Time.....

Time is... A unique conscept...

There is no natural occurrence of 'time', it cannot be 'created'... Yet... It exists...

How can something exist... If there's no proof of it?...

(Canterlot City)

Silver Hoof, a twelve year old colt, was having another nightmare. In fact, this is the third one this week, and it's always the same thing. He's outside playing, and then he hears a loud, deep bang... Then, a wall of fire engulfs the sky, turning it red in a scarlet inferno. The trees in the city combust into flame, ponies start screaming all around. He's scared, afraid, and confused... Then, silence falls, and he's floating in a black void. Of course, he's not alone, a light in the distance breaks the darkness. He meets a very tall bipedal creature, with a ball of pure light hovering over it's open palm. It has no mouth or nose, but it has three eyes, two normal ones and an additional eye on it's forehead. It's skin was pale blue, and it's eyes were completely black minus it's pupils, which were pink vertical slits... This being never harmed him, it just stared at him for a few moments with it's soulless eyes, and walked back into the darkness.

But this time, it approached him... It knelt down to him, and held out it's free hand. Silver Hoof was afraid, he didn't know this creature that haunted his dreams nor why it did so in the first place... But it felt different this time. It didn't feel like he was in a dream, he felt as if he was wide awake... His sleeping conscious had awoken, but he still remained in a comatose state, this scared him further. "..... Fear not, young one... I am not an enemy..." A ghostly voice whispered in the colt's head. "In fact, I have come to save you..."

"S-s-save... M-me?" The colt was shaking in fear, like a puppy enduring it's first thunder-storm. "S-save me from w-what?"

Silver's mother had entered her son's room to check and see if he was having another nightmare... She witnessed something that nearly made her scream. There was a... A thing, standing over her son's bed, watching him sleep. This thing stood on it's back legs and had three pink, glowing slits, more than likely it's eyes. The rest of it's body was hidden in darkness, a black silhouette against the moonlight from the window. Judging from the black appendage and fingers, it was touching his forehead for an unknown reason... She couldn't move, she was completely paralyzed in fear.

Her son started to shift, and eventually he woke up. Silver stared into the eyes of his watcher... He sighed. "So it's true?"

The creature slowly nodded it's head, then it motioned to Silver's mother.

"..... Mommy..."

"S-Silver?" She whispered.

The young colt jumped out of bed and ran to his mother, hugging her fore-hoof. "M-Mommy..."

The creature slowly approached, Silver's mother stood in a defensive stance. "Get away from my baby you monster!" She yelled.

The creature complied and halted it's advance, but remained silent.

"I don't know what you are, but I swear if you lay a finger on my baby I'll-!

"Mommy!" Her son yelled... He had ears going down his cheeks. "Please... Please stop..." Her son let go of her hoof, and walked to the creature.

"... Silver?"

Silver turned his head. "..... Mommy... I love you..." The creature raised it's arm and snapped it's fingers, a black void opened up out of thin air. "I... I have to go..."

Silver's mother started shedding tears, she charged on reflex in an effort to get her son away from the creature. "No, get away from him!" She was halted, and lifted up by an unknown force. She started thrashing against this force, but it did little to nothing. "Silver!" Tears ran down her face as she watched her only son approach this unknown being. "No, stop! Get away from that thing!" Silver was now beside it, tearing-up from seeing his mother like this. "No! Please don't take my baby away from me! Please!

The creature motioned Silver to step into the portal, he nodded. "Bye, Mommy... I'll miss you."

"SILVER!!!" The colt stepped into the void, enveloped by the murky blackness. The void closed and his mother dropped to the floor, released by whatever force was holding her up. She slowly got up, shaking with anger. "No... You..." She glared at the creature. "You give me back my BABY!" She leaped at the creature, but was thrown back by an unseeable force. She hit the wall with a loud thud. "Oof!... My baby..." She shakily got up again. "GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!" She yelled, the creature just stared at her... Her strength gave out, and she collapsed in a sad heap. "Silver... Why?" She looked up at the creature. "Why did you take my baby from me...?" The creature remained silent. "..... Answer me!" The creature vanished, no smoke or a flash of light, he just disappeared. "..... No... This can't be happening..." She was lifted into the air once again, completely confused. That is until the creature reappeared mere inches from her face, staring her dead in the eyes. Her heart was racing, body shaking like a leaf, fear completely silenced her and overridden any and all sorrow. She lost control of her bladder and soiled herself, urine running down her back-leg and onto the floor.

The creature ignored her fear-stricken state placed a finger on her forehead. "... Your child will be saved....." A voice whispered in her head. The mare was dropped onto the floor, released from the unknown force and landing in the yellow mess she made earlier. The creature disappeared one last time, leaving the mare to whimper in utter fear...

(Canterlot Castle, one moon later)

"Your highness, we got another one." A guard reported.

"An abduction?" She questioned.

The guard nodded. "The mother was traumatized by the incident and her son is missing, she claims that a tall, bipedal demon took him." He further explained. "I believe this is the fourth case today involving a tall, bipedal foalnabber."

"Fifth." Celestia corrected in an agitated tone. "This is the fifth report I've had today of an apparent 'demon' foalnabbing somepony's child."

"Aren't you going to do something about it? This sounds like a very serious problem, if you don't mind me saying." The guard asked.

Celestia gave a long, heavy sigh. "I would, but there's just one problem... The one I just received was from this very city, the one before that was from Fillydelphia, and the one before that was all the way in Manehatten... This flightless creature somehow abducts five children from different reaches all across Equestria, all over the course of a single night." The princess was baffled, she just couldn't understand how this could even be possible. "What kind of being is capable of traveling such great distances without the aid of flight?"

"I'm... Not sure if ANY creature is able to do that... Even with wings, it's impossible to travel so far in such a short time." He said.

"My point exactly... Whatever we're dealing with, it must be very powerful." Celestia thought out loud. She used her magic to retrieve some paper and a quill. "I want you to awaken my sister and inform her of all this, she may know what kind of creature we're dealing with. I'll send a message to my student about this immediately."

The guard saluted. "Yes your highness." He rushed to Luna's room to awaken her while the princess quickly scribbled down a message.

"Whatever you are, I won't allow you to terrorize my subjects any further." She turned her head- "AH!" She stumbled back in surprise... Whatever she was looking at, it wasn't a pony. "..... What... I..." She realized it was standing on it's hind legs. "I-It's you!" The demon vanished. "No! Where-!" Something grabbed the back of her head, then a sudden shift in gravity forced her legs to buckle and pin her to the floor.

"..... Goddess of the sun..." A ghastly voice whispered in her head. "I highly advise you cease this insubordinate behavior immediately..." Celestia struggled to stand, but the gravity intensified and made her collapse once more. "Fighting back is pointless... Very few can ever match the psychokinetic prowess of my species..."

"You... Release me at once!"

"..... I'm afraid that would be a very poor choice of judgement on my part... I can predict the outcome of that scenario, even without the assistance of my foresight..."

"I... Foresight..... Who are you, and what are you!?" She asked.

"... My name cannot be comprehended by a species as dull-minded as yours. One would require telepathic abilities to even pronounce it, as vocalizing it is impossible... But, you may refer to me as, the Collector..."

"Why are you taking my subjects, Collector?" She further questioned.

"... Why?..... I believe it's better for you to be unaware of my reasons. But in time, you will learn..."

"Stop speaking in riddles!" She demanded. "Tell me your reasons, now!"

"..... As I said, Equestrian..." The voice spoke. "It is best that you remain unaware... But I assure you, my reasons are justified..." The hand holding the back of her head vanished, and so did the gravitational hold. The creature had already disappeared before Celestia could meet it, leaving no traces of it's presence.

"..... Unaware... Justified... I refuse to believe such lies." The princess stood up, gaining a serious look. She sent the letter with her magic and marched straight to the court room.

A drowsy Luna met her halfway. "Ugh, sister, why have you awoken me?"

"There is no time to explain, just follow me." She ordered.

Luna looked surprised, and a little hurt from her sister's sternness, but she complied. "No need to be so harsh, sister. The world isn't ending, you know."

"I know, Lulu. But the lives of many may be at stake." Celestia informed. "I'll explain everything once Twilight arrives, just bear with me for now."

Author's Note

[Working on picture, sorry.]

The Collector, a mysterious biped with PSI abilities. Why is he taking colts and fillies from their parents, and where exactly is he taking them? What exactly is he? Is he really a demon, or... Is he something far worse?