“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.