Tales of shadowby TwistedShadowChaptersExodus of the forestAwakeningTrottingham and The Eclipsis LatorExodus of the forestThis journal is for my eyes only or those who I deem fit to read. With each passing day my sanity feels like it has been slowly ebbing away. Being left in a forest to die at the age of four and losing a love take their toll. I write this now in hopes that this journal can help me hang on to the sanity that is leaving me. The best point to start might as well be at the point in which my life changed. The period of my life growing up in the forest was mundane and unneeded to explain. The effects of the forest show later in my life and so my story really begins here. The crossroads, turning point, or miracle… whatever it may be. I was in desperate need of something to sustain myself because my magic went off, as it normally did from time to time, and burned the last of my supplies before winter. I had left two days prior to search for food in a part of the forest that was unknown to me. There have been several occasions where my magic had caused me to go out and search for food. This time however, most of the food was gone and winter was coming. Every year that passes my magic gets progressively more chaotic and uncontrollable. The amount of animals that I have accidentally burned could fill a ditch the size of the cave I call home. Trust me when I say I have tried to control the outbursts, but the more I attempt to control this violent magic, the more frequent the outbursts, and the more ferocious the magic is. I am greatly hoping the hunger I feel will keep the amount of outbursts down. To no avail did the hunger of two days take my mind off the magic’s dangerous behavior. By this time I was far from my home. I had been walking for almost three days by this point and no edible food in sight. The moon rose in the sky, bringing the night. I always seemed to gain strength during the night. When looking up at the sky, I saw the full, shining circle of the moon. Depending on the amount of moonlight shining down, I gained power it seemed. I had a strange affinity for the moon and the power I gained under its glow. Most of the time, I ignored it, but tonight felt different. I have been without food for almost three days, but the moonlight seemed to give me more energy than I normally had. With my mind in deep thought on this subject, I almost didn’t notice the smoke rising in the night sky. I was a little surprised at this for I had never been in this side of the forest. As I approached the smoke I saw trees with apples on them. I desperately bucked the trees to get the apples to fall. Picking up some that had fallen, I began to eat them like there was no tomorrow. After about ten minutes of devouring the apples, I looked around and saw a square structure that appeared to be made out of uprooted trees, formed into the shape of a large cube. The smoke was coming out of a stone like piece of, what I assumed was, a... “home” of something. I drew closer to the home and I saw an opening I could see through. I looked inside and, to my amazement, I saw other ponies! At this point it was the first time I ever saw other ponies. I was shocked when I saw these ponies together. For, at this point in time, these ponies had been the only other creatures that resembled myself. Only one of them had horn, but that was not the peculiar thing. The thing that caught my interest was not one with the horn, but the ones without. I did not know there were other kinds of ponies. I do not know how long I had been standing there looking through this see-through square, but was quickly awoken from my deep thought by a scream of one of the smaller female ponies. It took a moment to realize what had happened. The smaller pony who screamed was pointing at me screaming, “DADDY!” In a panic, I turned around and galloped away as fast as my legs would move, but my horn gave off a bright flash from the sudden scream. Hoping that the flash was not my horn, I kept galloping. As I galloped I looked back to see that I was being chased by, who I assumed was, the “Daddy” character. In a sudden burst of energy caused by the fear of being captured, my legs were able to gallop faster toward the forest. When I turned again I did not see him chasing me, but in my vision I saw huge flames coming from the direction of the structure. I knew then that my fear had been realized, my chaotic magic expelled again, even though I had not wanted it to. I wandered into the forest until I found a place to sleep for the night. It looked safe and out of view of any creature that may want me for a meal. My hooves were aching now after the long time of traveling. I layed my head down on a pile of leaves, trying to rest for the time I could. I awoke to a loud sound and what seemed to be voices. “YOU! PURPLE UNICORN GET UP!” screamed a loud voice. I was in a weird sort of daze for a minute, but when the minute was over I could see two ponies wearing a weird, brown material around their front. As I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized my hooves were tied and a weird object was on my horn. I tried to get free, but to no avail. The loud voice shouted, “You are under arrest for burning down the Fern’s family house”. I did not mean to burn it, but still they drag me like a wild beast. Nowhere in my mind could I comprehend, at this point, why they would do this. No understanding on how society worked for I had only ever lived in a forest. No idea on what to do in this situation. I had not spoken in years because there had been no need to. My continued attempts in vocal exertion ended in failure as the two ponies dragged me for about an hour over sand, dirt, and rock before we reached an area with many of those home like structures. Other ponies just stared as they dragged me along the ground. I could overhear some of them saying, “That’s the pony that burnt down the Fern farm!” said one as another said, “He must be crazy, or a monster! I hope they deal with him quickly.” When we reached a wooden platform, the ponies dragged me up and put me in a wooden hold with a hole for my head and two other holes for my front hooves. As they left they said maniacally, “Have fun in the stockade!” Every day, some ponies would throw rocks at me. I was not fed or given any water. Nopony showed me any compassion while I was in the stockade. For days I could hear some say that I was a monster, and that I would get what I deserved. I could not comprehend why I was being treated so horribly. What I did was an accident. Every minute, my fear grew and every second I could feel something building up inside me. I could not tell what it was. It felt so familiar, yet so strange. All I could do in the stockade was question why they were doing this to me. why...Why...WHY! A full moon arose on the fifth night of my incarceration as the two same ponies came to me. The loud voiced one yelled, “For the burning of the Fern’s house, you are hereby sentenced to death, by hanging!” At that moment, all hope for compassion was gone. I knew I had to get out of here if there was any chance to live. Thanks to the moon, I did not feel the hunger and pain from the bruises that the rocks inflicted. The guards did not tie me up when they released the stockade. They must have thought that a week without food would render me unable to resist. As soon as they took my head out, I bucked one of the guards off the stockade and rammed the other. I took the opportunity and galloped as fast as I could. The only thing I could think was, if they catch me I’m dead. The strange feeling growing inside of me was starting to hurt, but I did not have the time to think about it. I was scared out of my mind of being caught so I ran to the only place I knew; the forest. I galloped right into the forest and when I turned to look if they were still chasing me. I couldn’t see them, but as I turned back I ran straight into a branch, knocking me out cold. I awoke to sounds around me. It was still night, but I could barely move. The pain inside was too great; I was barely able to get on my hooves. Every second I was cringing in pain. I looked around and saw I was surrounded by a mob of ponies with torches. One of them said, “You monster! We will finish you.” Another voice spoke up, “Look at him, he can barely move!” A third pony chimed in, “Look at the magic blocker its glowing!” After hearing what the pony called the device, I had then realized what the agonizing pain was. The pain felt like it was ready to burst out of my chest and turn me to ashes. The device could not hold for much longer. My fear was the only thing I could feel besides the pain. My limbs would not move. I could not gallop away. The pain was so great, I couldn’t understand how my legs were able to hold me up. All the ponies closed in, and I noticed one of them had a rope. The one with the rope said, “Let’s finish this fast. Who cares if the magic blocker is glo-” Before he could finish his sentence, the device shattered! A shockwave of flame went out in all directions. It was largest outburst of magic that had ever come out of me. The shockwave seemed to go for a mile before stopping. The magic outburst left me with almost no strength left, even under the moon's glow. I slowly looked around at the sight of burnt trees that surrounded me, and the flames of the forest burning further behind them. Soon after, I noticed that circling me were burnt husks of the ponies who tried to kill me. Seeing them all, made me let out a huge hurl of stomach acid. Exhausted and still scared, I staggered out of the forest into a field. Soon after my exit of the blazing forest, rain began to fall; as if the sky itself wept for the event that had recently transpired. My vision blurring and my mind absent, I just kept trotting. Not sure how long I had walked and stumbling along the way, but I finally collapsed where I could only see fields around me. AwakeningI woke up in the middle of a field, no way of knowing how long I was unconscious. The sun was fully in the sky, so I could atleast tell it was midday. I just stared out into the distance for awhile, processing everything that had happened like some horrible dream. The adrenaline that the fear was causing had receded now. I started to feel like my muzzle was the size of a tree trunk. Trying to touch my muzzle, I felt dried blood. I guessed it must of happened when I galloped into the tree at full speed. The wound had stopped bleeding, but it was going to leave a scar. A moment later, I realized that which made me quiver in fear. All the ponies that had surrounded me in the forest, were dead. They would of been burned by the shockwave that destroyed the forest. In my head I kept saying, “They brought it upon themselves! IT WAS NOT MY FAULT! ...not...my fault...” I just laid there, thinking and processing everything that had transpired; wishing it was all a bad dream. After about two hours of laying there in a daze, I saw two figures approaching from the distance in front of me. My vision was still blurred from everything that happened, and I could not see much of anything clearly. I just stared blankly at the figures, not thinking much about them and hoping they were hallucinations. The figures got closer and I realized that they were not hallucinations. Fear swept over me as I tried to stand. All I could think was, “What if they were after me... somepony must be!” They were still too far away for me to see them clearly, especially with my eyes blurred. As I started to turn, one of them flew up and darted toward me. My head felt dizzy as I got up. Most of my energy was gone and my body still ached. It did not help that I had not eaten in about a week. I tried to gallop away, but I was very slow and I kept looking behind me as the figure got closer and closer. I felt like I was going to black out. After about thirty yards my vision deteriorated, and I was getting almost unbearably light headed. I galloped right into a pony without even realizing it. I faded out fearing the worst was to come, but as my senses left me I heard a sweet voice say, “I got you.” Slowly coming to, I could feel warmth all around me. I was wrapped in something warm and soft. My hearing came back slowly as I heard movement from next to me. Fear shot through my system as I opened my eyes. Through my blurred vision, I could see only a dark figure looking down at me. I started to shake from the fear as adrenaline started to course through me. Soon after I started shaking the same sweet voice I heard from before say, “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” With that I seemed to calm and my nerves were at ease. I was not to sure what was happening, but atleast I felt safe with that voice. My vision slowly returned, I could see the face of the pony looking over me. I could tell, by the way the pony looked, that the pony was female. Her face was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her coat was a dark blue color and her mane was a lighter shade of blue with a strip that had a yellowish glow. She had wings sticking out of her sides. I did not know ponies could have wings. A weird feeling started to develop inside me. I was not scared, but my heart beated a little faster. When attempting to speak nothing came out. She grabbed a glass filled with water and poured it into my mouth. She started to speak, “My name is Moonlight. You are safe here. Nopony will hurt you as long as you’re with us.” With that, any worry I had went away. I just knew for some strange reason that I could trust her. A long screech come from behind moonlight. “I have food for you two, Moonlight.” a calm voice said, “Oh he is up.” “We should have left him there!” a deep voice spoke up. “But he can... help us.” a shy sounding voice said. “He is a DANGER!” a deranged voice said loudly. “No, he is not!” spoke the calm voice again. “Yes!” now a childish voice. “No!” said another childish voice. "Yes!” again with the first childish voice. “No!” said the other childish voice. Moonlight turned and shouted, “MASQUERADE! Leave the food and go! He needs to rest.” “Sorry.” said the shy voice. I was not certain where all those voices were coming from because Moonlight only said one name. All those voices were a bit strange and I had wondered how many other ponies were here. Soon after that, I heard another screech and the door closed. “Sorry about that, he can be a bit..... peculiar sometimes.” Moonlight said. What she said confused me greatly. I heard multiple voices, but she said “he” meaning one. I decided to drop the thought as moonlight brought the food over. She helped me sit right so I could eat the food that was brought in. My stomach was growling so much, I started to eat very fast because I have not eaten anything in so long. I could feel the bruise on my face were the scar was, but I did not care about the pain that emanated from the wound. Looking up at Moonlight, she gave me a smile and giggled. My face turned red and I put my head. Feeling started to return to my throat. The warmth of the food and the water allowed me to finally speak again, “Thank you.” I said in a low raspy voice with my head down. She looked at me with a warm expression. I felt safe there... for the first time since I can remember, I felt safe. After a few minutes the door screeched open again. This time I could now see the door and three figures came in. One kept shaking, another stood tall, and the third looked cold, like she did not care to be here. “He is awake.” said the tall one. “He was out for almost two days! It is about time.” said the cold one. “He’s only recently awoken.” Moonlight said quietly. “YES, yes, yes!” said the shaking pony with a deranged voice. “My name is Night Dasher.” said the tall one, “The shaking one is Masquerade and the other is Stargazer.” “Charmed I’m sure.” said Stargazer sarcastically. “hi,HI,hi,hi.” Masquerade said in many different voices. At that point I had realized all those strange voices came from Masquerade. “You caused quite the explosion in the forest,” said Night Dasher “We would not of even known you existed if it had not been for such a shockwave. We had to hurry, but we found you first. What is your name?” The question caught me off guard. I did not have a name I could remember. Hell I could barely talk because of the years that I had no need or use for my voice. There was a long pause before Masquerade spoke up, “Maybe he does not have a name.” with a calm voice “We should give him one.” “Purple shadow.” with a deranged voice “Magic Purple.” with a shy voice “Twisty Magic.” with a deep voice. “Twisted Shadow.” Moonlight spoke up as she pointed toward a mark on me “Your cutie mark looks like it has shadows twisting off of it. Now, do not get me wrong I liked the name, but I did not know what the mark on my flank was, and in a slight panic I tried to scrape it off. The mark was a crescent moon with three drops of water below the moon. There seemed to be weird black lines that look like shadows coming out of the moon. The moon had a yellowish color and the drops of water were shades of blue. “What.... is that?!?!” I said as my voice scraped it out. Stargazer stared at me with a blank look and said, “You do not know what a cutie mark is?” “What is a cutie mark?” I pushed my voice to say. “He-he-he even I know THAT!” Masquerade said in a deranged voice. Moonlight started to speak, “It is a mark on our sides showing our special talents.” “I had not had one.” I said as my voice was slowly improving, “There was nothing on my side before-” I stopped myself from finishing because I remembered the horrific event. “We know what happened.” Night Dasher said, “Did you do that on-” I interrupted him with a loud screech, “NO!” My voice hurt when I screeched that I had to put my head down. In a lower voice I spoke. “It was not my fault... I can’t control it.” They all were looking at me. “They put a device on my horn to stop my magic... and it shattered. IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!” I screeched again. My throat now in excruciating pain as I put my hooves around my neck. Moonlight put her hoof on my head and said, “It is alright. We will help you control your magic.” “It is impossible!” I lashed out as I raised my head, tears now going down my face. “ No matter how hard I try I can never control it!” Moonlight gave a smile and said “We can always try.” “You are all in danger!” I said in a panic. “Only time will tell.” Night Dasher spoke up “Get some more rest now, Twisted Shadow. We will explain all later.” With that Moonlight, Night Dasher, Masquerade, and Stargazer left the room. Trottingham and The Eclipsis LatorI laid there looking around the room, having only lived in a forest I became curious about where I was. I saw one of those see-through squares again, and I decided to go look through it. When I tried to stand on my four hooves, I could feel the full strain my body had gone through. I almost fell onto the ground because my front legs buckled for a moment. My entire body was aching. Slowly, I made my way to the opening, step by step. When I reached the opening, the light shining was almost blinding. Once my eyes had adjusted to the light, I could see many square structures like the other place. A label on the see-through square called it a ”window”. My eyes went from the label to the structures beyond the window. The real difference was that these structures were better looking in comparison. Soon after staring at the houses I noticed that I was very far from the ground, I started feeling a little weird to see from this view. As I stared out the see-through square and looked into the distance, more questions began to arise in my head. “Where am I? Why did Moonlight and the others save me? What is wrong with Masquerade? What was this new feeling I felt when I look at Moonlight?” I had many questions that needed to be answered. Soon I decided to leave the room to go find Moonlight and the other ponies to ask some of these questions. I slowly stepped toward the door, with my body still aching all over. I opened the door and looked out. Nopony as in sight so I just looked around. There were multiple doors that I could see, but then I decided to go down the incline. The incline was like a zig-zag downward. It seemed to be designed specifically for hooves. Slowly, I descended trying to keep my balance. About halfway down, I could hear two ponies talking. I could discern the voices of Moonlight and Night Dasher. “Do you think he’ll help us?” Moonlight asked Night Dasher answered “ I am not sure, but if my theory is correct, we need him.” When I had finally reached the bottom of the inline, both of them looked at me with a surprised expression. “You feeling better, Twisted Shadow?” Moonlight asked with a concern. “Sore, but I am fine.” in a still raspy voice, “I have many questions.” “Come, sit over here. We will answer your questions.” Night Dasher said, “Sorry that Masquerade and Stargazer are not here. They went back to work on things back at our base.” In the light I could now see Night Dasher clearly. He had a dark red coat with a pitch black mane. It was no wonder why I could not see him clearly back in the room. He had a bigger build then the other ponies I had seen and was decently taller. First I figured I should need to explain to them why everything is new to me. “I have lived in the forest for as long as I can remember. I do not know anything about where I am, or fully what I am or for that matter, what you are.” Moonlight and Night Dasher looked at each other a little confused and seemed to be in disbelief. “You have lived in a forest...how do you know how to talk?” Night Dasher asked. “I just woke up one day in the forest. No memories of the past. I just had certain abilities like how to survive and talking.” I was a little amused how I had come down to ask questions and I was now being asked the questions. “Wow...I didn’t think something like that could happen.” Moonlight said “Why did you not try to leave?” “The forest is vast. Never could I find a way out until that night. The forest was a nightmare...but it was all I knew.” I replied. I guess I was not even sure if there was anything beside the forest for a couple years. I had learned and adapted. “The only reason I had found my way out was because my chaotic magic burnt my food supplies. It was everything I needed to survive the winter. Since it was gone, I went out to look for more,but walked for days until I stumbled on the edge of the forest, and that house.” “Do not worry, Twisted Shadow. We will help you live in Equestria.” Moonlight said reassuringly. “What am I, and what are you?” I asked all of a sudden. “Both Night Dasher and I are pegasi, or pegasus. We have wings obviously.” Moonlight said as she stretched out her wings. “You are a unicorn. You have magic as you already know. Masquerade is an earth pony. They do not have wings or horns,but they are more resilient.” I just kept asking questions. There was no reason to question them about the pony species since I did fully understand it. “Where are we?” “We are in a house I own, in Trottingham.” Answered Night Dasher. “Trottingham?” I replied. “Yes, a town in a place called Equestria.” Night Dasher explained “Equestria is a nation ruled by two princess alicorns, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They have ruled for many, many years. Celestia raises the sun everyday and luna brings the moon.” His voice getting lower. “..or atleast thats how it should be...” I could tell by his voice something was wrong. An odd feeling swept through me. “What do you mean by that?” I asked after a long pause. “About one-thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna-” Night Dasher tried to say “Wait .. one-thousand years ago??!! How can Celestia and Luna still be alive?” I asked “Luna and Celestia are alicorns” Moonlight answered “Alicorns are immortal.” A wave of amazement, immortality was real. The rulers of this nation were immortal. “As I was saying, Celestia and Luna saved this land from Discord, who kept Equestria in a state of chaos and unrest. He was defeated by the princesses and they started to govern Equestria. The ponies of Equestria were finally free from the oppression and chaos of Discord, but the happiness would not stay for long unfortunately. Everypony would bask in the light of the day and sleep through the night, Luna’s beautiful night. Luna wanted the ponies to love the night’s elegance as much as she did.” “I can understand that point of view.” I interjected, “ The night has saved me on many occasions giving me strength.” Night Dasher and Moonlight looked at each other again with a smile. Night Dasher continued, “Luna decided to force the ponies to live under the night and made it eternal, so they would love it as she did. Luna became Nightmare Moon. Celestia fought Nightmare Moon, and used the Elements of Harmony to defeat her. She then banished her to the moon for 1,000 years. Luna shall return and bring night time eternal!” “Ok,” I responded,” but who are you and why did you save me? Do not get me wrong, thank you for saving me.” “We are the Eclipsis Lator.” Moonlight answered, “We are the ones who will bring Princess Luna back!” I was not sure how, but before I could ask another question Moonlight spoke again, “The massive shockwave you caused allowed us to find you. Everyone in the organization has an affinity for the night. The moon grants us all strength.The machine we used to find others like us was fried right after we pinpointed your location.” “Sorry about that...” I said as I looked down. “No need to be.” Moonlight said reassuringly, “We were very lucky we were able to find you before the royal guards were. The magic outburst attracted the attention of Celestia!” “Thank you again.” I said. “We may have a way to help you control your magic and solve one of our problems.” Moonlight said. “How!?” I said excitedly. “Wow, wow calm down.” Moonlight said, “We need to power the machine to get Luna off the moon. You can flood your magic into the machine to power it. There are 6 energy collectors we have that will be able to hold on the energy you put into them. A massive amount of energy is required and nothing else in Equestria has the potential to power it.” I had a smile on my face now. I found something.. a purpose in life. Freeing Luna and bringing the night time for all eternity. “Will you help us?” Night Dasher asked, breaking me out of my thought. “Yes!” I said as I lost control of my voices pitch, “I do not know anything outside the forest though.” I realized that I did not even know the name of the place I lived for my entire life. The place I was supposed to die. “What is the name of the forest?” I said out of nowhere. Both pegasi looked confused by this question. I just felt it right to know the place where I lived my life fending off starvation, the cold, and the predators hungry for raw unicorn. “The forest we found you by was named MoonShroud Forest. It is a very dangerous forest. Nopony has ever been able to explore it fully because of the monsters inside. Most who venture too far in never return. Is is a miracle you are alive.” Night Dasher answered. MoonShroud Forest... hearing the name made me feel like I had forgotten something. My head started to hurt and I felt light headed. My face started to show my feelings as I recalled the lonely cold nights with the only comfort being from the beauty of the stars that could never be reached, or the fear of the rabid timber wolves ready to rip you limb by limb, or even the many manticores who could swallow a pony whole. “Is there something wrong?” Moonlight asked. My face now pale. “No, I’m ok.” I said unconvincingly. “You are shivering!” Moonlight pointed out with a worried look. “I swear, I am ok!” I said in a low voice. Trying to get my mind off the subject I asked, “What is wrong with Masquerade and Stargazer?” Moonlight looked surprised from the change in subject, but still answered, “Well, Masquerade has a type of schizophrenia where every voice in his head will be said out loud. He can only partially control it, but he is one of the greatest engineers in equestria. As for Stargazer, what do you mean?” “She is so cold and emotionless.” I replied. “Emotionless is right. She cares for nothing, but the night is the only thing she is interested in.” Night Dasher explained, “She is one of the most intelligent ponies on this side of Equestria. They both went back as I said to work on the machine. Moonlight and I are staying with you to help you adjust to Equestria, and wait for you to be ready to travel.” “How far is the base?’ I asked “It is about 60 miles away in the Amber Mountain range. My family is very important in Equestria and I own the Strich Castle. Inside of there is the base.” Night Dasher explained. “How long do you think we will be here? I asked. “I am not sure, but were …” Night Dasher was saying before a knock on the door. “Come with me Twisted Shadow!” Moonlight said with a serious tone and a grim look. “What is going on?” I asked now very concerned. Moonlight grabbed my hoof and pulled my aching body up the stairs. We went to the room I woke up in. She opened a trap door at the foot of the bed. “Get in this now!” Moonlight commanded. I was not sure what was happening, but I trusted Moonlight. “Stay here” She said, “We can not let them find you!” She closed the trap door. I heard the door shut when Moonlight left the room. All the heat seemed to trap inside the hole I was in. I started to sweat from it. Voices came from the stairs. I could not make them out, but every second they grew closer I got more frightened of them. My heart started racing as I heard the door open. I tried to keep my breathing slow to make no noise. Though the crack in the wood I could see a figure in gold. He slowly stepped closer and closer. Every step I seemed to sweat more and my heart raced. Soon the figure had his hoof on the Trapdoor. In a hurry, I held my breath trying to make no noise or breath toward his hoof. The figure stood there for what felt like an eternity. My mind racing out of the fear of being caught. All of a sudden the figure turned around and said “All clear in this one.” My heart sank into relief. As the figure closed the door, I let out the breath I was holding and was thankful for the breath I took next. “If you are done here I would appreciate you leaving!” Night Dasher said in an annoyed voice. “Yes sir, sorry for the inconvenience” One of them said. About five minutes later, Moonlight lifted the latch of the trapdoor I was in. “What was that?” I asked still sweating. “Celestia’s guards are still looking for you.” Night Dasher said, “You will need to stay inside until they clear out.” “Don’t worry.” Moonlight assured me “We will not let them catch you.” I felt like I could trust them. After all the things I had been though I found where I belonged.
Exodus of the forestThis journal is for my eyes only or those who I deem fit to read. With each passing day my sanity feels like it has been slowly ebbing away. Being left in a forest to die at the age of four and losing a love take their toll. I write this now in hopes that this journal can help me hang on to the sanity that is leaving me. The best point to start might as well be at the point in which my life changed. The period of my life growing up in the forest was mundane and unneeded to explain. The effects of the forest show later in my life and so my story really begins here. The crossroads, turning point, or miracle… whatever it may be. I was in desperate need of something to sustain myself because my magic went off, as it normally did from time to time, and burned the last of my supplies before winter. I had left two days prior to search for food in a part of the forest that was unknown to me. There have been several occasions where my magic had caused me to go out and search for food. This time however, most of the food was gone and winter was coming. Every year that passes my magic gets progressively more chaotic and uncontrollable. The amount of animals that I have accidentally burned could fill a ditch the size of the cave I call home. Trust me when I say I have tried to control the outbursts, but the more I attempt to control this violent magic, the more frequent the outbursts, and the more ferocious the magic is. I am greatly hoping the hunger I feel will keep the amount of outbursts down. To no avail did the hunger of two days take my mind off the magic’s dangerous behavior. By this time I was far from my home. I had been walking for almost three days by this point and no edible food in sight. The moon rose in the sky, bringing the night. I always seemed to gain strength during the night. When looking up at the sky, I saw the full, shining circle of the moon. Depending on the amount of moonlight shining down, I gained power it seemed. I had a strange affinity for the moon and the power I gained under its glow. Most of the time, I ignored it, but tonight felt different. I have been without food for almost three days, but the moonlight seemed to give me more energy than I normally had. With my mind in deep thought on this subject, I almost didn’t notice the smoke rising in the night sky. I was a little surprised at this for I had never been in this side of the forest. As I approached the smoke I saw trees with apples on them. I desperately bucked the trees to get the apples to fall. Picking up some that had fallen, I began to eat them like there was no tomorrow. After about ten minutes of devouring the apples, I looked around and saw a square structure that appeared to be made out of uprooted trees, formed into the shape of a large cube. The smoke was coming out of a stone like piece of, what I assumed was, a... “home” of something. I drew closer to the home and I saw an opening I could see through. I looked inside and, to my amazement, I saw other ponies! At this point it was the first time I ever saw other ponies. I was shocked when I saw these ponies together. For, at this point in time, these ponies had been the only other creatures that resembled myself. Only one of them had horn, but that was not the peculiar thing. The thing that caught my interest was not one with the horn, but the ones without. I did not know there were other kinds of ponies. I do not know how long I had been standing there looking through this see-through square, but was quickly awoken from my deep thought by a scream of one of the smaller female ponies. It took a moment to realize what had happened. The smaller pony who screamed was pointing at me screaming, “DADDY!” In a panic, I turned around and galloped away as fast as my legs would move, but my horn gave off a bright flash from the sudden scream. Hoping that the flash was not my horn, I kept galloping. As I galloped I looked back to see that I was being chased by, who I assumed was, the “Daddy” character. In a sudden burst of energy caused by the fear of being captured, my legs were able to gallop faster toward the forest. When I turned again I did not see him chasing me, but in my vision I saw huge flames coming from the direction of the structure. I knew then that my fear had been realized, my chaotic magic expelled again, even though I had not wanted it to. I wandered into the forest until I found a place to sleep for the night. It looked safe and out of view of any creature that may want me for a meal. My hooves were aching now after the long time of traveling. I layed my head down on a pile of leaves, trying to rest for the time I could. I awoke to a loud sound and what seemed to be voices. “YOU! PURPLE UNICORN GET UP!” screamed a loud voice. I was in a weird sort of daze for a minute, but when the minute was over I could see two ponies wearing a weird, brown material around their front. As I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized my hooves were tied and a weird object was on my horn. I tried to get free, but to no avail. The loud voice shouted, “You are under arrest for burning down the Fern’s family house”. I did not mean to burn it, but still they drag me like a wild beast. Nowhere in my mind could I comprehend, at this point, why they would do this. No understanding on how society worked for I had only ever lived in a forest. No idea on what to do in this situation. I had not spoken in years because there had been no need to. My continued attempts in vocal exertion ended in failure as the two ponies dragged me for about an hour over sand, dirt, and rock before we reached an area with many of those home like structures. Other ponies just stared as they dragged me along the ground. I could overhear some of them saying, “That’s the pony that burnt down the Fern farm!” said one as another said, “He must be crazy, or a monster! I hope they deal with him quickly.” When we reached a wooden platform, the ponies dragged me up and put me in a wooden hold with a hole for my head and two other holes for my front hooves. As they left they said maniacally, “Have fun in the stockade!” Every day, some ponies would throw rocks at me. I was not fed or given any water. Nopony showed me any compassion while I was in the stockade. For days I could hear some say that I was a monster, and that I would get what I deserved. I could not comprehend why I was being treated so horribly. What I did was an accident. Every minute, my fear grew and every second I could feel something building up inside me. I could not tell what it was. It felt so familiar, yet so strange. All I could do in the stockade was question why they were doing this to me. why...Why...WHY! A full moon arose on the fifth night of my incarceration as the two same ponies came to me. The loud voiced one yelled, “For the burning of the Fern’s house, you are hereby sentenced to death, by hanging!” At that moment, all hope for compassion was gone. I knew I had to get out of here if there was any chance to live. Thanks to the moon, I did not feel the hunger and pain from the bruises that the rocks inflicted. The guards did not tie me up when they released the stockade. They must have thought that a week without food would render me unable to resist. As soon as they took my head out, I bucked one of the guards off the stockade and rammed the other. I took the opportunity and galloped as fast as I could. The only thing I could think was, if they catch me I’m dead. The strange feeling growing inside of me was starting to hurt, but I did not have the time to think about it. I was scared out of my mind of being caught so I ran to the only place I knew; the forest. I galloped right into the forest and when I turned to look if they were still chasing me. I couldn’t see them, but as I turned back I ran straight into a branch, knocking me out cold. I awoke to sounds around me. It was still night, but I could barely move. The pain inside was too great; I was barely able to get on my hooves. Every second I was cringing in pain. I looked around and saw I was surrounded by a mob of ponies with torches. One of them said, “You monster! We will finish you.” Another voice spoke up, “Look at him, he can barely move!” A third pony chimed in, “Look at the magic blocker its glowing!” After hearing what the pony called the device, I had then realized what the agonizing pain was. The pain felt like it was ready to burst out of my chest and turn me to ashes. The device could not hold for much longer. My fear was the only thing I could feel besides the pain. My limbs would not move. I could not gallop away. The pain was so great, I couldn’t understand how my legs were able to hold me up. All the ponies closed in, and I noticed one of them had a rope. The one with the rope said, “Let’s finish this fast. Who cares if the magic blocker is glo-” Before he could finish his sentence, the device shattered! A shockwave of flame went out in all directions. It was largest outburst of magic that had ever come out of me. The shockwave seemed to go for a mile before stopping. The magic outburst left me with almost no strength left, even under the moon's glow. I slowly looked around at the sight of burnt trees that surrounded me, and the flames of the forest burning further behind them. Soon after, I noticed that circling me were burnt husks of the ponies who tried to kill me. Seeing them all, made me let out a huge hurl of stomach acid. Exhausted and still scared, I staggered out of the forest into a field. Soon after my exit of the blazing forest, rain began to fall; as if the sky itself wept for the event that had recently transpired. My vision blurring and my mind absent, I just kept trotting. Not sure how long I had walked and stumbling along the way, but I finally collapsed where I could only see fields around me.
AwakeningI woke up in the middle of a field, no way of knowing how long I was unconscious. The sun was fully in the sky, so I could atleast tell it was midday. I just stared out into the distance for awhile, processing everything that had happened like some horrible dream. The adrenaline that the fear was causing had receded now. I started to feel like my muzzle was the size of a tree trunk. Trying to touch my muzzle, I felt dried blood. I guessed it must of happened when I galloped into the tree at full speed. The wound had stopped bleeding, but it was going to leave a scar. A moment later, I realized that which made me quiver in fear. All the ponies that had surrounded me in the forest, were dead. They would of been burned by the shockwave that destroyed the forest. In my head I kept saying, “They brought it upon themselves! IT WAS NOT MY FAULT! ...not...my fault...” I just laid there, thinking and processing everything that had transpired; wishing it was all a bad dream. After about two hours of laying there in a daze, I saw two figures approaching from the distance in front of me. My vision was still blurred from everything that happened, and I could not see much of anything clearly. I just stared blankly at the figures, not thinking much about them and hoping they were hallucinations. The figures got closer and I realized that they were not hallucinations. Fear swept over me as I tried to stand. All I could think was, “What if they were after me... somepony must be!” They were still too far away for me to see them clearly, especially with my eyes blurred. As I started to turn, one of them flew up and darted toward me. My head felt dizzy as I got up. Most of my energy was gone and my body still ached. It did not help that I had not eaten in about a week. I tried to gallop away, but I was very slow and I kept looking behind me as the figure got closer and closer. I felt like I was going to black out. After about thirty yards my vision deteriorated, and I was getting almost unbearably light headed. I galloped right into a pony without even realizing it. I faded out fearing the worst was to come, but as my senses left me I heard a sweet voice say, “I got you.” Slowly coming to, I could feel warmth all around me. I was wrapped in something warm and soft. My hearing came back slowly as I heard movement from next to me. Fear shot through my system as I opened my eyes. Through my blurred vision, I could see only a dark figure looking down at me. I started to shake from the fear as adrenaline started to course through me. Soon after I started shaking the same sweet voice I heard from before say, “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” With that I seemed to calm and my nerves were at ease. I was not to sure what was happening, but atleast I felt safe with that voice. My vision slowly returned, I could see the face of the pony looking over me. I could tell, by the way the pony looked, that the pony was female. Her face was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her coat was a dark blue color and her mane was a lighter shade of blue with a strip that had a yellowish glow. She had wings sticking out of her sides. I did not know ponies could have wings. A weird feeling started to develop inside me. I was not scared, but my heart beated a little faster. When attempting to speak nothing came out. She grabbed a glass filled with water and poured it into my mouth. She started to speak, “My name is Moonlight. You are safe here. Nopony will hurt you as long as you’re with us.” With that, any worry I had went away. I just knew for some strange reason that I could trust her. A long screech come from behind moonlight. “I have food for you two, Moonlight.” a calm voice said, “Oh he is up.” “We should have left him there!” a deep voice spoke up. “But he can... help us.” a shy sounding voice said. “He is a DANGER!” a deranged voice said loudly. “No, he is not!” spoke the calm voice again. “Yes!” now a childish voice. “No!” said another childish voice. "Yes!” again with the first childish voice. “No!” said the other childish voice. Moonlight turned and shouted, “MASQUERADE! Leave the food and go! He needs to rest.” “Sorry.” said the shy voice. I was not certain where all those voices were coming from because Moonlight only said one name. All those voices were a bit strange and I had wondered how many other ponies were here. Soon after that, I heard another screech and the door closed. “Sorry about that, he can be a bit..... peculiar sometimes.” Moonlight said. What she said confused me greatly. I heard multiple voices, but she said “he” meaning one. I decided to drop the thought as moonlight brought the food over. She helped me sit right so I could eat the food that was brought in. My stomach was growling so much, I started to eat very fast because I have not eaten anything in so long. I could feel the bruise on my face were the scar was, but I did not care about the pain that emanated from the wound. Looking up at Moonlight, she gave me a smile and giggled. My face turned red and I put my head. Feeling started to return to my throat. The warmth of the food and the water allowed me to finally speak again, “Thank you.” I said in a low raspy voice with my head down. She looked at me with a warm expression. I felt safe there... for the first time since I can remember, I felt safe. After a few minutes the door screeched open again. This time I could now see the door and three figures came in. One kept shaking, another stood tall, and the third looked cold, like she did not care to be here. “He is awake.” said the tall one. “He was out for almost two days! It is about time.” said the cold one. “He’s only recently awoken.” Moonlight said quietly. “YES, yes, yes!” said the shaking pony with a deranged voice. “My name is Night Dasher.” said the tall one, “The shaking one is Masquerade and the other is Stargazer.” “Charmed I’m sure.” said Stargazer sarcastically. “hi,HI,hi,hi.” Masquerade said in many different voices. At that point I had realized all those strange voices came from Masquerade. “You caused quite the explosion in the forest,” said Night Dasher “We would not of even known you existed if it had not been for such a shockwave. We had to hurry, but we found you first. What is your name?” The question caught me off guard. I did not have a name I could remember. Hell I could barely talk because of the years that I had no need or use for my voice. There was a long pause before Masquerade spoke up, “Maybe he does not have a name.” with a calm voice “We should give him one.” “Purple shadow.” with a deranged voice “Magic Purple.” with a shy voice “Twisty Magic.” with a deep voice. “Twisted Shadow.” Moonlight spoke up as she pointed toward a mark on me “Your cutie mark looks like it has shadows twisting off of it. Now, do not get me wrong I liked the name, but I did not know what the mark on my flank was, and in a slight panic I tried to scrape it off. The mark was a crescent moon with three drops of water below the moon. There seemed to be weird black lines that look like shadows coming out of the moon. The moon had a yellowish color and the drops of water were shades of blue. “What.... is that?!?!” I said as my voice scraped it out. Stargazer stared at me with a blank look and said, “You do not know what a cutie mark is?” “What is a cutie mark?” I pushed my voice to say. “He-he-he even I know THAT!” Masquerade said in a deranged voice. Moonlight started to speak, “It is a mark on our sides showing our special talents.” “I had not had one.” I said as my voice was slowly improving, “There was nothing on my side before-” I stopped myself from finishing because I remembered the horrific event. “We know what happened.” Night Dasher said, “Did you do that on-” I interrupted him with a loud screech, “NO!” My voice hurt when I screeched that I had to put my head down. In a lower voice I spoke. “It was not my fault... I can’t control it.” They all were looking at me. “They put a device on my horn to stop my magic... and it shattered. IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!” I screeched again. My throat now in excruciating pain as I put my hooves around my neck. Moonlight put her hoof on my head and said, “It is alright. We will help you control your magic.” “It is impossible!” I lashed out as I raised my head, tears now going down my face. “ No matter how hard I try I can never control it!” Moonlight gave a smile and said “We can always try.” “You are all in danger!” I said in a panic. “Only time will tell.” Night Dasher spoke up “Get some more rest now, Twisted Shadow. We will explain all later.” With that Moonlight, Night Dasher, Masquerade, and Stargazer left the room.
Trottingham and The Eclipsis LatorI laid there looking around the room, having only lived in a forest I became curious about where I was. I saw one of those see-through squares again, and I decided to go look through it. When I tried to stand on my four hooves, I could feel the full strain my body had gone through. I almost fell onto the ground because my front legs buckled for a moment. My entire body was aching. Slowly, I made my way to the opening, step by step. When I reached the opening, the light shining was almost blinding. Once my eyes had adjusted to the light, I could see many square structures like the other place. A label on the see-through square called it a ”window”. My eyes went from the label to the structures beyond the window. The real difference was that these structures were better looking in comparison. Soon after staring at the houses I noticed that I was very far from the ground, I started feeling a little weird to see from this view. As I stared out the see-through square and looked into the distance, more questions began to arise in my head. “Where am I? Why did Moonlight and the others save me? What is wrong with Masquerade? What was this new feeling I felt when I look at Moonlight?” I had many questions that needed to be answered. Soon I decided to leave the room to go find Moonlight and the other ponies to ask some of these questions. I slowly stepped toward the door, with my body still aching all over. I opened the door and looked out. Nopony as in sight so I just looked around. There were multiple doors that I could see, but then I decided to go down the incline. The incline was like a zig-zag downward. It seemed to be designed specifically for hooves. Slowly, I descended trying to keep my balance. About halfway down, I could hear two ponies talking. I could discern the voices of Moonlight and Night Dasher. “Do you think he’ll help us?” Moonlight asked Night Dasher answered “ I am not sure, but if my theory is correct, we need him.” When I had finally reached the bottom of the inline, both of them looked at me with a surprised expression. “You feeling better, Twisted Shadow?” Moonlight asked with a concern. “Sore, but I am fine.” in a still raspy voice, “I have many questions.” “Come, sit over here. We will answer your questions.” Night Dasher said, “Sorry that Masquerade and Stargazer are not here. They went back to work on things back at our base.” In the light I could now see Night Dasher clearly. He had a dark red coat with a pitch black mane. It was no wonder why I could not see him clearly back in the room. He had a bigger build then the other ponies I had seen and was decently taller. First I figured I should need to explain to them why everything is new to me. “I have lived in the forest for as long as I can remember. I do not know anything about where I am, or fully what I am or for that matter, what you are.” Moonlight and Night Dasher looked at each other a little confused and seemed to be in disbelief. “You have lived in a forest...how do you know how to talk?” Night Dasher asked. “I just woke up one day in the forest. No memories of the past. I just had certain abilities like how to survive and talking.” I was a little amused how I had come down to ask questions and I was now being asked the questions. “Wow...I didn’t think something like that could happen.” Moonlight said “Why did you not try to leave?” “The forest is vast. Never could I find a way out until that night. The forest was a nightmare...but it was all I knew.” I replied. I guess I was not even sure if there was anything beside the forest for a couple years. I had learned and adapted. “The only reason I had found my way out was because my chaotic magic burnt my food supplies. It was everything I needed to survive the winter. Since it was gone, I went out to look for more,but walked for days until I stumbled on the edge of the forest, and that house.” “Do not worry, Twisted Shadow. We will help you live in Equestria.” Moonlight said reassuringly. “What am I, and what are you?” I asked all of a sudden. “Both Night Dasher and I are pegasi, or pegasus. We have wings obviously.” Moonlight said as she stretched out her wings. “You are a unicorn. You have magic as you already know. Masquerade is an earth pony. They do not have wings or horns,but they are more resilient.” I just kept asking questions. There was no reason to question them about the pony species since I did fully understand it. “Where are we?” “We are in a house I own, in Trottingham.” Answered Night Dasher. “Trottingham?” I replied. “Yes, a town in a place called Equestria.” Night Dasher explained “Equestria is a nation ruled by two princess alicorns, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They have ruled for many, many years. Celestia raises the sun everyday and luna brings the moon.” His voice getting lower. “..or atleast thats how it should be...” I could tell by his voice something was wrong. An odd feeling swept through me. “What do you mean by that?” I asked after a long pause. “About one-thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna-” Night Dasher tried to say “Wait .. one-thousand years ago??!! How can Celestia and Luna still be alive?” I asked “Luna and Celestia are alicorns” Moonlight answered “Alicorns are immortal.” A wave of amazement, immortality was real. The rulers of this nation were immortal. “As I was saying, Celestia and Luna saved this land from Discord, who kept Equestria in a state of chaos and unrest. He was defeated by the princesses and they started to govern Equestria. The ponies of Equestria were finally free from the oppression and chaos of Discord, but the happiness would not stay for long unfortunately. Everypony would bask in the light of the day and sleep through the night, Luna’s beautiful night. Luna wanted the ponies to love the night’s elegance as much as she did.” “I can understand that point of view.” I interjected, “ The night has saved me on many occasions giving me strength.” Night Dasher and Moonlight looked at each other again with a smile. Night Dasher continued, “Luna decided to force the ponies to live under the night and made it eternal, so they would love it as she did. Luna became Nightmare Moon. Celestia fought Nightmare Moon, and used the Elements of Harmony to defeat her. She then banished her to the moon for 1,000 years. Luna shall return and bring night time eternal!” “Ok,” I responded,” but who are you and why did you save me? Do not get me wrong, thank you for saving me.” “We are the Eclipsis Lator.” Moonlight answered, “We are the ones who will bring Princess Luna back!” I was not sure how, but before I could ask another question Moonlight spoke again, “The massive shockwave you caused allowed us to find you. Everyone in the organization has an affinity for the night. The moon grants us all strength.The machine we used to find others like us was fried right after we pinpointed your location.” “Sorry about that...” I said as I looked down. “No need to be.” Moonlight said reassuringly, “We were very lucky we were able to find you before the royal guards were. The magic outburst attracted the attention of Celestia!” “Thank you again.” I said. “We may have a way to help you control your magic and solve one of our problems.” Moonlight said. “How!?” I said excitedly. “Wow, wow calm down.” Moonlight said, “We need to power the machine to get Luna off the moon. You can flood your magic into the machine to power it. There are 6 energy collectors we have that will be able to hold on the energy you put into them. A massive amount of energy is required and nothing else in Equestria has the potential to power it.” I had a smile on my face now. I found something.. a purpose in life. Freeing Luna and bringing the night time for all eternity. “Will you help us?” Night Dasher asked, breaking me out of my thought. “Yes!” I said as I lost control of my voices pitch, “I do not know anything outside the forest though.” I realized that I did not even know the name of the place I lived for my entire life. The place I was supposed to die. “What is the name of the forest?” I said out of nowhere. Both pegasi looked confused by this question. I just felt it right to know the place where I lived my life fending off starvation, the cold, and the predators hungry for raw unicorn. “The forest we found you by was named MoonShroud Forest. It is a very dangerous forest. Nopony has ever been able to explore it fully because of the monsters inside. Most who venture too far in never return. Is is a miracle you are alive.” Night Dasher answered. MoonShroud Forest... hearing the name made me feel like I had forgotten something. My head started to hurt and I felt light headed. My face started to show my feelings as I recalled the lonely cold nights with the only comfort being from the beauty of the stars that could never be reached, or the fear of the rabid timber wolves ready to rip you limb by limb, or even the many manticores who could swallow a pony whole. “Is there something wrong?” Moonlight asked. My face now pale. “No, I’m ok.” I said unconvincingly. “You are shivering!” Moonlight pointed out with a worried look. “I swear, I am ok!” I said in a low voice. Trying to get my mind off the subject I asked, “What is wrong with Masquerade and Stargazer?” Moonlight looked surprised from the change in subject, but still answered, “Well, Masquerade has a type of schizophrenia where every voice in his head will be said out loud. He can only partially control it, but he is one of the greatest engineers in equestria. As for Stargazer, what do you mean?” “She is so cold and emotionless.” I replied. “Emotionless is right. She cares for nothing, but the night is the only thing she is interested in.” Night Dasher explained, “She is one of the most intelligent ponies on this side of Equestria. They both went back as I said to work on the machine. Moonlight and I are staying with you to help you adjust to Equestria, and wait for you to be ready to travel.” “How far is the base?’ I asked “It is about 60 miles away in the Amber Mountain range. My family is very important in Equestria and I own the Strich Castle. Inside of there is the base.” Night Dasher explained. “How long do you think we will be here? I asked. “I am not sure, but were …” Night Dasher was saying before a knock on the door. “Come with me Twisted Shadow!” Moonlight said with a serious tone and a grim look. “What is going on?” I asked now very concerned. Moonlight grabbed my hoof and pulled my aching body up the stairs. We went to the room I woke up in. She opened a trap door at the foot of the bed. “Get in this now!” Moonlight commanded. I was not sure what was happening, but I trusted Moonlight. “Stay here” She said, “We can not let them find you!” She closed the trap door. I heard the door shut when Moonlight left the room. All the heat seemed to trap inside the hole I was in. I started to sweat from it. Voices came from the stairs. I could not make them out, but every second they grew closer I got more frightened of them. My heart started racing as I heard the door open. I tried to keep my breathing slow to make no noise. Though the crack in the wood I could see a figure in gold. He slowly stepped closer and closer. Every step I seemed to sweat more and my heart raced. Soon the figure had his hoof on the Trapdoor. In a hurry, I held my breath trying to make no noise or breath toward his hoof. The figure stood there for what felt like an eternity. My mind racing out of the fear of being caught. All of a sudden the figure turned around and said “All clear in this one.” My heart sank into relief. As the figure closed the door, I let out the breath I was holding and was thankful for the breath I took next. “If you are done here I would appreciate you leaving!” Night Dasher said in an annoyed voice. “Yes sir, sorry for the inconvenience” One of them said. About five minutes later, Moonlight lifted the latch of the trapdoor I was in. “What was that?” I asked still sweating. “Celestia’s guards are still looking for you.” Night Dasher said, “You will need to stay inside until they clear out.” “Don’t worry.” Moonlight assured me “We will not let them catch you.” I felt like I could trust them. After all the things I had been though I found where I belonged.
