never be able to live here properly. I mean yes, there were two others who lived outside of the Everfree, guardians like me, but they still had rules to live by. They weren’t free to just go and do whatever they liked. They had to return to the Everfree on a regular basis in order to pick up longevity seeds, answer any of masters summons at the drop of a hat, and food for them was always scarce, just to name a few. Sure they got their old lives back, but I often wondered how much it was worth. Showers and beds were nice, but I’d rather be alive, and for a guardian there’s no better place for living than in the forest.

With a heavy sigh I opened the door to find Applejack standing in front of me, staring down. I gave her a smile before saying hello.

“Howdy to you too. I was just about to ask what you wanted for dinner, but then I remembered somethin ya said. Ya can’t just eat anything right? Gotta talk to a plant er something don’t ya?” I nodded my head. Eating anything not willingly given when outside of the forest would poison and kill me in minutes. I had already come close to death once. I was not keen to go there again so soon. “Well if that’s the case then why don’t we walk outside? There’re hundreds of apple trees out there. Surely ONE of them can spare an apple or two."

I smiled. “Lead the way, Applejack.”

We walked together in silence. The only sounds to be heard were the sounds made by crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl. Every few minutes we would stop walking and I would sit down to ask the trees in the surrounding area for something to eat. We repeated this process for nearly an hour before Applejack spoke. “Are you really having that much of a problem getting food?”

I simply nodded. “I told you, I’m a creature of the Everfree. The outside world does not take kindly to me.”

“Wow I… I had no idea it was this bad. I’m sorry Tiara.”

“It’s fine, do not worry yourself over me Applejack. I have no intention of being away from the forest long enough for sustenance to matter greatly anyways. I am performing my mission, which should take no more than a day or two, and then I’m going home. I can always eat when I get… oh!” I stopped talking when I finally got a response from one of the trees. Well that was certainly a pleasant surprise. I thought I would have to go hungry the whole time I was gone. “This one says I may have an apple. Just ONE apple.”

“Really? Only one?”

“That’s what it says.”

“Well… alright.” she said walking up to the tree and nudging it lightly with her hoof. A single bright red apple fell to the ground. I picked it up, polishing it with my cloak until it had a nice shine, then stored it away for safekeeping. I had a long trip to Canterlot, so I needed to keep it at the ready.

“I guess that’s all ya need huh? Are you going to leave now?” she asked a little nervously. I guess neither she nor the rest of her family wanted me to go. It was understandable, girl goes missing for three years the last thing you want to do is let her out of your sight.

“Yes it is, but I’d like to say goodbye to Apple Bloom before I leave. I’ve yet to properly apologize to her for the things I did in the past.” Applejack nodded her head and we both started the walk back to her home.

After a while of walking she began to speak. “Hey,” she whispered. “What were you and Apple Bloom talking about in the living room?”

I raised my brow and looked at her, but did not break my stride as I answered. “You know very well what. You were eavesdropping nearly the entire time.”

Applejack stopped in her tracks, an astonished look adorning her face. “H-how did you know that?!”

I sighed as I turned back around to look at her. “I’ve been living in the Everfree, a forest filled with all sorts of dangerous creatures and deadly beasts, for three years. You can’t survive in a place that long without learning how to be aware of your surroundings. I could sense a heavy hoofed person like you coming from a mile away, and I mean that literally.”

“Oh well then I guess I’ll cut right to the chase. How-”

“How do I know that those people weren’t Apple Blooms parents?” I asked cutting her off. I wore a smirk on my face. I tried to fight it but I just couldn’t. All these years I’d spent trying to purge myself of my pointless pride, but always to no avail. True I wasn’t nearly as selfish and egotistical as I was in the past, but every now and then the old me would bubble up just a bit.

“Yeah, that…”

I sighed. I expected this question at some point during our walk. To be honest I thought she would have asked much earlier than now, but I guess it takes time to build up that amount of nerve. “The Everfree forest isn’t just darkness and death. There was a time when it represented life, prosperity, happiness. A time when it was thought to be a paradise on earth. Back then they called it the Garden of Eden.”

“That was during a time when the roles of the world were reversed. The guardians of Eden worked tirelessly to keep the monsters that inhabited the land outside of its borders out, not in. It was a time when all of the world was a living hell, save for a single tiny forest.”

“My master however, pitied the world and the suffering they had to endure, and so with the help of his guardians, they rounded up every nasty and vile creature in all the world, depositing them inside our forest and locking them away. We did it for the good of everypony, but it was not without a price. The chaotic energy that sifted through the hearts of those foul creatures poisoned our woods, and over time they withered and died. Thus the Garden of Eden became the Everfree forest.”

“However I am a guardian. I have powers and abilities that are granted to me by the forest itself, and while the forest may be sick and twisted, it still remembers the greatness it once possessed and has given me the gifts it would have bestowed a thousand years ago had I been a guardian of Eden. One of those gifts, which thankfully I can turn on and off as it would make the world a bit too colorful for my tastes, is the ability to see the threads of life. Think of them as the bonds you share with other ponies given a physical form. The closer your bond, the thicker and stronger the thread and the more of them that connect you. But that’s not all they do, the threads also move, and they do so in very specific ways. A corkscrew motion shows that two ponies are lovers, and up and down motion shows friends. But there’s one motion which is unique in being that it’s no motion at all. The string merely hangs limply in the air. This shows that a person is a direct blood relative, such as a brother, sister, mother, or father. You get the point.”

“When someone dies, all their strings are cut and a small kind of stub like portion is left on those whom they formed a bond with. Apple Bloom has no such thing attached to her, but you do. You have two stubs coming from your belly, which I can only assume are your parents.”

“When Apple Bloom asked about her parents I turned the ability on to see if there were stubs left, or if the strings were still tethered somewhere in the forest. Imagine my surprise when I found there to be no such strings at all and it was then I learned the truth about her mother. A truth I was about to reveal before you oh so rudely interrupted us.”

I watched as all sorts of emotions passed over Applejacks face. Apprehension, confusion, shock, realization, and of course terror. She took a few clumsy steps backwards, her eyes the size of dinner plates as her mouth swung uselessly in the air. I could almost see the gears in her head starting to turn from where they’d been ground to a halt. “You can’t tell her.” she whispered, her voice growing louder to the end. “Listen to me you CANNOT tell her the truth! If you tell her it will destroy her! She’ll never be able to look any of us in the eye ever again!”

I chuckled. Not the cheerful kind of chuckle mind you, the frustrated kind. “Ironic isn’t it? The former element of honesty helping her family tell such a huge lie, keep such an enormous secret. Sorry I can’t help but find it funny. A bit of the old me again I guess. This only shows how incomplete my training is.”

“Diamond please I’m beggin ya! Don’t tell er the truth!”

I turned my eyes away, a deep loathing in my heart. It wasn’t exactly my own loathing. To be honest it was more an influence from the forest. Being bound to a force of nature can play with your ideals, causing you to hate things that just seem… unnatural. Like lying to a child about its parents. Animals don’t do that, why should ponies? I personally didn’t feel that way. In fact I agreed it was a good idea given the circumstances, but even so the emotions toyed with my head.

“I’ll try Applejack, but I make no…” I stopped, whipping my head around and looking towards the forest.

“Uh, Tiara?”

“Shh!” I said, keeping her quiet. I moved my ears several times so I could hear better. Sniffing the air I recoiled as a particular scent touched my nose. “I smell blood. Follow me!” I broke out into a sprint, Applejack close on my tail. I could hear cries for help in the distance from some young mare. As we passed a thick series of trees, we came to a small clearing in the farmland. Apple Bloom was lying passed out on the ground with a deep gash in her shoulder as one of the most disgusting creatures the Everfree had the displeasure of hosting slowly approached her.

“Mimics.” I spit the name like poison out the mouth. Mimics were cunning creatures that disguised themselves as the things you love most. They lulled you into a false sense of security before taking their true form and gobbling you up. Aside from the hydra it was the first creature I encountered in the Everfree, taking on the appearance of my father. I was about to pull it into an embrace when my master came seemingly from nowhere and killed the beast. I was… incapacitated for a while after that.

This one had had the nerve to disguise itself as Apple Blooms mother, or rather, who she THOUGHT was her mother. It was approaching her slowly, taking no notice of me. I placed my hoof in front of Applejack to keep her still, there was no way she could handle a creature from the Twilightwoods.

You see the Everfree forest is split up into four sections. Think of it as a target with three rings and a dot in the middle. The outermost ring is known as the Dawnwoods. This is where a majority of the creatures ponies see in the Everfree are from. It is the safest part of the forest as well as where the weakest monsters dwell. Here you have your timber wolves, your chimeras, your manticores. The next ring is the Twilight woods. The creatures there are much deadlier and as of yet that’s the deepest I’ve been so far. The next ring is the Duskwoods. I haven’t seen it myself yet. Master says I’m not strong enough to go there. In fact between myself and my two sisters there’s only one who’s currently strong enough to go in there. The last place is known simply as ‘The Heart’. It is the single most twisted place on the planet and nopony, and I mean NOPONY, is allowed inside aside from my master. Doing otherwise would be like signing your own death warrant.

This mimic had put me in a bad position. Even for a creature of the Twilightwoods, it was still rather weak at least in comparison to me. However if I wanted to beat it I’d have to take on my full guardian form, even if it was for just a moment and I was not okay with that. It wasn’t that I was ashamed or anything, I just didn’t want to scare the Apple family away after they had been so kind and forgiving. Nevertheless, if I was to save Apple Bloom, it had to be done.

“Applejack, run and hide until I tell you it’s safe.” She looked unsure for a moment, but then nodded her head and ran a good ways off, hiding behind one of the many apple trees in the orchard. I walked forwards a bit then slammed my hoof on the ground calling out “Mimic!”

The beast turned its head to me and stepped back. Good, it recognized me, hopefully it would just run into the forest and that would be that. It transformed, it’s body unwinding into a mass of dirty bandages. That’s all mimics really were in the end, a mass of icky nasty bandages like you’d find on some Egyptian mummy that flew around in the vague shape of a pony with no backlegs coming out of what looked like a treasure chest. Super flashy, but not really all that intimidating. It roared, the sound coming from the chest at its base rather than the swirling masses of cloth.

It began to charge, the gray tattered bandages flying towards me while the chest dragged behind it. Figures. Of course it attacks, I could never catch a break could I? I sat down, closing my eyes and began to chant the spell that would release my true form.

“O’ ancient pillars sharpened by the hands of god, rise, for thy master beckons you to heed her call. Listen to thine words and grow from the earth as though it a rose and thee the thorns. Spread the word which is thy masters calling, to vanquish the beasts of darkness and quench thine thirst for blood.”

The Mimic dashed towards me throughout the entire chant. Were it not for the box weighing it down it surely would have reached me. I knew it would not however, and opened my eyes right when the beast was no more than a few feet from my face. Others would have jumped back in surprise and fear, but I simply stared at it as I said the final word of the chant.

“Vladimare.”

The earth around me ripped apart making sounds like thunder as black vines thick as tree trunks shot up all around me encasing me in a protective ball. From the outside one could see bright green lights flashing and lighting up the darkness which was the night. The mimic jumped back in pain, some of the vines having cut a few of its bandages.

After a few short seconds the vines sank back into the earth, exposing my true form for the world to see. My usually bright pink fur had changed to a dull gray while my luxurious mane and tail had turned a bright white. My once brilliant blue eyes now blood red with black slits replacing my pupils. A single long white fang distended from the top of the left side of my muzzle, and the brown tattered cloak I’d been wearing was now black and shiny with a popped up collar and red felt on the inside. Boots of smooth metal armor now adorned my hooves giving off a polished shine as they curved off at the knees . My cutie mark transformed, it’s once beautiful diamond tiara now a rusted helm sinking in a puddle of dark red liquid. Even my tiara had morphed. What once was a stunning silver headpiece was now a dazzling golden crown. Off to my right I heard Applejack gasp, not that I cared at that particular moment. Right now I only wanted one thing, to rip that mimic to pieces.

It sat there, barely moving, staring at me intensely. I lifted my foot and it charged at me bandages whizzing through the air like tentacles in an attempt to ensnare and consume me. Predictable beast. To think I once would have fallen prey so easily to a mindless creature like this upset me. I felt around inside of me, tugging on the magic that flowed in my core. I summoned it forth and into my upraised hoof. I looked down towards the chest. That was it’s weak point. You could attack the cloth of a mimic all day long, but until you destroyed the chest, it would just heal itself and keep coming. I slammed my hoof into the ground releasing the magic and the spell I had cast. Obsidian rock shot forth from the ground in massive spikes, impaling the chest that made up its core being. Its ragged appendages stopped mere inches away from my face before the beast gave a final scream and burned into ash.

I let out a sigh as I reverted back to my original form, my legs buckling underneath me as my energy dwindled significantly. While my Everfree form gave me access to incredible abilities, it took quite a bit of energy to maintain. When I finally managed to catch my breath I tried to stand. In that instant panic shot through me. I couldn’t feel my hindlegs. I turned my head to look at the rest of my body and found my old wound beginning to reopen. Had it been this long already?! I calmed down. No of course it hadn’t, I was too close to the Everfree for that to be the case. No, this was just due to my transforming while outside of the woods. I reached into my cloaks left pocket. And pulled out three small seeds. Longevity seeds. They were small seeds that fended off the effects that being outside of the forest had on my body. Eating one gave you twenty four hours of time outside of the forest. Once that time was up the injuries you had would slowly return over the course of an hour. If in that hour you didn’t eat another seed or return to the Everfree, you died. They weren’t exactly easy to get either as they could only be found in a fruit that grew in the dusk woods. Since I wasn’t strong enough to go into the Duskwoods yet, these seeds had been given to me by my master.

I popped one into my mouth, swallowing it whole like a pill before placing the other two away. I sighed in relief as the feeling began to return to my legs. Applejack walked up to me pausing a bit as she noticed the trickle of blood on my fur. I smiled and shook my head, assuring her I was fine. She started to protest until we heard a moan sound out from not too far away. “M-momma?” I heard Apple Bloom call. “Momma? Where are ya?”

Tears welled up in Applejacks eyes. I placed my hoof on her shoulder, getting her attention. I looked at her and gave her a soft, understanding smile. I nodded my head in the direction of Apple Bloom. “Go to her. Tell her the truth. You shouldn’t keep this secret any longer. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Applejack nodded her head, running over to Apple Bloom without saying another word. I watched her run for a bit before turning around and leaving to my next destination. With my heightened senses I could hear Applejack whispering as she comforted Apple Bloom.

“It’s alright baby,” she said. “Momma’s right here.”

Author's Note

First off I'd just like to say.... WOW. One chapter and already this story has been receiving some PHENOMENAL feedback over the last few days. At first I was a little intimidated, didn't want to ruin a good thing. But once those jitters went away I felt inspired and quickly dove back in to give you guys another chapter. I can only hope I don't disappoint.

Also, VLADIMARE! Get it? GET IT?! No? Okay........................
Yeah I know basing her off the famous vampire is a little cheesy, but there is a reason for it. Maybe you've caught on already, maybe you haven't. If you haven't, don't worry. I'll clear it up a bit in the next chapter. If you have, good for you! Just don't spoil it for others.

Thank you everypony!

EDIT: If you read this earlier in the day and it's coming up as new, the reason for that is a friend of mine saw it on my computer and posted it before I was done editing thinking it was complete. As a result I took it back down and completed it so here's the final project. There isn't much changed though, at least not anything important, so you can just ignore this if you want.

Secrets of the New Guardian

I shuddered again as I kept running, my heart beating like a sledgehammer against the unbreakable wall that was my chest. It was only supposed to be a simple walk down the road to my sisters home. I was going to knock on her door, acquire enough bits to take the train to Canterlot, and complete my mission. Yet here I was, running away as monsters from the Dawnwoods chased after me and a shiver I couldn’t stop kept running up my spine ever few minutes. Normally Dawnwood level beasts wouldn’t be a problem even when I’m not transformed, but there were just so many chasing me that there was nothing I could do without wasting another seed.

I looked back to find the four angry packs of timber wolves chasing me. Four packs with eight wolves per pack. Thirty two wooden monstrosities total. They shouldn’t have been able to escape! My master has special precautions to make sure things like this don’t happen.

As I ran, I thought about the mimic’s attack as well as the timber wolves that were now pursuing me. A powerful spell was kept and maintained by my master that bound the beasts inside the forest. Just like the forest itself the spell had layers that formed four ‘spheres’ of barrier magic around each section of the forest. None of them should be able to leave even if they flew through the air or dug underground. The only exception to that rule were the weakest of the creatures in a zone, which could make it to the next one as their powers were so low they sometimes fluctuated under the limit imposed by the barrier, at which point we guardians were summoned to either kill or capture the beast.

Since I was strong enough to handle the monsters in the Twilightwoods, I had sometimes been ordered to face an escapee from the Duskwoods, and those were NEVER easy fights. I was always left battered and bruised afterwards. Once my injuries were so great my master had to nurse me back to health for a week. He didn’t seem to mind, but I felt so ashamed. After all, the reason he gives his guardians tasks is so that he can concentrate on bigger more important things. Every time I thought about my seniors and how one of them was actually powerful enough not only to venture into the Duskwoods, but to actually fight escaped creatures from The Heart, it terrified me.

Still though I was worried. Mimics were on the weaker end of the Twilightwoods, and I had dealt with more than a few of them that had slipped through the Twilightwoods barrier, but I could gauge the strength of that monster easily. It should never have been able to pass through, it was too strong. The same goes for the timber wolves. Timber wolves are among the strongest in the Dawnwoods, they shouldn’t be able to leave the forest. I mean yes both are weak in comparison to me, but the only monsters I had trouble with were the strongest of the Twilightwoods and up.

I mean yes there are multiple reasons the Mimic could have escaped. Master had told me that on occasion several monsters would work together to breach the barrier and would end up creating a hole just big enough for one to squeeze through, but that normally only happened with the strongest creatures in an area. And even then if they did make a hole, they normally ended up fighting each other to be the one to go through causing the hole to seal back up while they were squabbling.

I could have understood if the timber wolves had been attacking the barrier and then a weak mimic that ended up in the Dawnwoods came at the last second and slipped through, but the problem with that however, is that master would have called one of us to deal with the mimic long before it ever left the dawn woods and the timber wolves would still be stuck there. And even if the wolves had escaped he would have called us for that as well. After all defending the life outside of the Everfree IS our main purpose. I could understand him not calling me since I’m already following another order, but I had two sisters who were both more than capable of handling a mimic and a few wolves. The only reason he’d have for not calling us is if he was in such a state of urgency that he actually had to put the safety of the citizens immediately around the Everfree into the back of his mind. And he’d only do that if whatever he was facing was a threat to all of Equestria, if not the world.

But that was just silly. If anything of that level of power were to suddenly show up in the forest it would be in The Heart and he would immediately weaken all the barriers around the Dawn, Twilight, and Duskwoods in order to contain whatever it was until help arrived. But the barriers were still holding strong…..

My eyes grew wide. Of course! Why hadn’t I seen it sooner! It didn’t make sense until now but that had to be the reason the mimic and the wolves were all the way out here. It also explains why he gave me three longevity seeds. A trip to Canterlot and back shouldn’t have taken more than a day, two at the most. He gave me the seeds not for the journey to Canterlot itself, but to help me fight off the creatures that would undoubtedly follow me out. I suddenly regretted all the time I spent sleeping at the Apple farm. If I had just gone straight to my sister like I was supposed to I would have been able to warn her and she could have handled the problem with Apple Bloom and the wolves while I would be warning the princesses right now.

I cursed myself for being greedy. He was right to tell me not to indulge in the pleasures of my old life but I got swept up in the moment. I knew the Apple family was just trying to comfort me before they told me the truth about my father, a truth I discovered long ago, and abused that to get a few hours of simple pleasures. I didn’t listen and now I was paying the price. I sighed mentally, not having the time or the energy to do so outwardly.

After nearly fifteen minutes of running I finally reached my destination, fighting off another annoying shiver. I wished I could stop to catch my breath. In the forest I could have run like that for an hour without so much as breathing heavy, but here in the regular world, it took twice the energy to do half the amount of work. Just another price a guardian has to pay. I looked towards the old cottage as I steadily got closer, surprised to find light streaming through the windows. It wasn’t exactly late, but my sister wasn’t known for staying up. I saw shadows dancing on the walls taking the form of multiple ponies. She had company? That wasn’t good. I didn’t have time to be discreet. I took a deep breath and shouted with all the energy I could muster. “SISTER FLUTTERSHY! TIMBER WOLVES!”

I heard a loud smashing sound and watched as the door flew open. Rather than my sister however, it was Rarity and Twilight who stood in the doorway, their eyes wide as they looked at me and then behind me. I watched as Rainbow Dash flew out of the window to the left wearing the same shocked expression as the two of them. Her head turned from me to the wolves and back again several times. Finally the one I was waiting for flew out of the right-hoof window.

She flew down next to me and I was finally able to stop, for a short time anyways. I could hear Rarity and Rainbow Dash whispering my name in the background but I didn’t have time to worry about the shock I had given their systems. There were thirty two very angry snarling logs chasing after me and they were going to rip us all apart if we didn’t act.

“Flutter… shy…” I panted. “Please… tell me… you have a…”

“Of course. I only have the one though so we’ll have to share.” she said reaching into a saddlebag I hadn’t noticed earlier. A short second of digging later she brought out a small red fruit with a green tip that poked outwards like a crown. I always thought they looked a bit like a cross between an apple and a pomegranate. She bit into half of it, her face contorting from the taste before handing it over to me. I did the same, recoiling as I swallowed. It was bitter, I hate bitter foods.

My body shook violently as I felt my fatigue slip away and another shiver run down my spine. My heart began to pump hard and fast, but not frantically like it had been before. No, it was a steady rhythm and a strong one at that. My heavy limbs seemed to lighten as energy coursed through me. Every part of me was pulsating with raw force ready to be released. Had I not known better I would have thought I had returned to the Everfree forest. I looked my elder sister in the eyes and we nodded to each other before turning back to the wolves. Both of us began our chants taking our true and proper forms.

I had heard of my sisters form and powers from my master, but had never seen it up close. Her fur didn’t change much, only growing slightly darker. Just like all guardians her eyes became a dark blood red with thin black slits. At first I thought part of her mane and tail had disappeared, only to realize that they had simply become as black as the darkness around us with thin red stripes coursing through. She stretched a bit and I took a step back as her mane suddenly glimmered. Even though it was mostly black it seemed to give off a red shine that moved with the light as though it were made of metal. My eyes moved down, focusing on her chest which had little difference aside from the new armor that she bore. It had a striking resemblance to the chest pieces worn by the princesses, save that instead of a gem or moon on the front there was instead a broken heart. Her wings had changed as well, becoming black at the base and red at the top. Her cutie mark would have seemed strange to anyone who didn’t know the truth about Fluttershy, but to me it made perfect sense. It was a single red line that seemed to drip at the end, like someone had taken a paint brush and drew a single streak across her rear. The most noticeable difference about her was her new boots, if you could really call them boots. Truth be told it was actually her blood, swirling and twisting around the bottom of her hooves before rising above her in intimidating strands that danced all around her.

That was the source of her power. Bloody Mary my master had called it. The ability to manipulate her blood and use it both as a weapon and as a shield. We were lucky, being guardians of the Everfree. Otherwise her body would never be able to handle that. Every time she attacked she’d either lose blood or get said blood contaminated by whatever she touched, neither of which bode well for her health. Being a guardian of the Everfree though made that of little concern. We were built to fight the worst this world had to offer. We’re made tough and near impossible to kill, especially in the forest itself. Our enemies could stab us, crush us, rip us apart, and so long as we were in the forest we’d slowly regenerate over time and if we could manage to eat one of those seeds, regardless of whether we were in the forest or not, all of those wounds would heal in a matter of seconds. My favorite boon was that you literally couldn’t die from the way you had died originally. I could fall on beds of spikes all day and get up every time like nothing ever happened. As for Fluttershy she never had to worry about bleeding to death.

“Tiara, look.” Fluttershy said. I turned my attention back to the group of monsters, only to realize their numbers had grown. Twelve more had shown up with one more the size of a small building standing at the very back, for a total of forty five very hungry piles of sticks. This wasn’t going to be pleasant.

The area around Fluttershys house had become eerily quiet. Even the bugs had stopped chirping. I wasn’t sure what Rarity or Rainbow Dash were doing but honestly at the moment I didn’t care. I watched the now single massive pack of timber wolves stare back at us unmoving. Suddenly the big one, who seemed to have a strange scar over his right eye, lifted his mouth to the air, letting out a bestial roar. The wolves immediately howled back before charging us in one big rampaging group.

Fluttershy ran out to face them while I remained where I was. My powers were best suited for long distance as I could sprout spikes from the earth anywhere. Fluttershy on the other hand had to get up close and personal. Just because the blood regenerated, didn’t mean that she could hit her target from a mile away.

The first thing I did was impale the big one. Not enough to break it apart, just enough to hold it still. After that she jumped right into the fray, hacking and slashing at the wolves, her blood hardening into the shapes of scythes on the ends of long strings. I assisted her as best as I could, impaling each wolf one at a time with pillars of sharp pointed rocks. At first things seemed to be going just fine, until the timber wolves began reforming. That’s what made timber wolves so annoying. You see timber wolves are actually wisps, little spirits that float around as balls of light, that used to be the souls of actual wolves. The corruption of the Everfree forest turns those spirits evil and they then possess wood to recreate their bodies. Why wood? No idea. They don’t have to use wood, I’ve seen them use rocks and even water to create a body when they were in enough of a pinch, they all just seem to prefer wood the most. That’s not the point though. The real point is that every time you break it apart, the spirit just picks up the pieces and puts itself back together. The stronger the wisp the bigger they and tougher they could get. Add that on to the fact that they can actually fuse together for a short while, and you get a recipe for disaster.

They’re far from invincible though. Wisps aren’t ghosts, they have a physical form. The problem is that physical form is surrounded by a bright light, making it very hard to see just where in the light it’s at, especially when they’re inside their wooden bodies.

That’s why I needed Fluttershys help. Every time she or I would break one apart, she’d use her blood like ropes, picking up the pieces and tossing them away to create an opening for one of us to attack. Every time she cut one down, I’d look for its weak spot and impale it. Every time I broke one apart, she’d find its vulnerable point and slice it to bits. We continued this process over and over, missing more times than we hit. Of course once we got about half of them down they finally managed to catch on to our tactics. After that every time we busted one apart they just fused with another. After a few more minutes of fighting, we had five timber wolves left, all the size of houses.

It was a very bad day to be a guardian.

I guess they realized they couldn’t beat us with quantity so they were going with quality instead. I ran to Fluttershy’s side as the four new mega wolves began to rip and tear at the spikes holding their comrade. The drawback to my powers, the farther away I was, the weaker my pillars. If I wanted to take on all of these guys when they were this strong, I needed to be close to them.

As I looked at her I noticed her breathing being a little on the heavy side. I thought it was strange, until I felt a sudden small rush of exhaustion hit me. I grit my teeth. It seemed the apple of discord’s affects were wearing off.

The apple of discord, the special fruit found in the Duskwoods from which you can salvage longevity seeds. They taste horrible, but have incredible effects on a guardian. They used to be called the apples of Eden, back when it was the garden of Eden and not the Everfree forest. Back then they were the main delicacy, granting an extended life to those who ate them. According to old legends, once every hundred years if you were lucky you’d pick an especially potent one, turning you into an Alicorn. My master assured me that that was never more than a story though. Now however things have changed. Like everything else the apple was corrupted. Now when we’re inside the forest eating one gives us an incredible power boost, however it also turns off our regeneration for twenty four hours. If we took too much damage after eating it, nothing in the world would be able to save us. If we eat it outside the forest, we could maintain our true forms for a half hour, assuming you ate the whole fruit. Fluttershy and I had only eaten half so of course we only got half the time and we were both hitting the ten minute mark. I have to be honest I couldn’t wait to graduate from my training. Once it was over my master would give me three of them like he did to all of his guardians. Only three though, if I wanted more I’d have to become strong enough to get them myself, which wasn’t easy. Not because they grew in the Duskwoods, but because they were so hard to keep fresh. The fruits themselves were already hard to reach and according to master, quite rare and if you didn’t put them in a special mixture they rotted away within ten minutes, leaving nothing but the seeds. Also not helping was the fact that the mixture itself had rare, hard to find ingredients. Basically, they were a pain to get hold of.

Still though, the ever increasing exhaustion aside we had a job to do and not a lot of time to do it. I looked at Fluttershy, raising my right hoof in the air like I was about to take a step. She nodded her head, extending her blood as far out as she could get it to go without losing any of its strength, which was pretty far.

I slammed my hoof into the ground attempting to hit the five wolves and end it in one blow. Luck was not on my side however as two of the wolves completely dodged while two more still didn’t land a killing blow. I did manage to take one of them out which was nice. The lumber that once made up it’s body crashed to the ground as the glowing lights inside of it flickered and died.

Fluttershy jumped up quickly, taking to the skies as she dashed towards one of the two injured timber wolves. Their comrades both quickly rushed after her, but I made an obstacle course of spikes to slow them down. Fluttershy hovered above the wolf, shooting strands of blood like tentacles inside of the beast. I watched as the lights carefully moved around, both to keep its body intact as well as dodge Fluttershy’s attacks. Suddenly the parts making up it’s body began to shift and move before shooting up and attempting to swallow Fluttershy whole. I almost began to panic until I noticed her clever defense. She used the blood on her hind hooves to form a kind of sticky net that held all the pieces in place, keeping them from touching her as she continued her assault. While she did that I was slamming spikes all over the place, attempting to slow or ensnare the two still rampaging wolves, as well as kill the already trapped one. Finally I managed to kill the one that was already trapped while impaling one of the other rabid monsters in the throat, forcing it to a stop. I heard the distinct sound of falling debris, but felt it was too loud for just the one I killed. I looked behind me to find Fluttershy had also killed hers, and was now moving on to the one I had trapped.

I placed two more spikes inside of him before realizing it felt a bit too calm all of a sudden. I turned behind myself quickly to find that the other wolf had abandoned trying to defeat Fluttershy and I and had found a new target in Fluttershys cabin, or more accurately, the two mares inside of it. I watched in disbelief as Rainbow Dash actually flew out the window, mocking the beast like it was just another timber wolf. I knew better though. That was the original leader of the pack, the one with the scar. He was much older and much stronger than the others even if his size was the same as these new ones. Any guardian knew that he was easily within the upper tier of Twilightwoods monsters.

I looked behind me giving a signal to Fluttershy that I was leaving her. She nodded her head and assured me she was fine. Just to be cautious I placed three more spikes into her wolf before heading off to fight the last one. I was beginning to breathe heavily now and knew I didn’t have much more than two minutes left. I’d have to make them count.

I began to shoot spikes out of the ground at a rapid pace, but they did next to nothing. Time and again the wolf would jump out of the way like he always knew where they were coming from. Though to be truthful it wasn’t that hard to guess, most of the time I just tried to impale them from the ground directly below them or at a slight angle so as I could get a clear strong shot and completely immobilize them. That plan however wasn’t going to work so I had to change tactics. As he continues towards the cottage, I slammed on the ground one more time bringing up a spike directly in front of him. As usual he dodged it with little effort, only to roar in anger as he suddenly got hit from the left. After I shot the first spike, I immediately grew another one from that one allowing me to hit him as he tried to run past. I don’t really like doing this, as the second spike becomes much weaker than the first, something that quickly became evident when, after some minor struggling, he managed to break free. I wasn’t done yet though. Before he could take another step and gain any momentum I stabbed him with as many spikes as I could, after which I began to grow more spikes off of those in a desperate attempt to finish him off. I could tell I only had seconds left as I listened to the sound of falling wood in the background. As much as I would have liked to check on the results of Fluttershys hard work, I was just too busy at the moment.

I could feel my energy beginning to slip as relentlessly created spike after spike trying to kill the thing. Time ticked by ever so slowly as I began to count down from five. I watched its movements carefully trying to find a pattern. Wisps tended to like patterns and enjoyed moving in a certain one, if I could find out what it was I could find where it would be and hit it. The clock hit four as I panicked, its movements didn’t make sense! I was down to three seconds now as I watched the lights inside writhe and wriggle like it was having a seizure. Gah! Another shiver! Now was not the time especially with how frustrated I was! It’s movements were completely random! Two seconds now, I had to find a way to read its… ah ha! It wasn’t going in a pattern it was spinning in a counter clockwise direction! There was one second left as I carefully timed my next spike. I only had one shot as I plunged the stone deep into its abdomen.

Zero. I felt all of the energy leave me as I slumped to the ground in exhaustion with a loud thump, the sound of falling wood close behind. Twilight, who had still been flying, deactivated a moment before me and crashed into the ground at my side. My legs were shaky and beginning to tingle. I grimaced, looking over to Fluttershy to find that she was bleeding on one of her fore hooves. So her wounds had opened up too huh? Well I guess I couldn’t be surprised. I reached into my pocket, pulling out my seeds. I placed one in my mouth before offering the other too her. She looked at it a little confused until she looked down and realized her old wounds were opening back up. She took it rather sheepishly, trying to hide her wound. Maybe she thought I didn’t know the truth about the way she died? Master had told me about both her and my other sisters death, but I wasn’t sure if they knew I knew.

Regardless though I popped the seed in my mouth as I was approached by both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. They stared at us wide eyed. Oh the shock, so much shock. I was worried about all of this. We weren’t ordered to keep being a guardian a secret, it was just something we did. After all, if you knew your neighbor could turn into a super powered monster for thirty minutes after eating a weird fruit, you might not want to be around them. What’s more if parents knew that their kids had a chance of being saved from death if they wandered into the Everfree, they might not pay attention to the giant stack of problems that come with and let their children wander into the forest all the time. I’m not saying they wouldn’t still keep them away, only that their would be more deaths due to carelessness and that would ruin the point of everything my masters trying to do. But with monsters running about, the apple family and more importantly the former element of honesty Applejack knowing the truth, and soon Rarity and Rainbow Dash as well, for I’m sure they’re waiting on an explanation, I was worried how much longer we could keep this secret.

“Fluttershy… Tiara… what… what just?” Rarity asked. I sighed. Here we go again.

“Um sorry about that Rarity. If you , Twilight, and Rainbow Dash would be so kind as to wait for us in my house I’ll explain everything. I need to speak with Diamond a moment.” Fluttershy said. Well at least I wouldn’t have to do it on my own this time.

I watched as Rarity, Twilight, and Raibow gave each other concerned glances before nodding their heads gently and walking into the cabin. When the door closed Fluttershy let out a sigh before turning to me with a concerned look. “Tiara what’s going on? Lord Everfree sent me a message saying you were on your way, but you were supposed to be here hours ago. And why are there so many monsters leaving the woods? That was my second apple you know. I only have one left.”

I looked down in shame. I had disobeyed orders and I was paying a very heavy price for it. I needed to finish this mission as quickly as possible and yet I went and slept and took showers and all of that nonsense I had in my previous life. It was already bad enough I had to swallow my pride and ask her for help, now I had to explain why I was so late and what I’d done wrong. And explain I did.

When I was done she shut her eyes and placed a hoof to her head. “Let me get this straight, you ignored masters orders for a nap and a shower? I can’t believe you Tiara! Still, I guess some good did come of it. Apple Bloom knows the truth about her and Applejack now, so I guess it could be worse. Come on into my house. We need to talk to explain things to Rarity and Rainbow. After that I’ll give you the bits and some more seeds and send you on your way.”

I nodded my head as she turned towards the cabin. Opening the door I followed her inside to what was likely to be a very long very difficult explanation.

* * *

“Soooooooooo… what you’re saying is you died, got brought back to life, and now you’re the slave of some alicorn who lives in the Everfree?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Um Rainbow I don’t think they appreciate being called-” Twilight began to say, but we cut her off.

“WE ARE NOT SLAVES!” we shouted in unison. We looked at each other awkwardly before smiling. It really was like we were sisters, even if this was the first time we’d properly met.

“Well if you’re not slaves darling then just what are you?” Rarity asked.

To be honest it was a good question. After becoming a guardian you don’t really give your relation to him that much thought. You realize pretty quickly that you can trust him, as he does nothing but care for you, and that he truly does need your help with all sorts of problems he has in the forest. I’ve seen him get grumpy from having too much to do. To others he may not seem like he’s changed at all in how he feels, but once you’ve been connected to him long enough you end up realizing just how emotional he actually is. And he’s not a very nice person when he’s agitated.

After a little thought I gave them the best answer I could. “I don’t know about Fluttershy or my other sister, but I guess he’s a bit like a father to me.”

Rainbow looked at me like I’d said something strange. “A father? What about your real da-” Rarity quickly covered up her mouth, cutting off whatever she was about to say. Fluttershy seemed to hunker down a bit, realizing where this conversation was quickly going.

“Ah don’t mind her, Tiara. Having two father figures in your life is perfectly fine!”

Twilight started acting a little strangely as well. Her eyes darting between the different ponies in the room as she tried to find something to say.

“Uh Rarity?” Fluttershy said. They both looked at her while I just sighed inwardly. “She… kind of already knows…”

Their eyes grew wide as they darted back and forth between Fluttershy and I. I sat quietly sipping on a cup of water Fluttershy had made for me, waiting for the question I knew they were about to ask.

“H-how?”

I put my cup down, staring into it as a much stronger vibration passed through my body. I started to get worried. My body shouldn’t be acting like this. I opened my mouth to explain, but Fluttershy spoke first. “It’s a technique you get when you become a guardian. You can see these… strings. They let you see how a pony is connected to others, like if their friends or family.”

“And if the person whose string its connected to dies, then the string cuts itself leaving a little stub.” I finished, taking another sip of my water. Yes, my father Filthy was dead. Had been for two years now. It wasn’t a big deal, at least not anymore. I had come to terms with my fathers death a long, long time ago. The only thing I was really concerned about was what they did to my house. I had hoped he left it in Fancy Pants name. He was a good friend of ours and his wife was even more so. Almost like the mother I never had. Though perhaps now I should say sister. If they still had the house then at the very least I’d have somewhere to live when my training was over.

“Oh… Tiara I-” Rainbow started. But I cut her off.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve had two years to get over it. I’m fine now. Besides, lord Everfree was with me so it wasn’t so bad.”

“This lord Everfree… you said he’s always been in the Everfree didn’t you?” Twilight said. Ever the inquisitive one isn’t she?

“No. He hasn’t always been in the Everfree, he IS the Everfree. The two are one in the same.”

“Well then how come we’ve never heard of him? I mean you’d think that they’d mention him in a story or something.”

“Well uh that’s the thing Twilight… you have heard of him. Everyone has.” Fluttershy said.

“What do you mean?”

Fluttershy looked at her uneasily, not that that’s saying much. She IS Fluttershy after all. “Remember the song? The rhyme we’re all taught as foals? That’s his mark on history. It’s a message to any child who gets lost in the Everfree that they need not fear death while they’re there because if something bad does happen to them, master will save them.”

Twilight looked a little stunned. Honestly I thought that we had covered that during the explanation. I guess some things just go over peoples heads no matter how many times you explain it, even when they’re braniac princesses.. “Wait,” she asked. “If he does that for young fillys, then how come he doesn’t just take care of them the whole time they’re in the forest? Or teleport them out? Or even help any adults. And wouldn’t it be easier to just let everypony know that he exists rather than just keeping everypony in the dark?”

Fluttershy began to answer but I raised my hoof to signal to her to be quiet. I was growing agitated with sitting here answering this mares questions. I had only recently realized how important my mission is and I didn’t have the time to deal with her pointless nonsense. “To answer your questions one, our master holds back every evil beast that exists in this world. You really think he has the time to watch over a small confused child that can’t take care of itself? It’s one thing for us guardians. So long as he keeps us near the edge of the forest, we can live easily given how resilient we are. But a regular child? Not a chance. He can’t teleport them out for the same reason, takes too much power. He’s got to conserve that for ACTUAL problems. As for adults, they’re SUPPOSED to be responsible. If you can’t handle the Everfree, you shouldn’t be in there. An adult should also be smart enough to get out on their own. As for keeping ponies in the dark, well…” I looked at her dead in the eyes, whispering the final word of my chant, Vladimare, to show her a kind of watered down version of my true form. I wanted the intimidating effect without eating through all of the power the seed I ate provided. So long as I didn’t actually do anything, I should be alright, especially since Fluttershy lives right next to the forest.

I didn’t have any armor and my robe and tiara remained perfectly the way they were supposed to. I put my face right up to hers giving her the most intimidating look I could muster. “There aren’t that many ponies that want to live next door to a monster now, are there?” I said before reverting back to my original form. Twilight just stared at me, eyes wide with fear. I chuckled to myself. I guess I still got it.

Rarity sat there quietly the whole time looking down at the ground, much to my surprise. I would have thought she’d been the first to jump all over me asking about how I felt and if I was dealing with everything well. Instead she just seemed lost in thought.

“Fluttershy…” she said. “Can… can those threads tell you where someone is?” I looked at her confused. She wanted to find someone?

“Um… yes… no… sort of. They can tell us which direction they’re in. But you’d have to actually follow the string to find out exactly where they are.”

“Why haven’t we been using it then?!” Rarity screamed as she stood up.

I jerked my head backwards in surprise. I was really confused. Fluttershy looked at me noticing my confusion and said “She and Sweetie Bell got into a fight a couple of days ago and no ponies seen her since.” Sweetie Bell was missing? That was most definitely not good, especially with all the monsters on the loose.

“And to answer your question Rarity, I’m not supposed to without special permission. It’s pretty much the same as spying on someones personal life and Lord Everfree doesn’t like invading ponies privacy.” she said casting a quick glance at me. Whoops. Guess I forgot about that…

“Well it’s not an invasion of privacy now! I’m giving you permission! Use your stringy… thing and FIND MY SISTER!” she yelled so loud Fluttershy and I had to cover our ears. Heightened senses and upset high maintenance ponies did not go well together apparently.

“Okay okay we’ll look. Sheesh just be quiet.” I said, the old me dribbling out a little. Then again if anypony was going to make me act like my old self, I was pretty sure it would be Rarity. Either that or Pinkie Pie… that mare creeps me out!

Fluttershy and I concentrated for a moment before opening our eyes again to look at her strings. We had to ask Rarity a couple of questions about her family to figure out which one was Sweetie Bells, but when we did, our jaws dropped. Suddenly the shivers made sense. They were warnings. This was bad. This was very, VERY bad.

“Rarity…” Fluttershy whispered. “Sit down, I need you to listen very carefully to me. Don’t do anything rash.” Rarity sat down slowly, fear quickly consuming her face. I looked down at the ground, unable to meet the mares eyes anymore. “Sweetie Bell is in the Everfree… and it looks like her string is… growing.”

Rarity looked at us confused. She didn’t understand what Fluttershy meant but I certainly did. Strings don’t get bigger when your feelings for a person change. They only end up moving a different way at different speeds. The threads of life only ever grew for one of two reasons. Either it was the formation of an entirely new bond or the bond had been severed and was being reattached.

I watched the string in silence as Fluttershy explained what we both knew had transpired. For a moment, the room suddenly became so quiet you could here a pin drop. Then the most mind curdling scream rang out from Rarity as she began to sob into the chest of a completely stunned Rainbow Dash.

I sent a silent prayer to my master, begging him to take good care of my new little sister.

Author's Note

There you go everypony! Another chapter!

I know some of you are wondering, WAIT! WHY IS FLUTTERSHY A GUARDIAN?! HOW/WHEN DID SHE DIE?! WOULDN'T SOMEPONY NOTICE IF SHE WENT MISSING FOR A FEW YEARS?! Well worry not readers, I will answer all of those questions and more in the next chapter so just be patient. :3

Thank you for your support and views and I hope to have the next chapter out in a day or two! (As it's already mostly written!)

Secrets of Fluttershy

!!!WARNING!!!

Some material in this chapter may not be suitable for certain persons. If self harm bothers you in any way, then I suggest you skip everything Fluttershy says. I know that can be a touchy subject for some people so I just wanted to give you a heads up.

Go to Canterlot and talk to the princesses, that’s all he asked of me. After that, I was free to do what I liked until he summoned me again and while I had planned on returning to the forest, something I felt he probably didn’t want me to do, to have the option of staying in the regular world, if only for a time, was very comforting.

The plan he had and the execution of it were completely different, and I had a feeling I was going to get it when I eventually got home to the forest. After all, here I was actually running back to the forest far earlier than was necessary chasing after a distraught mare who was desperate to find and ‘save’ her little sister.

I sighed, embarrassed by what had happened earlier. Rarity had pulled one over on Fluttershy and I, tricking us into helping her find out which way to go to get Sweetie Bell. Once she knew that the strings went straight from one pony to the other instead of wrapping around trees or anything like that, she cast a paralyzing spell on us all and took off. Needless to say we were shocked, though Rainbow and Twilight probably for different reasons than Fluttershy and I. We weren’t aware that Rarity even had that kind of spell power, though I’m sure the other two ponies in the room were just confused as to why she would paralyze us in the first place, though for me that wasn’t hard to figure out.

Rarity wasn’t the brightest cookie in the jar, but she seemed to figure out quickly enough that Fluttershy and I were NOT about to let her see her younger sister. Guardians are not allowed to return to the normal world until their training is complete. There have only been three exceptions to this since the corruption of Eden, and I was one of them.

At least catching up to her was an easy task. The minute our hooves touched the forest floor Fluttershy and I began our chants. After donning our true forms we took off after her at full speed. Needless to say we caught up to her in a matter of minutes. Fluttershy and I landed gently on a small ridge in front of Rarity, blocking her path as Rainbow Dash and Twilight caught up with her.

“Let… me… through.” she panted. To be honest she looked rather depressing panting like that while covered in dirt and mud. Still though Fluttershy and I would have to force these girls out quickly. The monsters were restless, if we stayed in the forest for much longer a pack of timber wolves would be the least of our worries.

“Tiara, Fluttershy, please.” Twilight said. “Let Rarity see her sister.”

“No. Princess you don’t understand. These are the laws with which we must abide. Rarity’s sister is a guardian now. There’s nothing we can do about that. If she wants to see her she’ll simply have to wait.”

Rainbow Dash took to the air, getting as close as she could to my face in an attempt to intimidate me. “And just how long is she supposed to be gone for? Three whole years like you Diamond? How can you expect Rarity to wait that long?”

“Says the mare who didn’t even bother to go looking for me when I disappeared.” Fluttershy retorted. Rainbow looked at her stunned as she stumbled through the air a little, her wings having locked for a moment in shock. As she came to land on the ground in front of us she gave Fluttershy the most confused look.

“Flutters… what are you talking about?” Rainbow asked with a shocked expression. Fluttershy looked away, her eyes watering. I knew what she was thinking about. I’d heard the story from my master. Fluttershy’s death or more accurately… her suicide.

“Rainbow… I’m a guardian too. So what does that mean?”

“It… it means you have cool powers and stuff right?” Fluttershy shook her head, a sad kind of half chuckle escaping her lips. I could sense what the others couldn’t, her heavy breathing, the quick pitter patter of her heart. She was hurting terribly. All these years and no one ever knew the truth about what happened to her.

“No Rainbow. It means I died. Here. In these woods. And I was but a child at the time.” To my surprise Rainbow’s eyes grew even wider. I honestly didn’t know it was possible to be that shocked.

“But Flutters… that’s not… I mean… we’ve known each other our whole lives… we’re friends… you never… I mean I would have noticed if you…”

“But you didn’t, that’s the problem. You didn’t notice. You didn’t see the signs, you didn’t help me. The day of your famous ‘Sonic Rainboom’ I tried my best to fly, to save myself, and you know what? I did. Rather than becoming a big red splotch on the ground I somehow managed to catch some wind beneath my wings and glide. But what I thought was my salvation turned out to be a curse. Sure I was slowly descending but I couldn’t turn and that would have been fine too, if it hadn’t been for that ‘Rainboom’ of yours. The shockwave was so powerful it sent me soaring through the air… and right over the Everfree.” Fluttershy had started speaking quietly, building in volume as she went on. I could tell she was fighting back the tears. If we were deeper in the woods, I might have tried to stop her but we seemed to be alright where we were, at least for the time being. Besides, I had a feeling she needed to get this off her chest.

“I ended up crashing into a tree, my body being tossed around like a rag doll over and over as I smashed into branch after branch. I think the worst part of it was when I did finally hit the ground, the only thing that didn’t take a hard hit was my head. My body was covered in deep cuts and bruises, my wings were busted up, and the bone on one of my legs had snapped and ripped through the skin. I remember laying there crying for someone to help me… but it never came.”

“You… you said you were saved by a cloud of butterflies…”

Fluttershy laughed maniacally for a moment, giving Rainbow the saddest, yet most twisted look I had ever seen come from her. “A cloud of butterlies?! You seriously believed that?!”

“Well I…”

“Think about it Rainbow Dash. You have a brain I know you do! What honestly makes you think that a cloud of butterflies could lift and carry a Pegasus?!”

“Well I just figured magic was involved or… something!”

“It’s not a matter of magic, it’s a matter of weight ratio! A cloud of one ounce butterflies cannot carry a sixty pound filly!” she screamed in an outburst. Somehow I felt that should remind me of something, though I couldn’t remember what.

She took a deep breath, calming her nerves as she tried to continue. “Still though, it’s not like I was really surprised when no one came looking, I mean I had spent my entire life in an orphanage my unknown mother abandoned me on the doorstep of the day I was born. I had always been shy and of course that got me picked on. I had dealt with everything, from being called names to being beaten to a puddle of pony mush. No one ever bothered to help me, or even cared. I used to run away all the time. It was always nice when I did because no one ever bothered to find me. No… I should be more truthful. No one ever noticed I was gone to look for me. I guess that day was no different… because I spent the next month traversing the forest all on my own.”

“I guess in that case I have to thank them for treating me so poorly. If they hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to fight through the pain and look for a way out. Then again, now that I’ve said that aloud, I guess I really shouldn’t thank them. If I had died sooner rather than later, I wouldn’t have had to suffer so much before I was saved by lord Everee.”

“I gathered up all the strength I could, hobbling around on three legs and looked for somewhere to rest. I remember it raining that night as I tumbled into a hole under a tree. Did you know that temperatures in the Everfree fluctuate regardless of the time of year? It was the middle of summer, it should have been hot and humid… but it wasn’t. It was cold… terribly cold. Everfree told me later that during my first month here the section of the forest I was living in was constantly under fifty degrees. Sure that’s not so bad for a full grown mare, but for a little filly whose body was battered and bruised, it was horrendous. It rained every night too, the water pelting my face like icicles. The rain was so cold it burned, especially when it touched my wounds. Wounds which after the first day had already grown infected.”

“I spent the next month foraging for food and looking for a way out, always keeping a trail to help me find my way back to the little place I had come to call home. I was lucky in that I had managed to suck up the pain long enough to pop the bone back into my leg. At the time I was quite happy with myself, I’d wanted to be a nurse and spent so much time learning first aid. I was able to build a makeshift splint and keep it from hurting me too much more. Of course that being said I never went very far from the little hovel I called home. How could I with a fever of well over a hundred and three, an infected, and might I add useless limb, and broken wings I didn’t even know how to use in the first place. Day after day passed, my false hope dwindling a little more as time withered on.”

“And then it happened, they day when I’d had enough. I should have realized how lucky I’d been. How easy it was for me to just live there scavenging for food without a care in the world. As time passed I forgot where I was, forgot that I was living in the Everfree forest. I forgot what lived there, the monsters, the beasts, the demons that wanted nothing more than to prey on me. And prey they did.”

“It was the middle of the night when I heard the roar rip through my little glade, I tried to hunker down beneath my blanket of leaves hoping that whatever it was would just ignore me and walk on by. I could hear whatever it was rummaging around the space outside of my little hole. I could hear it sniffing around, clawing at the bark of the trees nearby. I knew it was tracking me, I knew what it wanted. Time passed by ever so slow, the rainwater saturating the ground so much that it began to puddle up. Even my little den was beginning to fill with moisture, though not quite as bad as outside. Eventually I heard the howls of the beast begin to subside, it’s the sound of it's heavy steps leaving little more than an echo."

"That was when I made a terrible mistake. As a filly it should be no surprise when I say that curiosity got the better of me. Terrified though I was, I wanted nothing more than to know the face of the creature that had lurked around my newfound home. I took a few tentative steps outside, sure that if I stayed quiet enough it wouldn't see me... I was wrong of course. Unbeknownst to me the moment I had begun to move under my blanket of leaves it had heard me. The Manticore." Fluttershy began to tense up. I could tell she was aching to cry, but tears weren't a good thing right now. The only reason we were even talking about this is because Fluttershy can stay quiet enough to not alert the monsters. If she had a breakdown now of all times... I didn't want to think of the issues it would cause.

"My eyes became the size of saucers as they gazed upon it's figure. In the brief span of a few seconds I had come to realize it's true purpose of rummaging around wasn't to find me. No, he had snuck back into the glade much too quietly for that to be the case. Instead he had made that noise on purpose to lure me out, knowing he could never have reached me inside my hole."

"I never had the chance to react. My screams didn't ring among the trees, my wails didn't echo in the gloom. Even if I had made a sound it would have been drowned out by the rain and no pony would be around to hear it, not that that would have been very different from my normal life."

"In one swift fluid motion the Manticore wrapped it's filthy teeth around me snatching me out of my makeshift den and flinging me across the glade. I gave a yelp of pain as I landed on my back, thankful that the rain had turned the rough dirt into a soup of leaves, sticks, and mud, breaking my fall and keeping my wings from taking any further damage."

"I tried desperately to stand. I had to run, to get away. But it was to no avail. My legs wouldn't respond to my commands. I was locked in place, paralyzed by fear. The Manticore seemed to notice this, approaching me slowly as if to savor the moment. I shut my eyes tightly, knowing it was the end, finding myself more than happy to accept death as it pounced towards me."

"Of course I would not be so lucky however. As I laid there I watched as a chimera jumped seemingly from nowhere, tackling the Manticore in mid air. I watched them slash at one another, teeth ripping into the others skin as their blood splashed onto the ground only to be washed away by the rain. I shut my eyes tightly, listening as their harsh screams pierced the night."

"Then, as quickly as it began... it stopped. I opened my eyes slowly to find the two monsters circling each other. I'm not sure where it came from, but I realized that I was freezing cold. As my body shivered and my teeth chattered, I have out a painful moan drawing the attention of both of the beasts. Their eyes bore into me, filled with a twisted feral pleasure. I sucked in my breath readying myself once again for my impending doom... but it never came."

“The two monsters looked at me then back to each other before sauntering away in opposite directions.” Fluttershy looked down towards the ground. We both knew what was coming next. This was the hard part of the story.

“It was then that I realized just how worthless my life was. I was pathetic, useless. Nopony wanted anything to do with me. I was such a miserable creature that two bloodthirsty mindless beasts didn’t think I was worth their time fighting over. I was so distraught I actually started calling out for them. Can you believe that? I was so DESPERATE for even the slightest bit of attention, for anypony’s approval, no matter how small, that I began begging two giant monsters to come back and eat me alive, just so I wouldn’t be a waste of space any longer. That’s all I wanted, all I ever wanted. To be acknowledged, recognized, given a purpose. But that day made me realize, I didn’t have a purpose. I truly and legitimately was just a waste of this worlds resources. A parasite that ate the food of others and stole their precious oxygen for my own filthy desire to live, a desire I apparently didn’t have the right to.”

“Coming to a conclusion like that… is liable to make anypony do things they’d regret. I wasn’t completely unscarred from the throw the manticore had done. His teeth had pierced me in more than a few places, all of which were by that point filled with tainted dirty water. If I didn’t catch a cold from the wet and rain, then I was liable to get ten other diseases from whatever was floating around in my body. I was positive my time was up, that if I tried to survive any longer I’d die a slow and painful death and so I waited. I laid there in the mud, pelted on by rain colder than the blizzard that sealed the crystal empire for a thousand years. I had given up, on life, on happiness, on everything. I wasn’t sure what hurt more, the fact that there was nothing left for me, or that there was nothing for me to begin with.”

“After a time the rain let up. Light, or what little of it could filter through the Everfree’s thick dead canopy, enveloped the glade I resided in. I’m not sure exactly how much time I spent lying on the ground. Hours no doubt, though it felt more like an eternity. Eventually I got tired, even more so than I already was. Not sleepy mind you, just tired. Tired of waiting, as that was all I’d ever done, just wait for things to start to look up, to get a little better, I got up and began mindlessly walking, a single nagging thought in my mind…”

“It didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for. It was sitting right next to a small stream in the middle of the woods. To be honest it was quite pretty, that section of the woods I mean. For whatever reason fireflies were whizzing about despite it being the early morning. Crickets were chirping quietly and the birds were just beginning their morning songs. It even seemed as though the previous nights storm hadn’t touched that place. In fact, the death and gloom that was so prevalent in the Everfree forest didn’t seem to reach there at all. Flowers bloomed between blades of green grass, small animals scampered about like they had not a care in the world. The trees stood tall and strong, their thick branches covered in beautiful green leaves and some even bearing fruit. It was such a nice sight that it caused the few doubts I’d had up until that moment to fade away. If I was to die, that was an absolutely wonderful place to do it.”

“I remember taking a small bath in the stream. I’m not sure why, I guess I just wanted to be clean when I passed, perhaps it was my final rights, or maybe I was just stalling for extra time. Whatever the case, I stepped out of the stream carefully shaking myself dry and walked onto the banks of the water. I looked down at the tool of my destruction, the instrument that would decide my fate. It was a rock. A simple, very sharp rock I had used quite some time ago to whittle the branches I had used to tie the splint for my leg. I had wandered there looking for it, knowing that it would be in this area, though I couldn’t remember that place looking the way it did at all. I was positive the last time I had been there that it was just as dark and twisted as the rest of the forest.”

“I laid down on a boulder not far away, rubbing the little rock against it to make sure it was sharp enough to do the job. If I didn’t do it right I was going to suffer a lot longer than I wanted to.” Tears finally began to fall from Fluttershy’s eyes, no longer able to hold back the pain anymore. Though the tears fell like water falls she remained silent. Her ability to remain vigilant in her duties as a guardian even under such emotional duress amazed me. As I said before being a guardian makes us more attune to nature and the natural order of things so we guardians have to undergo special training to teach us to control our emotions rather than just letting them flow out. After all, you didn’t want your anger to take hold of you in a fight and cause you to get reckless and die, and besides you can’t go out into the regular world when you keep voicing every little opinion that comes through your mind. Being a creature of the Everfree made it hard enough to fit in socially, you didn’t need to ruin what little chance you had by being rude to everypony.

“Finally I decided it was time and yes, I’m sure you have this image in your head of me having this big mental struggle, battling it out with myself as I held the rock over my hoof, taking several long minutes to try and decide whether that was really what I wanted… but you couldn’t be further from the truth. The moment I was done sharpening it I just gave a little smile and made the cut that would end my life. I didn’t even hesitate. I didn’t fear death. I wasn’t scared of dying. No, for me death was more than welcome. It was comforting in that it was the only thing in this world that would accept me. No one else wanted me, not even the dreaded beasts that call this forest their home. But death is the greatest beast of them all. It is a monster whose hunger is never ending, never sated, always begging for more. Death does not discriminate, it does not hate over things as foolish as not having parents or being afraid to fly. All it does is eat away at the world, waiting patiently for the day it can consume everything. It desires nothing more than to fill its stomach with all that existence itself can offer… and I was more than willing to give it a little snack.”

“As the blood spilled from my wrist onto the large rock underneath me, I rested my head on my other hoof giving out a contented sigh. It was over, it was done. No longer would I have to suffer, no longer would I be useless and take up the space that other people had so desperately needed. I was free at last. Miserable, but free. I felt my head begin to spin as my body became light and fuzzy. Not long after that I closed my eyes letting darkness overtake me as I happily began to pass to the next world… and then… he came.” Fluttershy began to smile, and so did I. It was the same feeling as the day master had found me. That feeling of hope, of love and light and his simple, gentle kindness.

“I heard a voice. No that’s not right. I felt his voice. It reverberated throughout my entire being asking me a simple question: Do you want to live Fluttershy? I remember being thoroughly surprised. It was rare to ever hear my name unless it was being used in some rhyme made to put me down. What’s more, it was being used by a voice I did not recognize, if you could really even call it a voice. Of course, it didn’t really matter to me who was speaking as I kindly told the voice no.”

“Are you sure? he asked me again and I replied simply that yes, I was sure I wanted to die. I remember thinking about how death needed me to help sate his hunger. He spoke again after that thought, like he was reading my mind. Death does not need you Fluttershy. There are plenty who die everyday and he never grows full. Death would not even notice if he consumed a filly as small as you. I was upset by that. Death was all I had left anymore and here he was telling me that it was completely pointless to give myself over to it. Of course, I realized he was right. I think I knew that from the beginning, but just didn’t want to admit it to myself. Naturally though that only served to make me even more miserable than I already was. I seemed I couldn’t get anything right, even dying. No wonder nopony cared about me.”

“And once again like he was reading my mind, he spoke. I care about you Fluttershy. He said. I was shocked and tried quickly to deny his statement assuring myself he was just toying with my emotions, a cruel trick to play on a dying filly. In fact, I don’t just care about you, I need you. he said again. It stung hearing that. To say he cared was one thing, but that he actually needed me? That was preposterous.”

“Listen. I said. I'm quite happy now, with my decision. I’m ready to die. Even if you were to help me, there’s nowhere for me to go. Nopony cares about me. Nopony loves me. Nopony needs me. I’m… I’m useless…"

Not to me Fluttershy. To me you are a young filly whose life has only just begun. You fear that you will have nowhere to go, nopony to turn to, but I can quell that fear with ease. If you desire a home, I shall give it. If you wish for company, then the best of it I shall keep. If you long for purpose, then I can bestow upon you even that wish by making you a guardian. You are dying Fluttershy, just as you desire and you can never return to the life you once knew. But I can wipe the slate clean, grant you a new life that fulfills all the wishes of the old one. But I can’t do it without your help. Please, trust in me Fluttershy. Let me help you. I will ask one more time: Do you want to live?

“Funny isn’t it? I had no problem with death, but the moment someone offered me a completely new life with all of my hopes and dreams granted I hesitated. Doesn’t make a lot of sense does it? I know it’s a hard concept to swallow, but at the time death just seemed so… right. I had come to believe it was the only answer to all of my problems, yet here I was being given a choice between everything and nothing. Of course as you can see my answer was quite obvious. I knew it had gotten me in quite a bit of trouble not that long ago, but once more I decided to tempt fate, to try my luck with one more hand. And for once, just that once… it paid off.”

“Yes I said, and I could feel the joy and relief he felt sweep through my body. Then open your eyes little filly, and sing with me. I did as he asked of course and was met with the most beautiful sight in my entire life. The whole forest was lit aglow without a trace of the horrid monstrosity it normally was anywhere. Even the little stream shined with a wondrous fluorescent light. I was so happy to get the chance to see something like that, and that happiness would continue on for the next three months as I completed my training.”

“And that is the truth as to what happened that day. I spent the next three months under the tutelage of my master before I completed my training and was sent back into the regular world.” I grit my teeth in annoyance. Fluttershy was by far the weakest of us, well maybe not anymore with our most recent addition, but she had completed the training faster than any pony before or since. Unfortunately I wasn’t exactly the best student. My pride constantly got in the way of my training over the past three years, and if I’m honest with myself then the truth is I was actually taking a little longer than normal to finish my training. Most were done in two years or so with the longest being ten years and my training was almost done. So while I may not have been the fastest ever, I certainly wasn’t the slowest and as long as I avoided that I was more or less pleased with myself.

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow whispered. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”

Fluttershy shot the rainbow-maned pegasus a look of disgust I didn’t know was possible for the mare. There was a torrent of emotions that passed over her face so quickly even my eyes couldn’t keep up. I almost felt bad for Rainbow Dash, whatever Fluttershy was about to say next was going to hurt… a lot.

“Don’t. Talk. To. Me.”

“What? But Fluttershy! I’m your friend!” Fluttershy let out another one of her crazed cackles from earlier.

“My FRIEND? Tell me Rainbow, do you know what the hardest part about that whole ordeal was?” The cyan mare didn’t respond. Either she was afraid of the answer, or she already knew it and just didn’t want to hear it. I was willing to bet the latter. “No answer? Alright I’ll tell you.” With a flap of her wings Fluttershy took to the air for a moment before landing gently in front of Rainbow Dash. “The hardest part… was coming home after four whole months in the Everfree… and finding out that no one even knew I was gone. That no one had bothered to go looking for me just as I thought.” Fluttershy turned back towards me, inhaling sharply as to keep from shouting and alerting any monsters in the vicinity. She turned her head back to Rainbow looking at her with a deadpan stare. “Not even my one and only friend.” She looked away from Rainbow before taking off again and landing back next to me.

“Listen Rainbow, I hate to say this as it goes against masters teaching of forgiving and forgetting, but I just can’t accept how you did nothing. It hurt, it’s been hurting for all these years and there’s nothing you can do to make up for it. We’re not friends Rainbow, we never were and we never will be. I’ve been playing pretend for a long time to help keep my secret as a guardian and I’ll continue to do so to conceal my identity from the rest of ponyville, but know this, any time that it’s any sort of combination of me, you, Rarity, or Twilight, I will not show you any sort of kindness. Consider our friendship,” she placed a hoof to her mouth, like the very notion of being friends with Rainbow Dash made her nauseous. “done.”

Rainbows eyes welled up as tears slowly fell from her face. I didn’t really know how to feel. I didn’t pity her that was for sure, but I wasn’t upset with her either. Maybe it’s because the situation was so different for me. Ponies went searching for me after I died however master made sure to keep me away from them. I didn’t know that anypony had searched for me at all until the day that my father died. My master had decided at that point that I was ready to know the truth, not that it bothered me at all. I had figured that had been the case from the get go. A stallion as rich as my father would never have just let me disappear without offering quite a bit of money to anypony who could find me and I was okay with that. The only thing I wanted to know when he told me was how he managed to keep me hidden from them during the first week that I was in the forest, the one I spent wandering around looking for a way out. He just chuckled telling me he wasn’t sure himself and while I’m almost certain he was lying, I’ve learned not to question him. If he didn’t tell me then I probably didn’t want to know or simply wouldn’t understand.

“Tiara.” Fluttershy called and I quickly snapped back into reality, turning my head towards her. She had an incredibly worried look on her face, almost… terrified. I was about to ask her what was wrong, until my eyes focused onto the situation around us.

I wasn’t sure how, but we were surrounded. Monsters of varying shapes and sizes had appeared as if from nowhere. I turned my body looking in every direction trying to gauge the situation. I tried counting how many, the various species, the possible escape routes and best plans of action but I couldn’t find any indication of what to do. Beasts were everywhere, stalking across the ground coming to us ever so slowly with hungry gazes. Some crawled up and down the trees while others still flew in the air above us. Even the ground beneath me had begun to shake as some of the creatures began burrowing underground.

What truly had me scared though wasn’t the number of monsters, but the type. Every single one was a creature from the Twilightwoods and while none of them were higher level beasts, there were far too many for me to beat. All of this should have been impossible though. For there to be this many the entire barrier would have to be almost completely gone.

I let out a string of heavy curses as I slammed my hoof into the dirt. If it was just Fluttershy and I we could get out of this mess just fine. Sure we couldn’t beat them all, but we could easily run away even from something like this. Unfortunately we didn’t have that luxury. With Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash here, Fluttershy and I were duty bound to protect them and there was no way we could do that given our circumstances.

I leaped off the ledge and stood as best I could between the monsters and the group of ponies with Fluttershy flying down and doing the same on the opposite side. Many of the weaker creatures backed up immediately at the sight of us, but the stronger ones stood their ground, some even advancing forward a few steps. Twilight started walking away from Rainbow Dash and Rarity forming a kind of triangle between her, Fluttershy, and I. Under other circumstances I would have protested, but she WAS an alicorn, albeit an inexperienced one that knew nothing of fighitng. She was certainly better off than her two friends.

We seemed to be locked in a stalemate. We weren’t going to attack because we knew we would lose, but the monsters were hesitant to strike the first blow out of sheer fear of Fluttershy and I. Sure, Fluttershy wasn’t strong enough to fight anything from the Twilightwoods, but she was still a guardian, and that alone can scare some beasts into submission even if they know they can beat you with ease. I was glad for the stalemate though. So long as it stayed like that we were all safe.

But when did I ever have that kind of luck?

“What?! Scared of us are ya?! Come on down here and fight us you giant bags of trash! I’ll kick your flanks into next year! Nobody messes with Rainbow Dash!” the cyan mare screamed. All of a sudden monsters began to charge us from every direction. I cursed the world and everything in it. By Everfree that mare is an idiot! We were fine and then she had to go and flap her big mouth!

I reared onto my hind legs, ready to smash them into the ground and attack with everything I had, when a powerful force suddenly swept through the forest speaking to me. It was so strong, yet so quiet. Like an enraged whisper.

Stand down. I will handle this.

Fluttershy and I both turned our heads back to the ledge we had been standing on not moments ago as did every single monster in the vicinity. There standing before us with a small white filly tucked against one of his legs by his wing, was my master, Lord Everfree.

Fluttershy and I instinctively bowed without hesitation. Many of the monsters immediately tried to turn tail and run, but with a single flash of my masters horn, they blew up, they’re bodies disintegrating into ash. Realizing it was fruitless to run, the remaining monsters charged at my master. He reared onto his hindlegs, letting out a battlecry that ripped the ground apart. His mane and tail flared brightly, their light engulfing everything around us as he cast his spell. In an instant the forest sprung to life just as it had when I died, only this time the forest didn’t feel warm and kind. It seemed angry and distraught, as though the presence of the beasts was violating it in the most horrid of ways. Roots and branches wrapped around many of the monsters, crushing them into dust while others sunk into the ground and were consumed. The strongest beasts managed to avoid these dangers and continued charging at my master. For a moment, just a brief moment I was worried for him. But he quickly laid that worry to rest. Another flash of light from his horn and the ridge he was standing on rose into the air, creating a wall of earth that breached the forest canopy and was as tall as the skyscrapers in Manehattan. Suddenly all I saw was green and my body felt like it was being squeezed through a tube. When my vision returned I found myself and the others standing at his side next on top of the pillar.

When I looked out over the forest my jaw dropped as my eyes filled with tears. The forest, the entire forest, was in full bloom. There was no sight of the Everfree I had come to know. Instead a sea of beautiful trees and plants spread out as far as my eyes could see. It was breathtaking, for I knew that what I was seeing was not the Everfree forest. This was a glimpse at the forests true identity, the place I longed to call my real home. This was the Garden of Eden.

It was then I noticed something peculiar. Strange creatures began to rise and fall out of the trees, like jumping dolphins. They were all sorts of different shapes and sizes, but each and every one was made of a strange wispy blue vapor. At first I thought that monsters had escaped the Duskwoods as well, until I realized that I couldn’t feel any sort of malice from them. In fact I could barely sense anything from them at all and what I could feel felt strong, kind, and protective.

Then I realized what they were. These were the old spirits, the creatures that helped Everfree defend this place before he began using his guardians. But they died when Eden became corrupted so I could only assume these were the echoes of their former selves. I glanced over to my left and looked at Fluttershy. Like me, she was mesmerized by the sight in front of us. She must have noticed my staring for she turned her head to mine giving me a gentle smile. I was surprised though when her eyes grew wide in shock as she looked over my head. Wondering what could possibly have caused that I followed her gaze… and my jaw hit the ground.

It would seem the forest was not the only thing that had been revived. Just like his home, so too had my master taken his true form. His eyes were no longer their harsh yellow, but a soft and beautiful blue. His mane and tail still shone a bright florescent green, but it seemed gentler somehow, calmer. Before it would jolt about like it was being whipped around by a strong wind, but now it flowed smooth and effortlessly, like it was being caressed with a warm breeze. His coat once black as midnight was now a light brown like sand and had grown in length near the ends of his hooves causing them to fall over the now green tipped hooves in small strands. A silver crown now adorned his head, spreading out at the sides like small wings.

I think what caught my eye most was his cutie mark. It was the same moving cutie mark I’d seen a hundred times before, but with one major difference, the world didn’t look the way it really did. The weather seemed to be perfect almost everywhere, raining where it should be raining, clouds where it needed to be cloudy, clear skies in all the right places, and that wasn’t all. I saw the many cities and towns that existed on the planet but they all seemed so different, the crystal empire was lit all aglow in a way I’d never even heard of. Canterlot was filled with incredibly vibrant colors so much so that the entire mountainside seemed to come to life. The strangest part was looking at what should have been the Everfree forest. Rather than the black thorns I was used to was a section of beautiful flora that radiated with energy. At its center was a city surrounded by a beautiful lagoon that seemed to float slightly above the rest of the forest. I knew what that was. It was Babylon, the hanging gardens where the guardians of Eden once resided deep in The Heart before the everything became corrupted. Long ago, that would have been the place I’d called home.

It was then, looking at the lost city, that I realized what his cutie mark was representing. In his other form, you saw the world for what it was, but now I could see it for what it SHOULD have been. This cutie mark was showing the world as it was meant to be. Where if everypony worked together and truly put their differences aside that was what would become of it. It gave me both a feeling of incredible hope and terrible despair. To see such a perfect world would make me the happiest mare in the world, but knowing that we were so far from it… well that was just depressing.

I looked up to him, shocked to see the sad but gentle smile on his face. All my life I had never seen him anything but stoic. I could feel his emotions rushing through me, the happiness at seeing his forest alive once again, and the sorrow of knowing it would soon come to an end. I watched as he closed his eyes, his horn glowing a gentle green as he cast another spell. Suddenly our pillar began to shake and I remembered the monsters that had attacked us. Taking a step back in surprise I found us to be surrounded by monsters for at least a mile in every direction. I had thought that the monsters near us were at a standstill because they were afraid of us. Now I could see they were simply waiting on reinforcements. Talk about overkill.

I watched as the earth around us began to rise, creating a small island that floated up, around, and above our pillar, leaving a massive scar in the ground. I could hear the monsters screaming as they realized what was going to happen to them. In their panic I watched as many of them dared to jump off the sides in some bleak form of hope rather than suffer whatever punishment my master was about to bestow. Slowly the small island began to curve inward until it became a solid mass of rock and dirt. Groaning from the strain of the spell my master smashed the ball back into the ground like a meteor. The massive structure slowly began to fill out the space that it had once covered and began to regrow all the trees, flowers, and other foliage that had been destroyed until finally it looked like nothing had ever happened, the monsters all swallowed by the earth.

The pillar we stood on shook one last time as it sank back to its original position. When it finally locked back into its proper place, my master collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted and his breathing incredibly heavy. Fluttershy and I rushed to his sides as the forest once again withered and died and he reverted back to his old form. “Lord Everfree!” I whispered. “Lord Everfree are you alright?”

It took a long time to respond. Too long.

I am fine Tiara. Just tired.

I quickly tried to mutter an apology for messing up on my mission but he interrupted me.

Tiara, do not fret. I am not upset with you. If anything I’m quite glad you’re here. You and your sister both. Fluttershy come. Take this foal. She is your new sister and while I wish I could take care of her myself as I have always done, I am afraid I am not in such a position to do so. Also take… him.

A ball of green light flashed in front of us and we came to find another young child. In fact once I caught closer look I realized it was Rumble… but… he wasn’t…
I tried to save him, but he would not accept my help. Take his remains back to his family. They deserve closure. As for you Tiara. I froze upon hearing my name. Even though he said he wasn’t upset with me that didn’t mean I was any less ashamed of myself. Your mission remains the same. Get to Canterlot as quickly as you can and alert the princesses. Your elder sister will be there should you need assistance. I would ask her of this task if I could, but my current lack of strength prevents me from being able to send a message that far out. Please Tiara, I need your help. I am not angry at you, but please no more distractions.

I lowered my head in shame, my reply barely more than a whisper. Without looking back I turned around and took off towards Canterlot at top speed. No more distractions just like he said. Go to Canterlot. Find the princesses. Come home. That. Was. It.

Author's Note

!!!FEEL SHIELD ACTIVATED!!!

So there were a few things I wanted to do with this chapter and one of them was to give a show of Lord Everfree's power. I wanted you to be able to see that while yes he's strong beyond imagination, such as destroying all of those monsters, there's a limit to what he can do, such as not being able to save Rumble.

Also I know that I stop mentioning the actions of Twilight and the others once Everfree arrives, but I wanted to concentrate on Tiara's emotions to seeing Eden for the first time since she herself is a guardian and thus it would hold a much greater significance to her.

Oh, and 100 internets to you if you caught the Monty Python reference.

Finally I'd like to give a big thanks to all of you who read this story!

Secrets of Paradise Falls Part 1

My heart was uneasy as I dashed through the streets of Ponyville. When I had first left the forest, I had stopped by Fluttershy’s house, picking up a small bag of longevity seeds and enough bits to get myself a train ticket. It was times like these I wished I hadn’t been born an earth pony. Sure being a guardian gives me access to all sorts of different abilities and knowledge unknown to anyone else in the world, but that didn’t deter my jealousy at all. I mean, who wouldn’t want to use magic or fly? Then again all ponies want what they can’t have. Who’s to say there aren’t unicorns or pegasi who would like to trade their wings and horns for a stronger set of hooves?

One of the sadder sights on my way to the train station was seeing an obviously depressed Thunderlane, flanked on either side by Flitter and Cloudchaser. They didn’t know yet. I felt for them. So far as they told everypony it was just Thunderlane and Cloudchaser in a relationship, but it only really took one look at the three to tell Flitter was involved too. Herds weren’t quite as common as they used to be in Equestria, but they made me more comfortable to see. After all a herd is a natural thing for ponies, and being from the Everfree I’m all about natural things whether I want to be or not thanks to my position as a guardian and the influence of the forest.

Rumble and Thunderlanes parents died before Rumble ever had the chance to know them. Rather than get sent to an orphanage, Thunderlane picked up the slack, got a job, and started caring for his little brother himself. Since at the time Flitter and Cloudchaser were such good friends of his, they decided to help him out, getting jobs themselves and giving him a portion of the money. As they all grew up they pretty much became a family. With Thunderlane, Flitter, and Cloudchaser acting as parents and Rumble pretty much being their kid. I had a feeling that his death was going to be harder on them than I could ever imagine.

As I rounded another corner I tried to put my mind elsewhere. That topic was just too depressing and the urge to turn around and tell them was too strong. With nothing left to do, I turned my mind to the situation at hand. I had never seen my master in such a state before. He looked thoroughly exhausted and more than a little worse for wear. By now Fluttershy was undoubtedly taking care of master’s injuries, not that there were very many. She was a far better healer than she was a fighter, or so I was told. As for me I had to make it to Canterlot as quickly as possible and the best way to do that was by boarding the train. Getting on the train wasn’t an issue for me. Ponies tend to be so trusting they don’t think twice about a small child getting on a train all by her lonesome wearing a tattered and nasty looking old cloak. Nope, perfectly normal.

All these years in the Everfree taught me how easy we have it. Master does a lot of work keeping the beasts in the Everfree in check and the world has been prosperous because of his actions. If the walls around the Everfree were to fall, I’m not sure the world would be able to handle it. A thousand years ago, when the monsters roamed freely and ponies and others dealt with them on a daily basis, perhaps if they still had the kill or be killed mentality of back then they would have a chance, but the world has grown complacent with their station in life and no longer has the capability to defend itself. Sure, they can fight wars with other countries and hold their own, but the only ones who fight those wars are trained soldiers. Most civilized creatures, pony or no, didn’t have that combat expertise, and even the ones that did lacked the power to take on anything that wasn’t from the Dawnwoods.

The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon as I purchased my ticket and boarded the train. Looking behind me, images of my past flashed through my mind like a movie reel. If I fail, and my master falls, then so to will the walls… and the first place that would take the hit would be Ponyville.

I lived in Canterlot my whole life up until I became a guardian, but I still went to school in Ponyville. At the time I couldn’t have cared less about the ponies that lived there, but since my training began I’ve gained a new sense of appreciation for the old easy life I lived. I’ve realized how pointlessly selfish and cruel I was, how I looked down on others just because others looked down on me. Being an earth pony in unicorn noble dominated Canterlot, even if you’re the daughter of a multibillion dollar stallion, was hard. Being forced to go to school in a backwater town made it even harder. And not being able to spend any time with my father after my mother passed… that just made it near impossible to cope. I could remember the day I died, the heavy weights I felt as I sat on the swing set waiting to be picked up. I kept trying to tell myself that it was just a stomach ache or something equally ridiculous. I kept trying to convince my tiny little mind that a girl who can get whatever she wants just by throwing a few bits around didn’t have any reason to complain. Well I was right. Even then my life was great. Sure, I was lonely, but at least I was alive. Can’t really say that anymore. Being a guardian of the Everfree is more like being a zombie. Sure I’m walking around, but when I have to either eat seeds or live in a forest to keep my body from falling apart, is it really all worth it?

Some would argue that yes, it is worth it. I’m alive, therefore it’s worth it. But being alive and actually living are two entirely different things. I can’t do the things other ponies do anymore. I can’t fall in love, marry some wonderful stallion, and have cute little minio- I mean foals. Okay maybe I could technically do the first two, but that wouldn’t exactly be an easy thing to accomplish. First there’s the truth about me being a creature of the Everfree. Even if I did somehow manage to reveal my true form without them running away screaming, what kind of stallion would want to put up with a girl whose as high maintenance as me? And I mean that in multiple ways. I’ve always been high maintenance, that much is a given, but it’s even worse now as some of the things about me are real issues I have to take care of.

I have to eat a seed every day. I can only eat very specialized foods. I have to keep my secret. I have to continue physical training for three hours a day. Unless I live in Canterlot I have to live somewhere nearby to the forest, like Ponyville. I have to leave whenever my master calls regardless of where I am or what I’m doing. I can’t get accidentally impaled and have ponies wondering why in Tartarus I’m walking around like its nothing.

Okay maybe that last one is relatively easy to avoid but that’s not the point.

The point is when you add all of those things on top of my already very demanding personality, even if said personality has been toned down quite a bit, you get a pony that’s… well… very hard to love. And then of course there’s that one big problem about having children. I can’t have any.

Normally something like that wouldn’t bother me given my age, but I’m connected to the forest and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the most natural thing about that natural world was the ability to create new life. An ability I was now lacking. Guardians can’t have children. That’s just the way it is. Think of it as the big price we have to pay for coming back from the dead.

Throughout all of time every unicorn that has ever lost a loved one has dived into necromancy at some point or another and for whatever idiotic reason the one thing they all come to agree on is the one thing that keeps their spells from working. Well… aside from the fact that you HAVE to be an Alicorn to even CONSIDER casting the spell. And that one thing is this ridiculous idea of ‘Equivalent Exchange’. It means to create something you have to give up something of equal value, or in other words you have to give as good as you get. In the case of bringing back the dead, that should mean you’d have to give another life.

Which, when you really think about it, makes absolutely no sense.

The way my master explained it to me was you’re trying to bring somepony who’s already dead, back to life and your logical solution is to kill somepony else? It doesn’t matter if you give death one pony, two ponies, or a thousand ponies he’s not going to care. A life isn’t worth just one other life. Every life is more precious than anything else and you expect to match the loss of infinity by taking away another infinity? Come on. You’re not just trying to create another living creature with its own mind and body, you’re trying to take a creature that already HAD a mind and body, pull it out from the grasp of DEATH ITSELF, the all consuming beast who no creature can escape the grasp of forever, even the alicorns, and bring it BACK to the world of the living. You don’t just have to equal a single life, you have to equal out all the lives death has ever taken.

Of course that’s where the punishment comes in. You could always give up something even more precious, the ability to bring life into this world at all. That is worth SO much more. Any mare or stallion could have any number of children with any number of partners, who could then in turn provide any number of children of their own with any number of partners of their own and the cycle can just continue like that on and on and on. If every life is worth an infinite amount, then what about all those lives that never actually get to live? What if you give up an infinite number of infinites?

Do that and THEN you’ll get deaths attention.

And so that is the price that we all pay for being brought back. Of course whatever forces of the universe that control this world are no fools. Whoever or whatever it is that keeps all of existence running, is smart enough to know that any creature brought back to life could easily just adopt or take in a child to care for as their own, so obviously there are going to be other downsides as well. Such as having to eat a seed everyday so I don’t end up with a big hole in my stomach.

I was lying down quite comfortably on one of the train seats while all of these thoughts rushed through my head. I was exhausted. The past twenty four hours had been nothing but running and fighting almost non stop. Sure that’s all I’ve done for the past three years, but most of my fighting today has been outside of the forest where I’m far weaker. Being able to sit down and just relax for two or three hours like this was a small blessing in my current state.

I heard my stomach rumble and quickly remembered the apple I got from the farm. Reaching into my cloak pocket I pulled out the delicious red orb and took my first bite of apple in three years, savoring the taste as the juices filled my mouth. It’s not like there isn’t tasty food in the Everfree. The forest is filled with all sorts of delicious treats, you just have to know what you’re looking for and where to look for it. And besides, if I ever go too long without being able to forage anything, there are plenty of wild animals for me to roast on a stick.

Yeah, that fang I get in my true form isn’t just for show you know, nor is it the only one. I have others, that ones just really long. My guardian body is built to help me survive a living hell. It would only make sense that it would provide me with a way to eat as much food as possible to sustain myself. At first the idea of eating meat bothered me. I mean what pony wouldn’t be freaked out about that? But when you get hungry enough… well let’s just say I’ve eaten things I’d really rather not talk about.

As I took the last few bites of my apple I jumped a little as a harsh pinging sound rung through the trains cabin, the telltale sign of an announcement coming up over a speaker. “Hello everypony,” said a gruff stallions voice. “For those of you getting off at Canterlot please get ready to depart. For those remaining with us until we reach Baltimare, please take your seats if you haven’t already so that other passengers may get off and on safely. Thank you for choosing the Ponyville Ex-”

A spark lit up in the top right corner of our train cabin, shutting off the speaker and scaring everypony inside. Not a moment later the train began shaking violently. Ponies began screaming as they ran to the windows to see what was going on. I did the same thing and the sight left me speechless.

Black roots as big around as the train I was riding on and easily ten times the length were beginning to grow out of the mountain that Canterlot was situated on. One of these roots was pushing up against the tracks built into the mountain, threatening to send the entire train and the station it was connected to tumbling down the side of the mountain. I opened the window, sticking my head out to get a better view.

The city was in chaos. Ponies were running everywhere, screaming at the top of their lungs. If it weren’t for the fact that I was about to plummet do my death, I would have face hoofed. Instead I simply decided to give the whole city a deadpan stare. I mean really? They’re just tree roots. Aside from the train I was on they weren’t causing any real problems at all. Those ponies should be far more concerned about WHY there are tree roots popping out of the ground. At least that’s what had ME worried. I guess I can’t blame them though. Three years ago I would have done the exact same thing.

Unfortunately for me I had more important issues to deal with. The train tracks were built on metal supports that were drilled into the mountainside. Kind of like a roller coaster but much bigger and without the loop de loops. The tree root started jutting out right from under the station where it turned and began growing around the tracks like a vine.

I sighed. This wasn’t exactly a difficult problem, all I had to do was make pillars pop out of the mountain side and cut the root in all the places that were covering the track, then retract the pillars so that the train didn’t smash into them. It was actually quite simple. No, the problem came with the fact I was stuck in a crowded train car with a bunch of random ponies who would undoubtedly freak out, and maybe even attack me, the minute I took my true form.

I took my head out of the window and backed up a bit, beginning my chant. I would have to deal with this whether I wanted to or not, so it wasn’t exactly like I had a choice. Besides, my duty as a guardian demands I protect these ponies, even if they’re too stupid to figure out they’re being protected.

As I finished my chant and took my true form I got the exact response I was hoping to avoid. Ponies started screaming monster over and over again and this one brown earth pony stallion even stood in front of what I could only assume was his wife and kids in a valiant effort to protect them before charging at me like an idiot. Without even looking at him, I kicked him in the head and knocked him out. Well at least he gets an ‘A’ for effort.

With that minor inconvenience out of the way I reared up on my back hooves, eliciting even more screams from the passengers on board the train, and slammed them into the seat I was standing on, waiting for the sound of moving earth slicing apart giant plant parts. Only there was one problem…

No such sound was being made.

I blinked in confusion, rearing onto my hind hooves once again and slamming back down only to get the same result. Ignoring the confused looks of the other passengers I stuck my head back out the window to find that nothing at all had changed. The mountain wasn’t growing spikes, the root was getting bigger and bigger, and the train was still hurdling towards it at high speeds set unfortunately on a collision course of impending death.

I felt myself revert to my original form as I sat back down, throwing a seed into my mouth almost instinctively before my body could begin to deteriorate. All right, so apparently this was NOT a simple fix. I started pacing back and forth as I thought about what was wrong. My powers had never failed for me before, so why now?! I would say that I was to far away from the forest, but I was actually beginning to feel somewhat stronger as those roots continued to grow. Meaning they were definitely from the Everfree so that couldn’t be it.

Then it hit me. I wasn’t on the ground! I was in a train that was more or less suspended in the air by a track. The entire time I was in the Everfree I was either on the ground or connected to something that was connected to the ground. Sure I could use my powers if I stood on a tall tree, but that’s only because trees are natural things. I was in a pony made box of refined steel that had all sorts of electrical and magical conduits running through its systems. My powers were completely useless! So of course I did exactly as I was taught NOT to do in situations like these.

I panicked.

Yup, there I was, the big bad guardian of the Everfree, running around in circles like a filly chasing her own tail as I screamed the futility of our situation at the top of my lungs. Any other time I would have looked downright adorable. Now was not that time.

Once again the train shook violently this time accompanied by the sound of crashing earth. Excited by the idea that my powers had simply taken a little longer than normal to kick in, I peeked my head outside once more… and was met with an utterly horrific sight.

One of the roots had popped out of the mountain, right overtop some of the buildings in Canterlot. I watched with a frozen gaze as the tip of the root slowly began to form a black flower bud. My body began to shake in fear. I knew what that was. I’d seen it before. It was a siren of doom, a harbinger of death. I wanted nothing more than to tear my eyes away, but found them glued to the monstrosity. Slowly the flower bud began to bloom, taking on the form of what would otherwise have been a beautiful black rose half the size of the palace. But this rose was far from the innocent breathtaking view it fancied itself to be as it opened up fully, revealing a hollow hole in the center of the cursed flora.

Tears streamed down my face. I knew what was coming, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. The ponies of Canterlot stood speechless as they gazed at it in wonder. The screaming and shouting had died down and the whole city had gone quiet. I wanted to shout, to tell them to run. I wanted someone to let them know that they needed to just abandon everything and make a break for it, but I knew it was futile. My voice would never reach them from here.

I watched as some of the Pegasi from the royal guards flew up to the opening. I pitied them, for I knew they would be the first to die. They hovered near the entrance, weapons raised in oblivious futility as they grew closer. And in an instant it happened. Tendrils made of pure shadows shot out from the darkness of the flower, impaling each of the guards in all of their vital points and killing them instantly. At least their deaths were quick…

The rest of the city would not be so lucky.

Shocked gasps rang out all across Canterlot as they witnessed the guards get struck down so quickly, their bodies being pulled back into the abysmal blackness of the flowers center. A few short seconds passed before a series of roars pierced the air causing the whole mountain to tremble. Monsters began to pour out of the flowers center. Some taking to the skies, others falling to the ground below. The royal guard tried to form some sort of defensive position in an attempt to halt the enemy’s movement, but the dreaded beasts cut a swath through them like a knife cuts through butter.

It took seconds for the entire city to erupt into total chaos. The monsters that poured out of the flower feasted on the city’s citizens like they were at a feast. Most ran, some tried to fight back only to fail miserably. There was nothing they could do. I had seen some of these monters before. They were all from the Duskwoods. Even I wouldn’t be able to take just one of them. If I couldn’t do it, I knew they had no chance.

The whole scene brought back the memories from when I had first seen one of these flowers a little over a two years ago. There was a settlement of ponies who lived in the Everfree forest on the outer edges of the Dawnwoods. On my masters request I had dealt with them several times and I considered them good company, though they only ever saw me with reverence. They knew that my master was king of the wood and that I was one of his direct servants. That was enough for them to show complete and total respect towards me and everything I said and hey, I am Diamond Tiara after all. It wasn’t like I was going to complain about a bunch of ponies bowing down to me every time I came near them.

Of course… all good things eventually come to an end. My master sent me to investigate strange occurrences that had been taking place in the woods near the settlement. I searched high and low for any sort of disturbances, but could find nothing aside from the ground seeming to shift in an odd way, which, in the Everfree, isn’t all that much of something to be worried about most of the time.

On what was supposed to be the night of my investigation, the ground ripped apart and a black rose sprout from the ground in the center of the settlement. It wasn’t nearly the size of the one overtop of Canterlot but the size is hardly what matters. It’s what they house inside, the monsters that are just dying to be fed.

And feed they did. Just like with Canterlot they swarmed from the flower, hard and fast and with barely any warning. I did the best I could to protect them. At the time I had only just started fighting the creatures in the Twilightwoods on a regular basis. And just like now the ones that sprouted from that flower were creatures from the Duskwoods. It was my first time ever encountering them, and I was practically powerless. There were only fifteen or so of them, but they overwhelmed me and the one hundred ponies that had been living there. As soon as I realized I was no match I immediately cried out for my masters help… but it was too late. It was over before it even began. By the time Lord Everfree arrived to end the onslaught, I had been heavily wounded and there were only four survivors. Two of whom had injuries so severe they didn’t make it through the night. In the end we were left with a teenage mare and a young colt barely older than a foal. I all but groveled at their feet asking for their forgiveness. To my surprise she wasn’t angry. Just sad. She told me she knew I did the best that I could, as did Lord Everfree.

I spent the next few days… cleaning up the mess. I buried who I could, the village girl assisting me as she helped me… well… figure out who was who from all the sticky bits. Master couldn’t stay with me of course, telling me he had far too much to do. I could feel his emotions flow through me, he didn’t want to leave me alone like that and it was tearing at his heart. But he had a job to do, one that couldn’t wait. Eventually once I had recovered from my injuries I led her and the child out of the forest at her request. I asked her where she intended on going and she told me she had an aunt living in Ponyville who broke away from the settlement when she was very young.

After that whole ordeal I asked my master what those flowers were, only to find that he himself had no idea. He had seen them a few times in the past. Strange black roses that popped out of the ground carrying anywhere from one to thousands of monsters that would pour out and attack anything in sight like a pack of starving wolves. They always came without warning and they always had monsters from the Duskwoods. He’s been investigating them for hundreds of years, yet hasn’t found out a single thing.

As I began sending silent prayers to my master for miracle, a sharp ringing resounded through the air followed by a flash of blue light and more violent shaking. Like everypony else I rushed over to one of the windows sticking out my head to a most welcoming sight.

Princess Luna was in the air zapping away at the vines and beasts covering the tracks with her magic. The other ponies began to whoop and rejoice, but I had more important matters to attend to. My panic attack having subsided I kicked my brain into overdrive. Now was a great chance to speak with one of the princesses.

Ducking my head back into the compartment I looked around. Master had taught me a way to catch the princesses attention in practically any circumstance, but if I did it while leaning my head out the window she would never be able to recognize who was doing it.

Looking around I tried to find some way to make me distinguishable. I briefly considered transforming and kicking the roof of the train car off, before realizing that would be a bad idea for a multitude of reasons. As I searched for something, anything, to help me my eyes landed on a latch in the roof. Perfect! That was exactly what I needed!

Grabbing random ponies luggage I began to stack things on top of one another to create a makeshift ladder up to the top of the car. The other ponies began to protest but all I had to do was shift into my true form for a moment to shut them up. Once I was at the top I pulled on the lever and kicked the small door completely off, giving me access to the roof.

I stood on top of the train watching Luna as she zapped the remaining roots off of the tracks. Ignoring the breathtaking view of the world below, I took in as deep a breath as I could manage just as my master had shown me. I didn’t have time to waste, Lord Everfree had given me a mission and it was high time I completed it.

With all the force I could manage, I let loose the guardians Battle Cry. My voice roared like thunder, creating a fearsome sound that would stop dragons in their tracks. To be honest the technique is really just an incomplete form of the Royal Canterlot voice. The only difference being that I can’t use it to speak, only to shout or scream or roar.

Needless to say it got her attention.

Luna’s head whipped around looking down the line of carts as she prepared another bolt of her magic, no doubt thinking that it had come from some sort of monster. Only instead of a monster all she found was a small pink earth pony jumping up and down and waving for her to come over with her hooves.

She looked at me confused for a moment, before taking flying over to me and landing on top of the train. I quickly bowed my head as she began to speak. “Art thou the one who made that undignified sound?” she asked.

“Yes Princess. My name is Diamond Tiara and I am a guardian from the Everfree.” Luna took a step back. Apparently she wasn’t expecting that.

“A guardian? Art thou telling us that thee has been sent by Lord Everfree?”

“Yes Princess! Lord Everfree requires the assistance of both you and your sister immediately!”

Luna looked down, her brow creasing with worry. “If Everfree hath called for us, then no doubt the situation must be grave indeed. However as thine eyes can clearly see, neither my sister nor we can leave Canterlot at the moment.”

“I understand your concerns princess, but I fear that if you do not hurry to his side, there may be no point in saving Canterlot at all!” Luna’s eyes grew wide at this as she took a step back. I had risen from my bow without permission to speak on more equal terms with her, further signifying the strength of my statement.

“Whatever couldst thou mean, child of the wood?”

“Princess, Lord Everfree is exhausted. I don’t know the details but something has gone horribly wrong in the forest! He’s being forced to weaken the walls to preserve strength and monsters are breaking out of the inner woods! If something is not done all the beasts in the Everfree will escape and wreak havoc everywhere! As much as I hate to say it, you must forget about Canterlot! Equestria, no, the entire WORLD is in danger! If you and Princess Celestia don’t leave now then it won’t matter if you save they city! It will burn in the end along with everything else!”

Luna stared at me and I was shocked to find that her legs had begun to shake. Was she… scared? Luna, princess of the night, master of the time when darkness thrives, was so terrified that she was going weak in the knees?

“Are thou sure thee are speaking the truth? There truly is no other option?” she whispered quietly as the train finally pulled into the station. Members of the royal guard and the CPD were escorting the passengers off of the train and into specified areas I couldn’t see from here.

“Yes Princess… I’m sorry.” Luna shut her eyes, a few tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. She didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want her to do this. Both she and Celestia were being forced to abandon their ponies when they needed them most. But if they didn’t go the results would be so much worse.

“Fine… I will get my sister and we will head to the forest as quickly as we possibly can. Before I do I have a favor to ask of you?” I perked my ears up, listening intently. “Forest Guardian Trainee Diamond Tiara, we beg of you to help defend our city. Please.”

I gave looked up into her eyes and gave her a warm smile. “I was going to do that anyways princess, though I must ask, how did you know I was a trainee?”

The princess gave a soft chuckle. “A fully trained guardian would know that they do not need to bow to a princess as we are of the same rank.” I took a step back. Seriously? I was on equal terms with the princesses?

“Seriously?”

“Quite. It tends to be one of the last things that Everfree teaches his young guardians. Thou will understand why when thy training is complete. Now we must ask does thou have any apples of discord?” I shook my head. No I didn’t have anything of the sort. Just a bag of longevity seeds. Theoretically I could down the whole bag and that would let my fight just as long as an apple would, but that wouldn’t be good for me in the slightest. While longevity seeds came from apples of discord, the way the two work is very different. Apples of Discord are kind of like energy drinks. They provide a quick short term power boost that leave you a bit winded after they wear off. Longevity seeds are more like steroids. If taken in the correct doses over time they help keep a weak body strong, take too many at once or too often though, and the effects will be… less than desirable.

“We see. Come then, hop upon our back. We will take thee with us to see our sister and provide thee with the means for battle.” She laid herself across the ground, spreading her wing to act as a walkway up to her back. Once I sat down I wrapped my hooves around her neck and we took off into the sky, soaring as quickly as possible towards the palace.

I watched as the city fell to ruins below me. As far as I could tell the only ones doing any damage against the beasts at all were the princesses. All of the ponies, including the royal guard, had realized that they were no match and stopped trying to fight back, attempting to run away instead. I would’ve been more sympathetic to their situation, but I’d seen too many monsters tear each other apart just like this for it to really phase me anymore. Sure Canterlot was being painted in blood but at least it wasn’t MY blood. If I died, which once I started fighting would be rather likely, they wouldn’t have a chance in Tatarus. At least I can hold them off while others get to safety. The same can’t really be said for them.

I watched as a blast of gold whizzed past us and struck down one of the flying beasts, burning it to a pile of ash. I looked ahead with a smile. I only knew one being that could produce an aura like that. She stood in front of the palace doors ringed by the very best of her guards which, to my surprise, were fairing rather well against their enemies. About as well as I would at least.

It’s not that I can’t FIGHT the creatures that come from the Duskwoods, I just can’t BEAT them. I can deter them, run away from them, trap them, so on and so on. The only issue I have is landing a killing blow. Of course fighting in the Everfree is a little different. When I’m in the Everfree, it’s normally me versus one Duskwoods beast. No interference and no distractions. This attack was a completely different story. They wouldn’t be concentrating their full attention and power on me. The entire time we’re fighting they’ll have to be wary of all the other ponies. Even if the other ponies aren’t strong enough to kill them in a one on one, that doesn’t mean they can’t get lucky and get in a kill shot while the beasts are distracted. And with all of this chaos there were distractions aplenty.

Luna landed gracefully next to her sister and began to speak as she helped fend off the monsters attempting to gain access into the palace. I hopped off her back and looked beyond them to see a line of unicorns straining to maintain a barrier around the castle as royal guards and the CPD did their best to guide civilians inside.

“WHAT?!” Celestia shouted. And I don’t mean shouted, I mean SHOUTED. Like Royal Equestrian Voice shouted. I began to feel a bit out of place and felt that it was best to return to their side in case Celestia needed to speak to me. I began to walk over to them but was suddenly grabbed by a royal guard.

“Quickly child into the barrier!” He shouted as he tried to shove me along. I stamped my hooves into the ground pushing back against him with surprising strength.

“Absolutely not, guard. If anypony should be heading inside it’s you!” He looked at me with confusion before once again attempting to forcefully move me out of the way. Our struggle continued until Princess Luna finally stepped in.

“UNHOOF THIS CHILD AT ONCE!” she shouted scaring the living daylights out of the guard. He turned to look at his princess with eyes wide in fear and confusion.

“But… but princess! She’s a child! If she stays out here!”

“She will be just fine. She may not look it but that child is a professional at dealing with these creatures. She’s a hundred times stronger than you and can kill you just as quickly as the monsters you’re fighting. In fact… as of now she’s in charge.”

Several guards and civilians were stunned into silence, myself included. Sure I was expecting to fight, but to actually be in charge of a fighting force? My training does NOT cover that! Or maybe it does… it’s still incomplete after all. I could feel another twinge of shame pass through me. I don’t like being reminded that I’m still just a trainee. It makes me feel… well weak. Something I’m not exactly used to feeling when I impale monsters with giant earthen pillars.

“I’m sorry Princess, but what do you mean she’s in charge?!”

Celestia walked up next to Luna and I and accomplished a feat I never would have imagined possible. She spoke gently in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Not just gently, it was almost… motherly. “MY SISTER MEANS EXACTLY WHAT SHE SAID. AS MUCH AS WE HATE TO DO THIS, WE MUST LEAVE. A MATTER OF EVEN GREATER IMPORTANCE HAS JUST ARISEN. IF WE DO NOT GO, THEN IT WON’T MATTER IF CANTERLOT IS SAVED, THE WHOLE WORLD WILL FALL. I’M… I’M SORRY MY LITTLE PONIES. WE HOPE THAT IF WE SUCCEED, THEN WE MAY ALSO BE ABLE TO PUT AN END TO WHAT IS GOING ON HERE AT THE SAME TIME. UNTIL WE RETURN, YOU WILL TAKE YOUR ORDERS FROM THIS CHILD. SHE MAY NOT LOOK IT BUT SHE’S MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU THINK.” She turned to the best of her guards and spoke quickly. They nodded their heads and walked over to me. I watched as Celestia and Luna looked at Canterlot with teary eyes before looking at each other and taking to the air.

“Lady Tiara, I’ve been ordered to give you these.” Said the first guard. Its voice was a certain quality of high pitched telling me it was obviously a mare speaking, even though she looked the same as all the others. She held out her hoof to reveal a brown bag. I took it and examined its contents to find not one, but three apples of discord. With this I could fight for an hour and a half without worry.

I took one and ate it whole. I could feel the power surge through me like ice in my veins. It was even better than when I was at Fluttershy’s house. The strength I was gaining was out of this world. I felt like I could take on the entire army single hoofedly. Perhaps one day, with a bit more training, I could.

I quickly began my chant, we didn’t have much time. None of the creatures in the Everfree were truly sentient, but the deeper you went the smarter they got. Some could even understand basic equine speech. Since these creatures were all from the Duskwoods they knew that the princesses were the main thing getting in their way of a good meal. Watching them leave made them back off a bit out of fear of them pulling some kind of stunt. It wouldn’t take long though for them to realize they weren’t coming back so I had to get some kind of plan in motion.

That’s when an idea struck me. “You.” I said, pointing at the guard who had spoken to me. “Am I correct in assuming that you’re second in command next to me at the moment?”

“Yes Lady Tiara. My name is Cloudtrooper.”

“All right then Cloudtrooper I need you to find my sister!”

“Already here.” I whirled around and was met with a wonderful sight. There standing before me in all of her glory was my eldest sister and the strongest of the guardians. She stood next to her good friend, who was cowering behind her in fear.

“Fleur… you’re here! Oh thank Lord Everfree you’re alright.”

Fleur closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “Of course I’m alright sister. Now tell me what in master’s name is going on?”

I recounted my tale as quickly as I could. The mission master sent me on, my failure to follow basic instructions, the events that took place at Fluttershy’s, the birth of our baby sister (which took her by surprise) and the attack that was now happening to Canterlot.

A scowl came across her face when I was finished. “You disobeyed a basic tenant?!” she spat. Leave it to Fleur to only think about the line of duty when thousands of pony’s lives were on the line. “Bah. Lord Everfree has decided to forgive you, as ridiculous as that may be, so I shall as well. I guess I shouldn’t blame you. You ARE still a trainee. No matter. Give me one of those apples, I’ll take on the main force. You form a defensive perimeter around the entrance to the palace with the help of the other guards and pick off any stragglers that make it past me.” She said, turning towards the crowd of monsters ahead of us. I watched them for a moment. They had stopped looking around for any signs of the princesses and were turning their hungry glares towards us. We were out of time.

“You’re going to take them on by yourself?” I asked. I knew she was perfectly capable of such a task, but still the idea of it astounded me. In her true form, Fleur was as powerful as an alicorn and twice as durable. She was no weak opponent. That being said though, she’s also one of a kind. Most guardians don’t get as strong as she does. In fact guardians were never supposed to be as strong as we are. Originally we were only meant for each of us to be about as strong as Fluttershy, with somepony a little weaker than me leading a team of them. But that was long ago, when there were plenty of us to handle all the problems that took place in the Everfree. Now that there were only four of us, one being less than a day old, we didn’t have that kind of luxury.

“Of course. Now hand me the apple of discord.” I did as instructed, watching as she too ate it whole. I barked a few orders to the nearby guards, telling them to pretty much form a ‘U’ shape around the front gate behind Fleur and I. Ponies rushed to do as they were told. Now that I was in my true form they were much more keen to listen to me.

I stood next to Fleur, a low primal growl escaping my throat as I gave a quiet challenge to the monsters in front of us. The last few ponies and guards who were still alive in the city rushed passed us and either got into position or cowered behind the barrier. I was happy to see a few unicorns take initiative and add their magic to the barrier. Even if they didn’t know the spell, adding magic to it would help make it that extra bit stronger.

I looked to Fleur and she looked back to me. We nodded our heads in silence before turning our attention back on the horde of demons. Fleur began her chant as they began crawling to us ever so slowly, trying to decide who would be brave enough to lash out first. Just as she reached the final word, the first of the monsters lashed out diving towards the two of us. I slammed hoof into the ground and heard the satisfying crunch of breaking bones as it pierced through. I was surprised by how easily I had killed it, until it turned into smoke and reformed beside my pillar completely unharmed. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. Letting loose a battle cry, it rallied its allies. Fleur and I got into battle positions as a wave of monsters flooded the streets and skies heading right towards us.

The battle for Canterlot had begun.

Author's Note

Alright, before I get some complaints about the whole 'Herd' thing, a word from Best Princess Luna

Plus it's kinda my OTP so... yeah. Let's just leave it at that.

All of that being said though, this chapter was kind of hard to write as it was originally supposed to be a single chapter in and of itself, not a two parter. However while writing it I had two ideas pop into my head for the story from out of nowhere that I absolutely love and I just couldn't help but go back and edit it so that they would work in the long run. What I ended up with was an incredibly long chapter that I decided to split up.

So yeah, sorry about the delay. Took me a while to get the chapter out because of that. Hopefully it's really good and the wait is worth it! Thanks for reading!

Secrets of Pardise Falls Part 2

One would expect Fleur to be the epitome of beauty in her true form. They would hear of her incredible power and in their mind would picture something akin to an angel, with a flowing white gown and golden mane. Her head would be adorned by a stunning halo of light and she would sprout wings so majestic even Celestia would be green with envy.

And they could not have been farther from the truth.

A guardians true form directly coincides with how they died, and Fleur’s death was not an easy one. It was slow, painful, and more than anything gruesome, and her true self reflected that perfectly. Most of her body wasn’t visible on account of strange bandages that wrapped around her entire frame, but what could be seen was scarred and more often than not charred black. Most of her mane remained wrapped tight under the bandages, barely poking out the sides in a few small tufts. The bandages couldn’t hold it all, so some of the very bottom of it spilled out over her shoulders. Aside from that, the little bit that was visible was a dull ashy gray. Her red eyes seemed to sink into her skull, and her now broken horn was as twisted as the branches on an Everfree tree and riddled with holes. If I looked closely enough I could see just a bit of her new cutie mark sticking out. It looked like the front of a pony, with the legs raised in a position that reminded me of somepony begging for help. The legs were black and surrounded in harsh flames. It’s eyes were hollow and empty, it’s mouth hanging open in a mixture of fear and desperation.

As ugly as she was, nothing was quite as terrifying though as the bandages themselves. At first I thought they were just simple pieces of cloth, but the longer I stared the more I realized just how wrong I was. The bandages had a slight pink tint added in with the natural white and seemed to move at her will. The ends of the bandages, the parts that weren’t tied off, were constantly on fire and whipped around her like she was caught in a whirlwind. One of these loose ends accidentally grazed me a bit, and while the flames didn’t hurt me, I was shocked by their texture. The bandages were rough and seemed far more durable than regular cloth. That’s when I realized what they really were. Those weren’t flaming rags wrapped around her, it was SKIN. Almost vampony white skin that wasn’t covered in the least bit of fur.

Needless to say, Fleurs true form was terrifying. In comparison I looked like a cheesy movie prop and Fluttershy probably looked like a plush doll.

I watched as she took off in a run, heading straight towards the wall of monsters. I stood my ground, ready to attack any that might get passed her. At first I thought I’d be doing quite a bit of work, but I soon found myself rather bored. Fleur was handling the situation just fine on her own. Wave after wave came from the sea of monsters as they tried to break through her defense and each and every one found themselves falling by her hooves.

It was a horrifying beauty. Her bandages whipped through the sea of beasts like tendrils, each one whizzing about in a blur of motion as they would surround an entire section of monsters before lighting aflame and incinerating everything left inside.

Her body moved fluently through the ocean of demons as she danced a ballet of death. Flames shot forth whenever she demanded, blighting her foes with harsh burns that melted their skin and seared their bones. She danced with a bloody grace to the tune of her enemies screams, turning her body this way and that as she dodged and parried her assailants, occasionally breaking the rhythm to move in for a kill before backing up and repeating again.

She jumped, she spun, she flew through the air. Her body seemed weightless and her powers seemed unstoppable. Lord Everfree had told me on several occasions that Fleur was special, even among his guardians and that I shouldn’t feel upset or intimidated when I was around her. Now I could understand why. Canterlot was being saved in a literal blaze of glory, and she was doing it single hoofedly.

On and on she continued like this, rarely letting even a single one pass her by. The few that did were often so wounded they died of their injuries long before I had the chance to strike. With little else to do I turned my head behind me to see the state the ponies were in.

They… were not quite as enthusiastic as I was.

Aside from Celestia’s personal guard, almost everypony was looking at Fleur and I in fear. With my heightened senses I could hear their whispers. Ponies wondering if we were truly on their side. If perhaps we were really just bigger stronger monsters getting rid of the weaker ones so we could have them to ourselves. Of course, any that mentioned that had more than a few others reminding them that the one doing the fighting was none other than THE Fleur De Lis, though that seemed to do little more than heighten their paranoia further.

I tried to ignore it. This was the exact kind of thing we guardians had been trying to avoid for the past one thousand years, yet here we were, doing our very best to save the capitol of Equestria. I tried to imagine how my life would be like now. There was no denying what I was, no trying to hide the truth. All of Canterlot had seen us and knowing their rich and snooty nobles they were going to demand an explanation for why all of this had happened and realizing that only made my mood worse.

I knew exactly what was going to go down. The nobles would ask for our true identities, they’d find out the history of the guardians of the Everfree forest, They would immediately blame us for not doing our jobs and allowing the massacre to happen even though we’re here risking our lives to protect them, then, assuming the princesses can stop them from starting a pony hunt to track us down and kill us all, they’d ask that the forest be made off limits and have guards stationed around it so that no more children could get turned into guardians, thereby making my masters life that much harder and allowing for an event such as this to happen much more easily only that time there wouldn’t be anypony to save them.

I smashed my hoof into the ground as I groaned in frustration sending a pillar through the skull of one of the monsters that managed to make it past Fleur. The delightful squelching sound it’s inners made helped to calm me, but only a little. I wished I could go out to the dawnwoods and round up an army this size of manticores. Slaughtering them would certainly make me feel better, for a while at least. Alas, I was stuck here defending ponies that three years ago wouldn’t have even looked my way simply because of my species. I couldn’t wait for all of this to be over so I could go back home to the forest.

“I’m sorry young lady but we can’t let you out there! It’s suicide! Just stay in the barrier where it’s safe!” I heard a guard yell behind me.

“Please let me pass! She’s my friend I haven’t seen her in years! She’s not doing much at the moment just let me speak to her please!” Was that? I couldn’t believe my ears. I turned my head towards one of the voices, slamming my hoof into the ground as one of the monsters got to close. There she was, one of the regrets of my old life struggling against the hooves of a guard.

“Let her through. She won’t get hurt.” I said to the guard before turning my attention back in front of me to the monster horde. I could hear a hoof hitting metal, no doubt the sound of his hoof hitting his helmet in salute. After that came the clip clop of pony hooves stopping just beside me. “Diamond? It’s really you isn’t it?”

I stood silently for a moment as I watched the ocean of beasts. This time two monsters got passed fleur. I stamped a hoof into the ground to impale the right one, before sliding it across the ground and sending another spike off the first pillar to get the second. Their cries of anguish were music to my ears. “Hello Silver Spoon.”

“Diamond it IS you!” she cried. Three years apart and I could still tell that she was about to pull me into one of her awkward hugs. I tapped the ground quickly, shooting a spike up in between us. I had put my past away a long time ago, and she needed to understand this.

“Silver Spoon, I know you’re happy to see me, but you have to understand, I’m not the same Diamond Tiara who disappeared all those years ago.” I pushed the spike back into the ground. “I died in that forest Silver, and became what you see now. I’m a creature of the Everfree. There is little difference between me and those beasts attacking the city. All of this that I’m doing right now,” I said as I killed another one, smirking as I watched it squirm. I hadn’t gotten an immediate kill blow with this one so it suffered a bit before finally dying off. “Doesn’t phase me in the slightest. It’s just a job to me. The chaos, the mayhem, the killing, it’s all just a normal part of life. This is what I am now. A monster, just like them.”

I never turned to look at her. I didn’t need to. I could hear her heartbeat, the blood pulsing through her veins, the quivering of her lips. I could smell the salt as her eyes began to tear up before she spoke. “You’re not a monster Diamond. Monsters don’t feel bad if they hurt others. That’s what you told me when we picked on the CMC way back when, remember?” It was true. That was what I said all those years ago. It was my way of justifying my actions. So long as I could still feel some amount of guilt for what I had done, then I wasn’t REALLY a bad pony. And I did feel guilty about bullying the others. Not nearly as much as I should have, but I did.

Things have changed since then though.

I turned my face to Silver Spoon, giving her a dead and emotionless expression. “Who said I did?” Silver Spoon took a step back at this, evidently thoroughly surprised by my comment. It was true to. When I think about it I really COULD kill anyone and not care one way or the other. Not because I truly didn’t, but because I’ve become what Lord Everfree likes to call ‘blood-simple’. Basically I’ve just let killing become… second nature. It’s not new to me anymore and I’ve had to do it almost everyday these past three years. For me killing was no different than breathing. It was just something I did. Something I had to do. Sure, killing a brainless monster is different than a pony, but not that much different. They both have a head to smash, or a heart to pierce, or some weak spot I can exploit to end their life, however I may go about that. Just because one has sentience and not the other doesn’t really mean much when putting a pillar of hard rock through it.

“You can’t really mean that…”

“I can and I do, Silver. Listen I know this is hard for you to hear, but I died in that forest. Literally. I fell on a sharp rock that impaled me through the stomach. I was dead. D-E-A-D. Dead. I was kept alive for a few moments while Lord Everfree tried to determine if I wanted to live or not. In the end I decided I did, but there were prices to pay. I have duties now, responsibilities. I’m not even a pony anymore. I’m a guardian, a completely separate, albeit undead, creature.”

“Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to go murdering ponies willy-nilly, and it’s not like I have to meet some sort of ‘kill this many things in a day’ quota. I just have a job to do, and I’m doing it. And I’ll be doing it for as long as I live, which assuming I don’t die, could be a very very long time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that technically, so long as I don’t get murdered or fail at meeting the requirements of being outside of the Everfree forest for too long I could technically live forever. Although that’s very unlikely. Most guardians die an often times gruesome and painful death after about twenty years.”

“That… that’s horrible.” Poor Silver Spoon, she honestly looked like she was going to be sick. Well I wasn’t about to lie to her. I treated her like crap in the past and even if our friendship was most likely going to die, assuming it wasn’t already dead and unsalvageable in the first place, I could at least start to make it up to her now. And one of the quickest and easiest ways to do that is with true hearted honesty. At least, that’s what Lord Everfree taught me.

“That’s life.” I said, impaling the skull of a monster that had been writhing on the ground without half it’s body for sometime. I had just let it lay there wiggling and wailing for a while believing it would just die on its own. Guess it needed a little help.

“Silver Spoon, I would like to talk to you again. Really I would. I know I’m a monster now but if it’s possible I’d like to be your friend. A proper friend this time, not an abuser.” I raised my hoof to stop her as she started to retort. “Don’t say I wasn’t because I was. I used you constantly to make myself feel better and I apologize. I’d like to start over one day. Not today obviously. In fact I doubt it will be any time soon. I still have to complete my training, and I have no idea how the world is going to react to the existence of guardians. It’s quite possible I’ll be hunted, and this may be the last chance we ever get to speak. So with all that being said, I hope that you can forgive me, both for being a horrible friend in the past as well as for this.” She looked at me confused for a moment as I turned my head to one of the guards, gesturing towards Silver. He walked over to her, picked her up, and began carrying her back to the palace as she screamed in protest. To be honest I didn’t want her to go. If one of those things got passed Fleur in good enough condition I was all but dead and I did NOT want to die alone. But there’s nothing I could do. I couldn’t keep Silver with me just so she could comfort me as I died, assuming she didn’t die as well. That was just selfish.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I noticed something eerily peculiar. It was… quiet. The sound of burning flesh and monstrous roars of fury were nowhere to be found. I turned my attention completely back to the horde, confused as I saw the beasts had all stopped attacking. Fleur was backing up towards me slowly, never taking her eyes off the monsters in front of her.

“Tiara,” she said as she came up next to me. “What’s… happening?”

“YOU’RE asking ME? You’re the experienced one shouldn’t you know?!” Fleur shook her head. Here eyes, normally an emotionless mask in this state, seemed troubled. And anything that could give Fleur even a moments pause was something that could probably kill me in seconds.

The monsters had all stopped moving, looking towards the flower in… was that fear? Were the monsters of the Duskwoods… afraid? Fleur and I turned our attention to the flower as well, crouching low in battle stances and ready for almost anything.

Keyword: almost.

Fleur and I watched in horror as a giant whirlwind whipped up from the center of the flower. The monsters in the city started shrieking in terror and began to run, fly, slither, or whatever it was they could to get away. In the end though it was futile. The wind picked up in strength growing stronger and stronger as entire building were ripped from the ground and sucked up, taking the monsters with them. The ground tore to shreds as entire city blocks were ripped from the ground and swallowed leaving large empty pitfalls in the city that lead to the valleys below. Once the monsters had all been consumed the whirlwind stopped. Silence reigned until suddenly the ponies behind us began to cheer. I could hear them whooping and hollering all the way from here. The poor ponies actually thought this was over however I looked at Fleur and her eyes held the same terror as my own. This was only beginning.

A loud moan poured out from the flower, silencing the ponies behind us. It wasn’t the scream that normally came from the monsters I was used to. Instead it seemed more of a cross betweens a lions growl and a whales call. It continued for a long time several minutes in fact, before finally fading. Seconds ticked by slowly as we held our breath in anticipation.

Suddenly there was a loud crunching sound, immediately followed by shaking. Not just the city, but the WHOLE MOUNTAIN was rocked from whatever force had caused the sound. Then it happened again, and again. Fear fell into all of our hearts as sat in silent confused terror.

And then it happened. Another black flower sprouted from the mountain top. But this one… this one was different. It wasn’t like the roses I’d seen before. This one was shaped more like a lotus blossom, it’s pitch black petals a stark contrast to it’s otherwise smaller white brethren. Just like the rose it opened slowly, it’s petals falling onto the mountain top, a large black hole in the middle.

After a few more seconds of silence and bated breath, something came out. The first thing I could see was what appeared to be two claws and a crocodiles head. It seemed so tiny and weak that it almost made me laugh.

And then came the rest of it.

Pulling itself out of the cavern I watched as it’s short neck gave way to row, after row, after row of sharp fangs each the size of a building. What should have led to a stomach came to be a massive mouth the size of several city blocks that dripped great globs of saliva all over the ground as it seemed to make a loud gurgling sound. That mouth then gave way to a long snake like body with a set of wings and two strange deformed spheres in the middle along with four extra legs before finally ending in a long tail. My eyes widened as I turned my head ever so slowly towards Fleur, my body quivering as I looked for some sort of assurance that we were going to be alright…

Fleur just stared quietly, not even acknowledging my gaze, before falling to her flank as she sat in wide eyed horror. It was then that I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we were completely, totally, and royally screwed. I turned my head to the guards behind me, reeling slightly as my heightened senses caught the scent of several ponies who had messed themselves. I didn’t blame them. A few years ago I probably would have done the same.

Even though I knew it was pointless, I wanted them to believe they had a chance. Wanted them to live a little longer. So without a single other thought I shouted “EVERYPONY TO THE PALACE!” They looked at me, then to the monster and back to me before taking off for what they hoped would be safety. But there was nowhere safe. Not from that. The look on Fleurs face told me exactly what that thing was. It was the worst that the Everfree had to offer. A creature from the heart. But not just any creature, a true being of corrupt darkness that no guardian should ever have to face. It was because of these that my master needed guardians. It was because of these that he had so little time to handle other issues. These creatures of destruction, these masters of death and bringers of horror, were what my master fought to keep contained inside the darkest depths of the Everfree.

And that destructive monster was now free here in Canterlot… if you could even call it that anymore. “Fleur?” I called.

“Yes?” She had regained her composure at this point and was now watching it carefully to study it’s weak points.

“Are we going to fight this thing?”

“Of course.”

“Are we going to win?”

“… not likely.”

“Think our deaths will be painless?”

“Given our durability and the body structure of this creature… no. I have a feeling it’s going to try and eat us and when it does our tenacity will keep us alive to feel every one of those teeth ripping us apart for at least a few seconds. It’s going to hurt… a lot.”

“Oh goodie…” I said, rolling my eyes and crouching down for a fight. Well if I was going to die, at least I could go down swinging. It wasn’t like those other ponies would get that chance. If Fleur and I didn’t find SOME way to kill this… well those ponies would just have to hope that Celestia and Luna got there in time.

“So, who should do the honors? You or me?” I said to Fleur with a raised brow. She never answered, choosing to raise one of her flaming appendages and shoot a ball of fire at it instead. Not enough to do any real damage, but more than enough to get it’s attention.

The beast turned to us and let out a guttural roar. Fleur and I nodded to each other before taking off in its direction. Without hesitation Fleur shot into the air, using the blazing rags like ropes to grab onto buildings and launch herself forward. I dashed straight towards it performing any necessary maneuvers to traverse the now hazardous terrain.

!!!CUE ZE MUZICS!!!

As she pelted the beast with flames from above, I took off at a run, hoping to attack it from below. Turns out just getting to the beast proved to be a problem. Whole buildings would crumble in the blink of an eye, and the streets would suddenly give out below me forcing me to jump lest I fall to my death. As I came up to the beast it swiped at me with one of it’s claws. Slamming a hoof into the ground, I summoned a wall of spikes to stop the blow like an idiot. It smashed through the wall of stone, only barely slowing down, and threw me into a nearby building.

Luckily I wasn’t too terribly injured from that. Turning my gaze back to my opponent I watched as it’s body began to writhe and convulse. Suddenly threw up filling the streets with a disgusting purple slime that seemed to burn everything it touched like acid. I slammed my hooves down once more summoning spikes to propel me forward as I jumped up, somersaulting through the air before finally landing on the ground in a roll. I ran a little further before sliding to avoid one of the claws. I was lucky that the acid like substance seemed to harden. I quickly picked my pace back up, rolling under the behemoth before quickly standing on all four hooves. I looked up into the beasts maw before slamming my hooves on the ground and raising spikes all around me and into the beasts sensitive mouth. Something I’d come to learn, it doesn’t matter how tough a monster is on the outside, the inside is always weak.

The beast roared, flailing about in the air as it raised itself on its four hind legs. Its open mouth screaming and raised for the world to see. Fleur took this opportunity and lashed out with a massive wave of flame, scorching the beasts already torn up mouth. This angered it even further, causing it to flail around before falling over the ground. As it fell I rushed away afraid of being crushed. Just before it hit the ground I put all the power I could in my hooves and jumped, which for a guardian is a pretty good ways.

As I leaped onto one of the street carriages I fell through causing my foot to get jammed. As I took a moment to pull my self free I heard the whistling of wind. Looking up I saw that it had recovered somewhat and one of the beasts massive claws was coming at me. By then it was too late. The scaly palm the size of a house slammed into me full force and launched me through several buildings. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out as my body tumbled through stone and wood.

I didn’t stop until I reached the actual mountain side, leaving a nice Diamond Tiara sized crater in the side. My whole right side was alight with pain though it was quickly subsiding as my healing factor kicked in. I crumpled onto the ground, heaving as I tried to right myself.

A roar sounded through the air ripping my eyes off the street. Fleur was barely managing to hold it back. She shot flame after flame yet it did little more than singe the beasts skin. She flew through the air dancing all around it as she attacked it relentlessly. Eventually realizing her flames weren’t going to help her in this fight unless she could get a good attack into its maw, she switched tactics and began using her bandages to fly her all around the city. I quickly figured out what she was doing and ignored the pain in my legs as I jumped in to help. Slamming my hooves into the ground I erected huge pillars all around Canterlot. Fleur seemed to take the hint and began swinging from those. As she passed by me through the air she tipped her head towards the beast letting me know to slow it down. I nodded in response and took off.

With each step I took I forced small pillars into it’s claws. All it really did was annoy it, but it got it’s attention off Fleur and that was the point. It looked at me and roared, clearly quite angry. I ran even faster. To anypony else I would have been nothing but a blur, but to me the world was clear. I had my heightened senses to thank for that.

I rammed my hooves into the ground, brining up a cage of spikes all around it. They wouldn’t hold it for long but that was fine. I started moving my hooves across the ground commanding smaller spikes to fly out from the sides and impale the beasts wings. This angered it just like I hoped and it began thrashing about. I started pummeling the ground, smashing my hooves into the already cracked concrete like I was in a boxing match. My hooves turned to blurs as attacked the ground and through it the monster. Spikes grew with every slam but they couldn’t hurt the monster. Each time my rocky pillars would slam into it’s scales, only to break into pieces. All I could do was slow it down, make it stagger a bit. But that was all I needed to do.

Suddenly the beast gave out a mighty roar, turning around at speeds that shouldn’t be possible for something that size, and slamming me with its tail. I was sent flying through the air only to crash into the Palaces barrier. Those evil little ponies! I was protecting them and they were excluding permission for me to get through! Well… maybe not ALL of them, but there was enough that I couldn’t pass it. After pulling myself up from where I’d fallen on the ground, I shot them all a death glare, causing many of them to back up in fear. For once after coming back, I was happy I had that ability. If I lived through this, somepony was going to pay, big time.

Turning my attention back to the task at hand I slammed my hooves into the ground and brought up a spike right under me, hurtling me towards the behemoth in an attempt to get close enough for my pillars to do anything again. Sure, I could put up pillars all over Canterlot for Fleur to swing from, but those were relatively slow to grow and aren’t that strong. If I wanted them to slow him down, I had to get close so that the rock would be tough enough to actually give him pause. After all, there’s a big difference in smashing through something as tough as steel and smashing through something as tough as sand.

As I spun through the air I heard the sound of cracking pavement. Looking down I saw five big meaty tendrils shoot up. I dodged the first with a flip and the second with a twirl before landing on the third and running a ways. The fourth one came at me at that point but I kicked it away. Unfortunately the fifth one got me, wrapping itself around my body and slamming me into the ground before dragging my body through the concrete of Canterlots streets and buildings, easily breaking everything that healed and then some. Finally I seemed to stop at what was some kind of basement before being pulled up through five floors of what I guess used to be a fancy hotel.

My body battered and broken I could only watch as it pulled me over it’s gaping maw. I looked down into the beasts mouth with a dead look, praying for my body to heal faster so I could get enough strength to break free of it’s grasp. If only I could get a few more seconds…

Just then I saw a flash of red cut the tendril holding me in the air. I was in luck as I managed to regain control of my jaw just then. I opened my mouth, biting onto the end of the fleshy string and twirling it through the air like a whip and grabbed onto one of the many pillars I’d made. Allowing me to swing towards it. I landed on the ground with a roll, and looked back up at the beast.

There hovering in the air was Fluttershy and to my surprise she was carrying Sweetie Belle as well. Perhaps Luna and Celestia told them what was happening in Canterlot, though that didn’t explain why Sweetie Belle was here.

The two flew down towards me with Fluttershy in her true form. Sweetie Belle was quivering in absolute fear as she stared up at the beast. “I-I have… to fight monsters… like those?! For the rest of my life?!” Huh… I guess Fluttershy broke the news already. Well, might as well have a little fun with it.

“Yeah Sweets. Giant monsters. Just like those. Every day. Forever.” I said with a smirk. Sweetie looked at me horrified.

“Stop it Diamond. No you don’t Sweetie. You’ll probably be like me. The worst I’ve ever fought was a huge pack of Manticores.”

“I HAVE TO FIGHT MANTICORES?!” If we weren’t sitting inches away from death I would be laughing hysterically right now.

“Yes but we’ll probably start you off with something smaller, like a cockatrice, or a few parasprite swarms.

“Oh… well I guess parasprites aren’t so bad…”

“You won’t say that when there’s a hundred of them gnawing on your bones.” I replied. The pain was beginning to subside and I was starting to shakily get to my feet. I looked over to Sweetie Belle, her eyes had become pinpricks and were beginning to show the first signs of tears. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Hey, it’s not like I’m lying to the poor thing.

“So Diamond, how do we kill this thing?” Fluttershy asked.

“I honestly don’t know Sister. I’m… I’m not sure we CAN…” This caused Fluttershy to tremble a bit and Sweetie just broke down into tears. Yeah being told you’re going to die tends to have that affect on ponies. At least, I think it does. I don’t exactly have much experience telling that to ponies. I do however, have a lot of experience telling that to monsters. They just get really angry and scream before charging me though so I don’t think they’re a viable source of information on this particular subject.

Suddenly the whole area lit up a bright blue, causing us to look towards the sky. Fleur was standing there, her entire figure lit up with blue flames, her body nothing but a black blur underneath. The bandages that encased her were now heavy black chains that flailed around off her form and crackled with white lightning. She opened her mouth letting out a terrifying screech towards the beast. I had heard of this before. This was Overheat, Fleurs complete form.

Every guardian has two forms, at least that I’ve been taught about. Our first or ‘true’ form is the one we normally take during battle and when in the forest we can maintain permanently. For me that’s Vladimare, the one I’m in now. However under special conditions we sometimes unlock a second more powerful form. This form is ‘complete’ and brings out the full extent of our power however it comes at a price. First off it takes time, and special conditions, to charge up, in Fleurs case that’s building up a lot of momentum hence why she was swinging around this whole time. Second it doesn’t last for very long and when it’s used up, you experience what’s called a ‘Burnout’, sapping you of nearly all of your energy and leaving you defenseless and unable to transform for at least a month. Needless to say, it’s a last resort technique, one that very few learn. If Fleur didn’t kill this thing now… it was all over.

Fleur let out another earth shattering screech before disappearing in a flash. My eyes darted around as I looked for her, only to find her above the monsters head poised to strike. She brought her hoof down with unimaginable force, causing the demons head to crash through the Canterlot floor. The monster screamed, it’s head stuck in pavement. In another flash Fleur was behind the beast, grappling its tail with her hooves. She leaped into the air, ripping the monsters head out of the concrete and bringing the whole thing over her before slamming it back onto the ground. It lied there completely sprawled out on its back.

Quick as lightning, Fleur was in the air overtop of it. Reaching one of her hooves behind her like she was winding up for a punch, she threw her hoof forwards, a slew of flames cascading off her body and straight onto the beasts open mouth. She hovered there, alternating between her fore hooves as she fired off blast after blast of intense blue flames. The monster tried time and again to stand, only to be forced back down by Fleurs flames.

I motioned for Fluttershy to grab Sweetie Belle and get back. I stood up on my back hooves knowing this would not be enough to kill it outright. Concentrating as hard as I could I looked for specific elements in the ground. Normally I wouldn’t do this as most times using any one particular type of rock wouldn’t change the outcome of a fight and would just be a waste of energy, but this time I had an idea.

Concentrating hard I drew up all the metal I could find under Canterlot. Copper, tin, iron, the works, before slamming my hooves to the ground. Slowly, large multicolored metal pillars rose from the earth, impaling the beasts gigantic wings and further immobilizing it, though that wasn’t my real intention.

I noticed a very brief pause as Fleur’s attention momentarily drifted to my pillars and I cringed when she smiled, black fangs showing through her flames. As she continued her assault she launched out her chains, wrapping them around each of the pillars. Lightning coursed from her, crackling as it sped down my spikes and right into the monster. Trails of lightning and flame poured out all over the city and everything was set ablaze as Fleur continued her onslaught.

Realizing there was nothing more I could do I sat down to catch my breath. I was exhausted and there wasn’t much time left on the fruits. Two minutes? Maybe three? Not much and not long.

Finally those minutes passed, though I was surprised to find myself still in my true form. Fluttershy noticed my confusion and spoke to me. “I think it’s all these roots and monsters. The Everfree’s influence must be extending all the way here. That’s how I’m in my true form now. I haven’t eaten an apple of discord yet here I stand completely revealed. Can’t you feel it?” I closed my eyes for a moment and felt for the forest. I jumped with a start. Sure enough I could feel the forests presence all around me. It was on the weaker end, as though I was right on the forests edge, but it was still there. I smiled. At least if I died I’d die at home. Both the old and new homes, seeing as how I was in Canterlot.

We heard a sudden crack and whipped our heads towards the monster, mortified by what we saw. Thousands of strange wormlike creatures had appeared as if from nowhere, wrapping around Fleur and electrocuting her. Her flames were useless as every time she tried to burn them away they regenerated almost instantaneously, like a never ending loop.

I looked around trying to find their source. Generally monsters like those have a base, something they’re connected to that serves as they’re real body. Suddenly I spotted it and I almost gagged. Well, looks like I found out what the two weird balls on the monsters tail were. I slammed my hooves into the ground, trying to destroy the sacks, but they were just as tough as the rest of the monster. The very same monster that was slowly starting to recover. While it didn’t recover nearly as quickly as its little worms, it was still growing stronger by the second.

“Fluttershy give me a hand here!” I screamed, pounding my hooves into the dirt. It took a moment for my words to register but finally she managed to catch on and took off into the air towards the monster. Unfortunately her journey was short as some of the worms noticed her and began to lash out. Luckily Fluttershy was a skilled flier and managed to avoid them, but they kept her from being able to get close enough to help me sever the pods. I looked up to Fleur and began to panic. Her flames were starting to weaken, she wouldn’t last much longer, not like this.

“Nonononononono! It can’t end like this! It can’t! We were SO CLOSE!” I screamed pounding even faster at the dirt. Suddenly the tendrils from before erupted out of the ground wrapping me up and paralyzing me, though now I could see that the tendrils and worms were one in the same. I was really starting to lose it. If Fleur died… no. That can’t happen. I wasn’t going to die. Not today! I haven’t even become a full fledged guardian yet! And I just got my first little sister! It can’t end this way! It can’t!

And then, just like that, a miracle happened.

!!!CUE ZE OTHER MUZICS!!!

It was a song. A beautiful song that seemed to possess an almost demonic quality, like it had come from the voice of a fallen angel. It washed over all of Canterlot, spreading its sweet melody all across the remnants of the mountain city. I looked towards the monster and its minions to find that it had stopped fighting, as though it had fallen into a deep sleep. Fleur and I broke away from our bindings. As she continued her assault I looked behind and was completely shocked.

There stood Sweetie Belle singing this lifesaving melody, but it was not the Sweetie Belle I knew. The purple in her mane had turned a bright sparkling neon blue and the pink had been given the same effect. Her coat seemed brighter, but had a strange shine to it and seemed more slick and oily. She wore a pure white toga tied around her by a strand of golden rope that seemed completely drenched in water that pooled on the ground. Her hooves bore small brown leather shoes that laced up in the front. Upon her head sat a gorgeous laurel wreath. The wind picked up for a moment, throwing up her toga and allowing me to see that her cutie mark had been turned into a dented bloody harp, as though it had been used to bludgeon somepony. All in all, Sweetie Belle looked absolutely stunning… except when she opened her mouth. Her jaw was lined with thin razor sharp teeth that surrounded a forked snake like tongue.

“Diamond look!” Fluttershy shouted, snapping me out of my reverie. I looked back over to the monster as Fleur blasted it again and again with her flames. Suddenly she stopped and placed her front fore hooves together. She began compacting all of the flames and lightning that was zipping about her body into a single concentrated ball. The ball grew and grew until it was about the size of a beach ball. Then Fleur pulled it back and threw it as hard as she could towards the beast. A single wall of bright blue flames erupted and engulfed a good fifth of Canterlot. The light shining from it was blinding, forcing me and everypony else to look away.

We remained like that for a good half a minute before the light decided to die down. When we finally looked back we sat in awe. The monster was gone leaving nothing but a smoldering charred hole in the floor of Canterlot. Fleur suddenly reverted back to her usual super model self and began falling from the sky. Fluttershy quickly took wing and flew over to her, catching her before she got hurt and bringing her back to us.

I sat down, my jaw hanging open. We won. We actually won. It had taken a miracle, but we’d won. I looked over to Fluttershy, who gave me a gentle smile as she tended to Fleur. Looking around I noticed something strange though. Smoke was beginning to rise from the roots that had covered the city. Slowly but surely the remnants influence of the Everfree was beginning to die, though whether that was because of the monsters death or my masters work I wouldn’t be able to tell you.

Wait… if the Everfrees influence is receding…

Suddenly my whole body froze and slumped over. I realized that everything was numb. I couldn’t feel my other limbs at all. Looking down I noticed the blood pooling underneath me. My old wound had opened up. But this didn’t make any sense. If I was technically in the Everfree it should have taken at least a day for my wounds to open. Did I make a mistake? Did I do something wrong? I opened my mouth to try and scream for Fluttershy’s help but no sound came out. I sat helplessly as darkness overtook me and prepared for what I was sure was deaths not so sweet embrace.

Author's Note

I know it's been a long time coming, but I wanted it to be just perfect before I published it.

No you didn't you just had writers block.

Quiet Diamond don't break the fourth wall. This isn't that type of story.

You've turned me into a demon slaying vampire earthbender. I will do whatever I please, I have more than earned that right!

Fine fine. Yeesh... Anyways, it's been a long time coming but it's here and I have tried to make this one a little more special. Hopefully the wait was worth it! Keep reading and I'll try to get the next stuff out faster, though the action might be dying down a bit for the next few chapters.