It was another cool sunrise as the sun rose over a simple town. Further into the small village, a large area with rows of trees, a barn of red and many other typed of crops, the owners of the farming area were the first to awake by the crow of a rooster. One of the owners of the farm was already out the door, her golden blond mane flowing in the cool wind, her short orange coat keeping her somewhat warm and her signature tan Stetson hat saying perfectly on her head. Her mane and tail was in a simple ponytail as she had a wooden basket in her muzzle as she decided to go back and work her way to the front, so she couldn't make long trips to the filled baskets in the back.
The orange mare placed the basket beside the tree with another on her back as she placed it on the opposite side of the tree. She stretched a little before getting ready to buck. With one swift, but strong kick, the apples on the tree shook a little before the apples themselves started falling off and most of them landing in the baskets. She was going over to pick up the fallen apples on the floor, right before she heard a noticeable yelp and felt something bigger then her fall atop of her.
As fast as she could, she moved herself from under the stranger and quickly kicked the stranger, unsure if they were friend or foe. Thankfully with the strong kick she did before, the kick she delivered to the unknown thing wasn't that hard. But she heard a thump and turned around to see the unknown person was knocked out. She backed away once she noticed that this stranger wasn't a pony. It was mostly covered in a dark blue cloak while she saw what looked like claws, but it's nails were too dull to hurt anypony. It seemed a bit gray and pale. With a careful hoof, she flipped the cloak off of the creature more and saw it was wearing what looked like a one-piece black outfit with long sleeves that covered the back of it's claws and no covering for her hind-hooves. She also spotted purple boots that somehow matched the cloak it was wearing. Around its waist, there was a loose belt with red gems strapped onto it. She also saw that its mane was short and almost went around its head. She then looked at its face, seeing its muzzle scrunched in and a small red gem on its forehead.
She was so into examining this creature, that she yelped in surprise as a smaller item fell close to her. She looked down to see a black satchel. With a cautious hoof, she opened to see two books in front of her, one purple and one red. She carefully took out one of the books and opened It to see nothing but pictures and weird hoof writing. 'What the hay is this?' She thought as she closed the book and placed it back in the bag, noticing a smaller item in the bottom. She decided to not check it out. She then saw her older brother come in with a slightly surprise look at the unknown creature. "Big Mac. Get mah rope." The orange pony said to the red stallion as he nodded and left. The orange mare took another glance at the creature and the bag.
Awhile later, Big Mac returned with the rope and the farm mare took it and tied the creature up. She then placed the tied up thing on her back. "Come on Big Mac. Let's take this critter to the farm and make sure it don't escape." She said as she started walking back to the farm.
"Eeyup." The red stallion nodded as he followed his little sister to the barn.
~
Soon the two arrived at the barn. Luck was thankfully on their side as Appebloom nor Granny Smith didn't see the two with the strange creature they were carrying. Big Mac opened the door as he let her sister come in with the unconscious creature. She placed the thing on a hay bale and wiped the small sweat on her brow. The creature wasn't that heavy, but just the hot sun hitting a black cloaked creature that she was carrying wasn't really a good combination with the long walk.
While she was walking, she was thinking of a good plan on what to do with this...thing.
"Big Mac," She got her brother's attention. "Ah want ya'll to keep an eye on this criter an make sure it don't leave yer sight. Okay?" She said.
"What will you be doing?" He asked her.
"Ah'm gonna head to twilight's place ta see if she might know what this thing is and what we should do with it." She said as she picked up the black bag and put it on her back. "Ah'm also gonna see if she knows what's written in the books in the bag." Before she could get a response from her big brother, she was already out the door and closed it behind her before she started going on her way to the Golden Oaks Library.
Big Mac sighed as he sat down next to the creature. He glanced at the sleeping being and started touching the cloak. It was soft and silky. After that, he was just trying to pass the time till her sister comes back or the creature wakes up.
'This is gonna take awhile.' He thought.
~A Few Hours Ago~
"Why do I have to come along? My costume isn't even finished yet." I asked as I was clipping my cloak together with a simple magnetic clasp.
"Cause we only have today and tomorrow to explore the comicon before the finial day comes and we have to get into that contest." My older sister said as she was dressed as Beast Boy from Teen Titans.
"And I still think that costume isn't a right choice since our characters are shipped like crazy." I told her as she glared at me.
"Well I'm sorry if I wanted to dress as my favorite character." She said as she looked out the window.
I just sighed as I put my headphones on and started listening to some tunes. 'I hope that someone has something in their shop that could complete my costume.' I thought.
The car soon stopped as we were in front of the giant building. "Now remember you two, stay together and have fun." My mother said as she smiled. She gave me and my sis one last goodbye kiss before we left the car.
I put my hood on and stopped the music as I rested my headset on my neck. I walked in with my brother as I placed my resting bitch face on as my sister opened the doors for the both of us.
Who would've guessed that it would be my last time with my sister and mother.
~
It's been half an hour already and I felt both angry and sad that not a single stand in comicon had Raven's cloak clasp in their shop. All I bought was some snacks and a pony plushie that I secretly bought due to loving the character itself. I checked my phone for any notifications, in which there was none. Even though we were told to stay together, we decided to split up to cover more ground. We made sure we got each other's map so we can meet up anytime or even cross paths. It only happened once.
I sighed as I put my phone away again and looked up to see a stand that I never noticed before. I saw a girl walk away from the shop, looking at her gloves for some reason. I decided to approach the salesman.
"Uhm, hello? I never saw this stand before and it seems a bit interesting." I spoke, actually looking at the many merchandise that you would never really see in any shop or stand. From long katanas to contact lenses and rings of many types. I then saw something that made me almost lose my cool.
"So I see that your interested in Raven's cloak clasp. Or should I say your cloak clasp." The guy said with a small smile.
"How much is it?" I quickly asked.
"Forty-five dollars." He answered.
A small smile on my face slowly grew bigger as it was under the leftover cash I had on me.
"But I don't think that will be enough for you." He suddenly said, making me snap my head back up at him, my hand reaching for my wallet. "I can give you just that. Or I can give you two books for free."
"F-for free? Isn't that-"
"Not enough? I can see that you want even more." He then pulled out two books and a rather cool looking case. He opened it to show four pens one white and three black. "But I won't give these for free. Instead of forty-five dollars. I'll make it fifty bucks."
Now I was rather hesitant, I mean, I could get all this in less then a hundred dollars, but he was pretty much asking for all my money. I sighed again before I pulled out a fifty dollar bill and all of the purchased items were in a black satchel. "I have too much of these bags, you can keep it." He said.
I took the bag and put it on under my cloak as I took out the clap and clipped it on my cloak, now looking less tacky and more realistic.
"Pleasure doing business with you." He said as I started walking off.
'Not trying to sound mean, but that guy is just creepy.' I thought as I realized how creepy he really was with the smile. 'It was like it was stuck on his face...'
Then, something really weird and truly terrifying happened.
I was on my way to meet my sister near another stand, but the clasp on my cloak started to glow and even heat up. "What the..." Before I could even touch it, I felt something in the black satchel move and actually bring me back a little. Then, a bright light was shining under me and I saw some people backing away from me. I looked down to see a summoning circle below me. And I was in the center.
I tried to move, to walk away or run away, but I couldn't move my legs. I look down again to see something on my boots. 'Is this keeping me here?!' I asked myself in my head.
"Raven!" I heard someone call out my character's name. I looked over to see my sister looking at me. "What's going on? what are you doing!?"
"B-Beast Boy!" I called out. The reason why we aren't saying our real names is cause we promised to stay in character. "Help me! I can't move!" I then felt something cold on my leg. I saw something that seemed like some sort of blue mist, but I could feel it was cold and slimy. Now I couldn't move my ankles and legs. I looked back to see my sister trying to come towards me, but it seemed some force was making him stay away from the circle itself.
It seemed that the mist picked up the pace and now it was up to my hips. "Please! Someone help me!" I cried out, now tears of fear on my eyes as my hood fell off my head and my gem and hair being shown. I tried to move again but now the mist made me unable to move my arms. I saw some people were actually trying to reach me, but it seemed they were going through the same problem as my sister was having.
By now the mist was around my neck and I felt so cold. I screamed at a sudden pain going through my body before I was completely covered in the mist and soon I couldn't feel the floor anymore. I screamed again since I couldn't see anymore with the mist.
And I could've sworn that I heard my sister call out to me before something cut her cry of my name.
~
I don't know how long I was falling, nor where I was. But all I could feel was wind blowing all over me and the added coldness of the mist surrounding me.
I was still screaming, but I stopped once I heard another voice. It was faint, but I could hear a female voice shouting what I could only guess was "No". It was long and sound like she was on the brink of defeat. Suddenly, whatever the mist was doing, faded and whatever force was bringing me down flung me somewhere else and everything was a blur until I hit something hard that knocked me out.
~
I groaned as I started waking up and I could only feel the pain on my stomach. 'That landing could've been better.' I thought as I slowly started moving, only to feel myself about to slip off and I quickly grabbed whatever I land on so I wouldn't fall. I looked around to see leaves and even apples and some unfinished growing apples. I brought my legs up on the branch I was on and I tried to get up, but the pain on my stomach stopped me from going any further. I winced as I tried to place my hand on my stomach, only to give me the feeling of a bad black and blue in the center.
I decided to stay on the tree till the pain on my stomach wasn't as bad. I sighed as I relaxed on the branch and I saw the clear blue sky through the gaps of the tree leaves.
Of course, the areas in which the leaves were covering were actually hiding the random pegasi that were flying by for either work, errand or free time.
'I know I should be freaking out over whatever happened, but if I always worry, I'll never see the fun that lies ahead... or danger as well.' She thought. But as soon as she said that in her head, the tree started shaking violently and she yelped as she fell on something and then to the floor. She got up, only to see some orange circles coming right at her and she was met with more pain and the world of unconsciousness.
~Present Time~
"Applejack? Are you sure it was a strange creature that fell on you? Not just Rainbow Dash that was sleeping in the tree again?" Twilight asked as she walked next to the farm mare.
"Ah'm sure Twilight. After I bucked it, I turned to see that it was wearing strange clothes and having some books in a saddle of some sort." Applejack explained.
"Well, I guess it would make sense of these books. One has things I just can't understand and the other is just a blank journal with a hard book cover. And the last thing is some things that I don't even know what they are." She said as she levitated the purple book to see nothing but words she couldn't read and pictures as well. 'Is this just a picture book in a foreign country? Maybe Saddle Arabia or Zebafrica? No, it can't be. I learned those two and also I'm starting to read read the foreign books in my library.' She thought as she put the things back in the bag. "So what happened after you knocked it out?" Twilight asked.
"Well, after ah saw that it was nuthing that ah seen before, Big Mac came and we tied the critter up before placing it in the barn with Big Mac." She said, the two walking through the entrance. But before Twilight could ask any more questions, the sound of someone screaming, something snapping and a whole sound of wreckage where the barn was.
'Uh, oh.' The two thought simultaneously before galloping into the barn.
They opened the door to see Big Mac standing away from the creature as it seem to be looking for something.
"Where is it? Where is it!?" It-or more like she said. She was moving hay bales and empty barrels as she still didn't notice the two mares.
Applejack and Twilight slowly approached Bic Mac. "Big Mac? What the hay is goin' on?" Applejack half whisper shouted at him. He looked down at the two, then back at the two mares. He then noticed the bag and took it without warning. Applejack was a bit shocked on that action and watched as Big Mac, with the bag loop in his mouth, approached the creature. By now the creature was just sitting on the floor, just looking rather upset, but no sniffles or sobbing being heard.
Big Mac then nudged her with his hoof. She slowly looked up at him, her eyes being cold and piercing, slightly widened as she noticed what Macintosh had in his muzzle. He then placed it down in front of her. "Is this what your looking for?" He asked. The creature let out a calm breath as she nodded and slowly took the bag, strapping it on underneath her cloak.
She then said one thing: "Thanks."
