The Adventures of Leon Nexusby LeonexusChaptersPrologue Chapter 2- When the past becomes more than memories... (Introducing Snowflash)Chapter 3: Flying solo...sort of. (Introducing James)Chapter 1- Of Bats and Scorpions (Introducing: Moonlit Chord )Prologue Prologue It had started out like any other night, Celestia lowered the sun as Luna raised the moon, and began traveling the dreamscape to ensure that their subjects could sleep peacefully through the night. However, tonight would be anything but peaceful. As Luna wandered a scream suddenly pierced the silence. Luna's ears twitched locating the direction of the scream. She took off through a hall of doors as another scream sounded in the distance. She stopped in front of a door as another scream sounded from within, and just as Luna was about to open the door, it vanished, signaling that the dreamer had awoken. "If only we had been faster, we would've made it on time." She muttered to herself," Very well then, we shall try again tomorrow night." The next night Luna was ready, her senses on high gear to get to the door as soon as possible. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luna bolted towards scream as fast as possible, scanning the doors she ran by to make sure she didn't pass the one she was looking for. As the second scream sounded off, she turned to face the door and quickly opened it, she was prepared for a young foal's nightmare, she was not prepared for the scene in front of her. The room was dark, lit with only a dim lantern in the center of the room, showing a young foal with a tan coat and messy brown mane, crying with what looked like blood on his hooves, and the bodies of two older ponies. Those must've been his parents., Luna thought, but before she could move towards the young colt to comfort him, a figure came out of the shadows in front of her. All Luna could could make out were the figures light blue eyes, with cat-like pupils, and nothing, but blackness surrounding the irises, before a wave of light-blue energy threw her out of the room. Luna quickly and ran back to the door, only for it to slam on her face. She quickly placed a hoof on the door and concentrated, only for the door to disappear once again. Luna merely stood where the door had once been, deep in thought. Even though the door had disappeared, she had managed to find out where the dreamer was, and that's what was troubling her. "What would anypony be doing in the Everfree Forest?" She wondered aloud. Meanwhile, in the Everfree Forest, a young unicorn named Leon had just awoken from a terrible nightmare. He shook his head. "Not nightmare, a memory." He corrected himself, "Why do you keep showing me that same memory each night." Oh, it's so fun to watch you squirm, when I show you what we did. A voice answered from inside his head. "No, not we, YOU did that, not me...you took control...you killed them, not me..." He replied anger rising in his voice, all the tears had been shed years ago. Leon looked around his small clearing his gaze stopping at the small fire pit in the middle. He sighed, noticing the flames had almost died, he got up to collect some more firewood. As he searched in the bushes he heard a soft thump come from behind. "Whoever you are, I suggest you leave, the Everfree isn't exactly the safest place, especially at night." He said without turning to face the newcomer. "We are well aware of the dangers here." She replied. "If you know the dangers then why are you here?" He turned around and went still at the sight of the princess before him. "Princess Luna!? What are you doing here?" He questioned "We were about to ask thee that very question." She replied. "I'm camping. Now what's your excuse, your old castle is at least two or three miles away from here." The lunar princess merely looked at him, "We are here, because of thine nightmare." "Little late then aren't you? I'm already awake." "Indeed, but we can tell it still troubles thee, and wish to help." "If you want to help somepony, then help someone that deserves it. That nightmare is my punishment for my past sins, something I'm sure you're familiar with, Nightmare Moon." Luna flinched at the mention of the monster she had become so many years ago, it was a memory that still haunted her, and still would years later. Leon noticed her flinch, and turned to continue collecting wood for the fire. "If we have an understanding, then I'd like you to please leave me alone." He turned back carrying a few sticks in a field of magic, but as he passed by Luna she stopped him with wing. He sighed, "Look princess, I get that you're trying to help, but-" He was cut of as Luna suddenly embraced him in a hug, dropping the sticks in the process, he blushed as she pulled him close. "Thy is correct, we do still suffer the pains from our past, but we have learned that it doesn't have to be a burden carried alone." She released him, "Now, tell us your troubles, so that we may help ease your pain, as our sister has done for us." "Fine." Leon picked up the sticks, quickly throwing them in the fire to keep it burning. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he tried to think of how to begin. Luna sat beside him, waiting patiently for him to begin. Leon looked into the flames as he spoke, looking back into his memories. "It happened about...nine years ago. I lived in a small village, just on the outskirts of Equestria. It was a pleasant place, everypony knew everypony else. I lived there with my parents, but it wasn't just the three of us in that home. He had been around ever since I can remember, always trying to take control, and cause trouble. And one day, He succeeded." Tears started to run down his cheeks, he thought he had done enough of that, he wiped the tears away and continued. "My parents and I had gotten into a fight, I was angry, and He took advantage of that. He took control, and he...killed them!" Leon was truly crying now, but continued on screaming out in frustration and sadness,"HE KILLED THE ONLY PONIES I LOVED, AND JUST TO MAKE IT WORSE, HE LIT THE HOUSE ON FIRE JUST SO THAT I WOULD HAVE NOWHERE TO RETURN TO!" Leon slowly calmed a bit before continuing. "The others in the village had noticed of course...so I ran away. I ended up here in the Everfree, just the place a monster like me deserves to be." His story finished he looked up at Luna, tears still in his eyes, "Now you know why I stay here, to keep Him from ever being able to hurt anypony ever again. So I'll ask you again, will you please leave...it's dangerous here." Luna firmly shook her head, "No, we shall not leave thee here another night." She said firmly. Leon looked at her in shock, "Weren't you listening! I'm dangerous! I could hurt somepony if I leave here!" Luna stood up and looked down at him, "That is why thine will stay with us at the castle, so that we may help you to maintain control, and still be under supervision in case something does happen." Leon's eyes seemed to shine with a hope he thought was long gone," Can...can you really help me?" Luna smiled, "We shall." She spread her wings wide as she prepared to fly, "Are you ready?" "Um...ready for wha-" He was cut off as Luna began to levitate him. "Whoa" Luna's smile grew as she took off in to the night sky Leon floating alongside her. Suddenly a thought struck her mind. "It occurs to us that we did not even ask thy name." Luna said With a grin on his face and hope in his heart he answered, "My name is Leon, Leon Nexus." That was four years ago, Leon , now 19, stood at the edge of a small town called Ponyville. Luna had told him it was time for his final test, he was here to study with Twilight about possible ways to get rid of Him, and also to make friends, for he knew he would not be able to do this alone. So he took a deep breath, and took his first step into the next chapter of his life. Author's Note I hope you've enjoyed the opening for this story, I'm looking forward to writing more. Please leave your opinions below, I hope to improve my writing as the story continues. And last ,but certainly not least, Thanks for reading! Chapter 2- When the past becomes more than memories... (Introducing Snowflash)Chapter 2- When the past stops being just memories (Introducing: Snow Flash) "Ahh, it feels good to finally get out of there." Leon said, walking away from the hospital. "Couldn't agree more." Moon said, spreading her wings. "You do realize that you could've left at anytime, right?" Moon shrugged. "Didn't have anywhere else to be." "Why not head home? Don't you live near Fillydelphia?" "Well, yeah, but I'm still trying to figure you out." "Figure me out? Moon I told you, the less you know, the better." Moon raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that's gonna stop me? I mean, c'mon. You live in the Everfree and you're friends with a princess. I need to know. I'm your friend, aren't I? Don't I have a right to know what's going on? Leon?" She turned around and noticed that he had stopped walking, and was staring at the ground. "Hey, you alright?" Moon asked as she trotted back to him. "You should head home." He said, still staring at the ground. "What? Why!? I already told you I'm not leaving without answers!" She stomped her hoof in frustration. "And I already told you, I'm not giving them. So just go home." He said, his voice seemed eerily calm. Moon glared at him. "Tell. Me. Why. Why is it so important for me to go home!? Why don't you want ponies around you!?" Her voice rose with each question until finally she ended up shouting. "AND WHY THE BUCK DON'T YOU HAVE YOUR CUTIE MARK!? YOU'RE NINETEEN AND A BLANK FLANK WHO SPENDS HIS DAYS IN SOLITUDE AT A FREAKING LIBRARY! WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IF YOU JUST SIT THERE STARING AT BOOKS ALL LUNA-DAMNED DAY!?" "I MIGHT FIND ANSWERS!" Moon stopped, confused. "YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WITH QUESTIONS!? YOU THINK I WANT TO PUSH PONIES AWAY!? I DO IT BECAUSE I! HAVE! TO! I WISH, I COULD HAVE FRIENDS. I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO SCARED. I WISH..." Leon stared at her, all of his frustration clearly shown. Leon closed his eyes, and took a deep breathe to calm himself. "I wish, I had my cutie mark. Maybe it could point me in the right direction. But right now...I really wish you would just go home, and leave me alone..." Leon walked off, heading towards the Everfree, leaving Moon standing alone, mouth wide open in shock. After a few seconds, she spread her wings and took off. Leon had planned to head to his campsite, but wasn't sure if Moonlit had actually left. Instead, he had decided to head towards a nearby lake. He laid down at the edge, staring at his reflection. He sighed, his breath rippling the water. When it had calmed, He had replaced Leon's reflection. Leon scowled at Him. "What do you want?" He chuckled. "Oh, I'm just here to congratulate you on a great performance. Losing your temper like that really made me feel for you." Leon snorted. "If she knows what's good for her, she'll leave." "Because that worked so well last time, right?" Leon stood up, glaring at Him, "Look, I wanted to find some peace, so if you could just leave me alone, that'd be great!" He splashed water, leaving only his own glaring face. No matter how much you may want me gone, I will always be here. Leon sat back down, trying to figure out what to do next. I can always head over to Twi's, but I should probably wait a bit, I don't need her asking me why I'm coming so late...I think I'll just stay here and relax... He thought, making himself comfortable. Leon woke up to find somepony gently shaking him. "Excuse me, sir. It's getting late, shouldn't you be at home?" A feminine voice asked. Leon groaned, "Don't have one, now let me sleep." He said, turning over to get comfortable again. "What do you mean you don't have one?" The voice asked. Leon tiredly waved a hoof in the air. "I mean I don't have one. Simple as that. I've got my campsite, but that's just where I usually sleep. Speaking of which, that's something I'd like to get back to." "Why don't you just head back to your campsite then? It's bound to be better than out here." Leon shrugged. "I'm comfy here." "I'm sure your campsite would be better" "...You're not just going to let me stay here are you." The voice giggled. "Nope." Leon sighed and started to get up. "Alright I'm up, can you go now." "You haven't even opened your eyes." She deadpanned. Leon opened his eyes to see the lake lit up in the moonlight, the full moon reflected off the lake's surface, helping to spread the light throughout the area. Leon turned around to face the pony that had been wanting him to wake up so badly. "So, you got me up, mind telling me your name?" He asked. "I'm Snowflash." She said. She was a young pegasus, slightly shorter than Leon. Her coat was white, and her mane and tail were also white, but had a blueish tint to it. Her mane was tied into double ponytails that fell across her shoulders. Leon stopped as his gaze approached her flank as he tried to see her cutie mark, only to discover that she didn't have one. Snow felt his gaze linger and shifted her tail to cover her blank flank. "No need to stare." She said, "Not all of us can be good at..." She stopped, noticing Leon's blank flank. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Leon laughed, "It's alright. I'm used to it, but how did you not notice earlier?" "I was just trying to wake you up, didn't really pay attention to anything else." She said, relieved that she hadn't offended him. "Wait a minute, shouldn't you be headed home as well?" Leon asked. "Oh! Um, I was just heading there and..." "You live on the outskirts of town?" "Y-yeah, just on a floating cloud." Leon sighed, "I might've believed that if it wasn't a clear night tonight. Do you not have anywhere to stay?" Snow nodded. Leon sighed again. "Well, I think I know where you can stay the night. A friend of mine usually does some late night reading before bed, so she should still be awake." Snow smiled. "Really?" "Yeah, just follow me, she's got plenty of spare rooms." After a few minutes of walking the duo had arrived at Twilight's castle. "So, when you said friend you meant..." "The Princess of Friendship? Yeah, but she still prefers to be called Twilight." Leon knocked on the door. Hopefully she's not too upset with me for not stopping by today. The door opened to reveal Moon, who just stared at him for a minute. "Where's Twi?" "Studying." "May we come in?" "Sure." Moon stood to the side to let them in, closing the door behind them. The three of them walked in awkward silence, tension thick in the air as they approached the castle's library. Leon opened the door to the library, Twilight was sitting at a table searching through a book for something. As they got nearer, they could hear her muttering to herself. "No… No...maybe, but then...." Leon tapped her on the shoulder. "AHH" Twi spun around to face him. "You jerk! That scared me!" "Whoa, easy Twilight. I was just wondering if you could let Snowflash here use one of the spare rooms for the night." "Huh?" Twilight looked past him to the pegasus standing behind him with Moon. "I don't see anything wrong with that, but you're staying here as well tonight." "Why would I be staying here?" "Because, in case you haven't noticed, it's late, and after that Scorpio incident, I'd prefer it if you stayed here rather than in the Everfree." Leon sighed, "Alright, fine." Twilight nodded. "Good. Owlicious!" A brown owl flew out from the rows of books and landed on the table in front of her. "Would you mind leading Snow to one of the guest rooms?" The owl hooted and flew to the doorway, waiting for Snow to follow. "Thank you for letting me stay." Snow said "Don't worry about it. Now go, get some sleep." Snow nodded and left to follow the owl. "Leon, you should go get some sleep too." "Nah, I had a nap earlier, I'm good. Besides, I have studying to catch up on." Leon replied, moving towards the shelves. Moon flew in front of him. "I'm sorry." Leon blinked. "About what? If you mean earlier, I should be apologizing. I lost my temper, and there was no reason for me to shout at you for not understanding." "Wait, what happened earlier?" Twilight asked. Moon shuffled her hooves. "I tried to interrogate him about his past..." "And I ended up shouting at her." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "And why won't you tell her? She obviously cares, and wants to help." "Because it’s my problem! How many times do I need to tell you this? If it had been my choice, neither you, Spike, nor your friends would know about it either!" Twilight closed the book she had been looking through, and showed it to him. It was the book of ancient artifacts he was always looking through. "And how many times do we have to tell you? We don't care if it's your problem. You can't do it on your own, so we will help you. Tell her!" "No! Enough ponies have been dragged in as it is!" Moon cleared her throat, getting their attention. "Leon, you helped me out when I'd angered that Scorpio, so let me help you. I understand that there are some things you want to keep to yourself, and I shouldn't have tried to force answers, but Twilight's right. I just want to repay you for how you helped me." She looked around the library. "Even if it means sitting here looking through a bunch of books." Leon sighed. "Fine...but you can't just look through them, you'll need to know what to look for...and why..." Moon and Twilight looked at Leon surprised. "Wait.. you mean?" Leon nodded. "If you're my friend… it's only fair you know who I am." So, Leon told her everything. None the wiser about a certain pegasus standing just outside the door, listening to every word. Well, he certainly doesn't seem like a bad pony. Snow thought as she trotted back to her room to sleep. "Let me get this straight." Moon said. "There's two of you?" Leon nodded. "In a way, yeah." "And Luna, the Princess of the Night, helped you learn how to keep… Him at bay?" "Yep." "Still doesn't explain why you don't have a cutie mark." Leon shrugged. "I don't know either, but Twilight has a theory." Twilight nodded. "Since Leon is, in a way, two ponies in one body, he might have to find both His cutie mark as well as his own." "I guess that makes sense..." Leon yawned. "I don't know about you, but I think I'll head to bed." Twilight yawned as well. "I second that notion. What about you Moon?" Moon shrugged. "I'm a batpony remember. We tend to sleep during the day. I might just go for a flight around town, or try to find some helpful artifacts." "Alright then, goodnight." Leon said, as he opened the door out of the library. Only to find a note pinned on the door with a white feather. "What the?" He pulled the letter off the door, and read it before turning back to the others, the note still held in his magic. "Twilight, you may want to hold off on sleeping… We've got a problem." "What is it?" Leon showed her the note. Twilight gasped. "But who would?" Leon shook his head. "I don't know." "Um, you going to tell me what's going on?" Moon asked. Leon showed her the note. "Somepony fillynapped Snow." He said. "Wait, what!?" Moon snatched the note out of Leon's magic, and read it. Hello Leon, It's been awhile. Thirteen years, maybe? I thought it'd be nice to see you again. See if you've… changed over the years. And I thought your newest friends might want to come as well. Little Snowflash here seemed overjoyed at the idea. So, come join us at your little campsite in the Everfree Forest. And you'd best be quick, it's dangerous here at night, and I'd hate for anything to happen to her. "What kind of pony, just up and takes somepony like this?" Moon asked "I don't know, but what worries me more is that they seem to know me." Leon said. "But it doesn't matter, we've got to get Snow back!" Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder. "We can't just go rushing in there, who knows what trap this pony could have set up out there. We need a plan." Snow was blindfolded, and scared. The last thing she remembered was heading back to her room, when something had been pressed against her muzzle, and a sharp pain in her wing as a feather was pulled out. "Oh, don't be scared. I'm not going to do anything to you." "And why should I believe anything you say?" "You know… that's an excellent question! Speaking of questions, I have one for you." "What?" "Why did you stay after finding out what Leon is?" "Well, he seemed like a nice pony… despite what happened." "Pfft. A nice pony!? Oh that's a laugh!" He started laughing, but quickly stopped, and whispered in her ear. "Tell me, little pony. Would a "nice pony" burn an entire village to the ground, and stand around to watch the flames?" "That...must've been somepony else. Leon isn't-" "A bad pony? Hmm… Well I guess you just had to be there." Snow could only sit and ponder. Leon walked into the clearing. "I got your note! Now where's Snow!" "And here I was wondering when you'd show up." A figure stepped out of Leon's tent, covered by a cloak. "Who are you?" The stallion shook his head. "Oh no, that simply won't do at all! I mean, is that really how you greet somepony? So rude." "Sorry, but I don't exactly feel inclined to be polite when somepony decides to foalnap others for no reason." "Oh, but I did have a reason. I wanted to see you as well as show your new friends what you really are." "Well, two things wrong with your plan. First off, it's only me. Secondly, I already told them everything." The cloaked pony laughed. "It's one thing to tell them, quite another for them to see it, don't you think?" The pony pulled back his hood, and Leon couldn't help but stare. The stallion's face was a mess of scars, and he seemed to be blind in one eye. "You should've known this was coming. One does not simply run from their past. Eventually, it will catch up." "So when you said thirteen years, you meant..." "I was there, yes. You destroyed my home, and now that I've found you." He smiled. "We are going to have so much fun." Meanwhile, Moon and Twilight were moving through the forest, circling around the campsite to try to find Snow. "I still don't like this plan." Moon grumbled. "We should be helping Leon beat whoever that creep is, not wandering through the forest." "Moon, we've been over this. This is the best way to make sure Snow is safe." Twilight explained. "I know, but he's using himself as bait." Moon paused for a moment. "Again!" "Just calm down, we're almost there." Twilight said. Moon's ear twitched, "Did you hear something?" She whispered. They could hear voices nearby. "So, when you said thirteen years, you meant..." The first voice said. "That was Leon!" Twilight whispered "I was there, yes. You destroyed my home, and now that I've found you. We're going to have so much fun." Said the other voice. "That doesn't sound good. We need to hurry, and get Snow out of here." Twilight said, as they approached the clearing from behind Leon's tent. Twilight used her magic to cut a hole in the back of the tent, and stepped inside, Moon close behind. Inside they found Snow with a blindfold on. Her wings and legs were tied to keep her from trying to escape, and she had a gag in her mouth. The ground soundly started to shake. "C'mon, let's get these ropes off, and get her out of here." Moon said, "It seems like Leon's going to need our help." Snow's ear twitched at the sound of voices, she started panicking. "Snow, what's wrong? It's us, we're going to get you out of here." Twilight said. Snow shook her head furiously. Twilight removed the gag. "You need to get out of here, it's a trap!" "What!?" Moon and Twi exclaimed. The ground started shaking again, as metal bars rose from the ground around them. "What the hell!? Oh no you don't!" Moon started to fly above the bars, only to get shocked, and fall back to the ground. "Moon, are you okay?" Snow asked. "Ugh, yeah, I'm alright." “Oh, did you hear that? It would seem the other guests have arrived!” Said the strange voice from outside. The tent collapsed around them, the cage cut a hole through the top of the tent, so that the captives were clearly visible. “Who are you anyway?” Moon asked, rising from the ground. The pony face hoofed. “How rude of me to not introduce myself! Well, I gave up my actual name years ago, but you may call me Scar. Fitting don't you think? Now, why don't you all just sit back, and enjoy the show.” He smiled at them. Twilight's horn started to glow, “Don't worry I’ll get us out of here.” “I wouldn't try that if I were you.” Scar warned, “This cage has quite a shocking reaction to magic.” Just as he finished speaking, a bolt of electricity struck Twilight's horn. Twilight screamed out in pain, and collapsed, twitching from the shock. “TWILIGHT!” Leon's horn started to glow, as he glared at the pony in front of him, “You better let them out, or else!” “Or else what?” “Or else, THIS!” Leon fired a small blast of magic toward the center of the clearing, covering the area in smoke. Leon followed the sounds of coughing to make his way across the clearing and find the cage. “You guys ok?” He whispered “Oh I'm sure they’re fine.” “Wha?” Leon's was cut off as a hoof smashed into his face. “That was a neat little trick you did, but that's not why I asked you to come out here.” Scar said, as the smoke began to clear. He turned and bucked, sending Leon flying to the center of the clearing. “Now, if I remember right, there's still one pony I have yet to meet, but you're being a little stubborn to let me meet him.” “Why?” Leon groaned, as he rose back to his hooves. “Why do you want to meet Him?” “Well if nothing else, I'm sure he'll be more entertaining than you. I mean, a smokescreen, really? Not very fun at all now is it.” Leon's horn started to glow again, but Scar charged him and punched him. He then quickly moved to Leon's side, and bucked him again. Causing him to slide across the clearing. Scar snorted “Oh come now, surely you can do better than this. Did all that reading teach you nothing?” Leon lay in the grass groaning, eyes closed. Any movement brought pain. He opened his eyes, and saw Moon and Snow's worried faces, as well as Twilight's unconscious body, still slightly twitching. So, now what's your big plan. “I'm going to get them out of here, duh.” Leon groaned, trying to get back up. Only to be stopped with sudden kick the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. “Tsk tsk, poor you.” Scar put a hoof on top of him. “You just won't do it. Come now, show your true self!” He kicked Leon again. “Show them the monster you truly are!” “No...I won't...let him...hurt anypony...ever again…” Scar’s eye twitched. “Well, there's no fun in that now, IS THERE!?” He kicked again. “Well, if you don't want to have any fun, I'm sure your friends would be happy to oblige.” He pulled a little box with a button on it out from his cloak. “As soon as I push this button, your friends will get some free shock therapy, I'm told it's quite relaxing.” “Don't you dare…” Leon glared at him. “Then let me have some real fun.” “You don't understand what you're asking!” Wow, he is persistent. C’mon, let me show him what he's asking for. Leon continued to glare at Scar. If I let you take control...promise me... you won't hurt them. Oh fine, I promise. Leon's coat color slowly began to change to black. His mane grew longer as it, and his tail, changed to black as well, with a red stripe down the center. Last to change, were his eyes. His pupils changed into slits, while the whites of his eyes changed to black. The only thing that didn't seem to change, was the color of his eyes. Still the same light-blue they had always been. Scar’s eyes grew wide, like a foal opening a Hearth’s Warming gift, as he watched Leon change. Moon and Snow could only stare, wondering what was happening to their friend, as he slowly rose. “I don't believe we’ve been properly introduced. My name, is Nexus.” He smiled, showing his new fangs. “And you,” He pointed at Scar, “are a dead pony.” Scar continued backing away, as Nexus approached him. “Now what was it you wanted to do? Have some fun, was it?” His horn glowed as his magic enveloped Scar in a levitation field. “Well, I would be more than happy to oblige.” Nexus threw Scar at the cage, causing him to drop the button. “Now then, magic clearly cannot be used inside the cage, but there’s no problem if I use it outside. Which means I can do this.” His horn glowed again, and there was a sudden flash as Moonlit, Twilight, and Snow, were teleported out of the cage, while Scar was teleported inside of it. Moon and Snow stared at Nexus in shock. Moon moved closer to him. “Y-you saved us?” Moon asked. Nexus scoffed, “Oh please, Leon and I had a deal, and I am not one to go back on my word. Otherwise I would've just left you in there as well.” They turned back to the cage as Scar began to laugh. He leaned up against the cage. “You are the one I've waited so long to meet. Those cold eyes! I could never forget that face.” Nexus sighed, and picked up the remote with his magic, “Yes yes, lovely to see you again and all that. Now then, shall we see just how relaxing this shock therapy is?” “What do you think you’re doing?!” Moon asked “I thought it was rather obvious, I'm going to give him a little shock.” He pushed the button, causing lightning to strike Scar within cage, Moon and Snow looked on in horror, as Nexus simply smiled. Scar laughed through the pain. “NOW YOU SEE WHAT HE IS! THIS IS THE PONY WHO KILLED HIS OWN FAMILY, DESTROYED HIS OWN HOME WITHOUT CARE!” Scar continued laughing until he collapsed, body twitching from the shocks. Nexus turned to see Snow looking like she might be sick. Moon, however, was stomping towards him, nothing but anger on her face. She punched Nexus. His expression remained cold, as if he didn't feel it. “What the buck was that?!” “I believe the term you're looking for is irony.” He replied. Moon was seething by this point. She quickly turned to help Snow get Twilight back to her castle. Nexus, what the hell?! “You were planning on leaving soon anyway, I just made i easier for you.” How exactly is this easier? “Now you won't have to say good bye to anyone. Now, if you don't mind, I’ve grown rather bored, so I believe I’ll let you out now.” Just like that? Last time you took control, you didn't let me out for about a month. “Last time, I killed our parents, and you were in no condition to travel. That, and hearing you constantly whine was getting on my nerves, and I’d rather not deal with that again.” Nexus closed his eyes, and his fur color began to change back to brown. Leon gasped and opened his eyes, he quickly trotted over to a nearby spring to check, they were back to normal. He ran his tongue along his teeth as well, checking for fangs. Oh, relax, I said I was done. “Since when have I trusted you?” Nexus gave a mental shrug. Fair point. Leon looked over at his tent, seeing Scar’s body still twitching every few seconds. He sighed, “I suppose we should bury him.” Leon's horn glowed as he teleported Scar’s body out of the cage, just to make sure, he put his hoof to Scar’s throat to check for a pulse. ….ba-bump… “He’s still alive?! It's faint, but I definitely felt something!” Are you serious?! Damn, should’ve shocked him longer. “Shut up, he needs medical attention. Twilight's Castle is closer than the hospital, but… Hospital it is.” Leon grasped Scar in his magic and placed him on his back before galloping as fast as he could out of the forest. Author's Note Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying the story, and I'd just like to say. I'm sorry that took so long. Next chapter, he's finally leaving Ponyville...but not alone. As usual, thanks to my friend Blackjack for editing, and thanks to Snow for letting me use her OC. Chapter 3: Flying solo...sort of. (Introducing James)Chapter 3 - Flying solo...sort of. (Introducing James) Leon sat in the remains of his campsite, saddlebags strapped to his back in preparation to leave. Within his bags he carried some provisions, the ancient artifacts book, and a map of Equestria. I guess this is it. He thought. He rose and turned to exit the forest, and found Luna waiting for him. “Are you certain you wish to do this?” She asked. “It’s not a matter of want, I have to go.” Leon responded. “But must you go alone? Surely your friends must’ve offered to come with you..” Leon chuckled, ”Oh they offered alright.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earlier that day ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leon had asked his four friends, Moonlit Chord, Twilight Sparkle, Snow Flash, and Spike the dragon, to meet him in the library for an announcement. The four of them believed he may have found something to help him on his mission. The five of them had sat around a large a table in the center of the library. When he had told them he was leaving, all the excitement seemed to drain from them, leaving an awkward silence. Twilight was the first to break the silence, “How long have you been planning this?” She asked. “Ever since Princess Luna told me to come here.” “So you were planning on leaving, whether you made friends or not?” “To be honest, I didn’t want to make friends for this exact reason...Makes it harder to leave, and yet it has also further deepened my belief that I have to. Because now, I have something more to protect from Nexus.” Moon waved a hoof, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, when are we leaving?” Leon blinked, “We?” Moon gestured to the group, “Yeah, we’re going with you, duh.” The others nodded in agreement. “Um, no. None of you are coming with me. You saw what happened last night, I can’t afford to let that happen again.” “But you’re ok now aren’t you?” Snow asked. Leon sighed, “ Not as long as he’s still here.” Leon pointed at his head. “Which is why we should come with.” Twilight said. “If something does happen and no one is there to stop you, then what?” Leon shrugged. “Then I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen anywhere populated.” Moon slammed her hooves on the table. “Damn it Leon! You know you’ll need help!” Leon rose up, slamming his hooves on the table, glaring at Moon, “AND YOU KNOW HE’D KILL YOU IF GIVEN THE CHANCE!” Leon let out a shaky breath. “I can’t give him that chance. So, I’ll say it again, I’m going alone.” He sat back down, looking to each of them. Twilight cleared her throat. “Actually, I think I have a plan for a compromise.” Leon raised an eyebrow. “This is your plan?” Twilight had taken Leon to Fluttershy’s cottage hoping a pet would work as a traveling companion. “Just give it a shot alright.” Twilight knocked on the door. There was the sound of some commotion as a voice answered. “Hold on, I’ll be right there!” The door opened revealing a red unicorn with a black mane, and tail. With what looked like a blue ribbon for his cutie mark.. “Hi there.” “Umm, hi? Where’s Fluttershy?” “Oh, she went into town to get some more food for the animals, so I’m here making sure they behave.” A loud crash sounded from behind him. He sighs, ”Anyway, what can do for you?” “He needs a pet. A good traveling companion.” Twilight said, motioning to Leon. “So, I’ll leave you to it.” She turns around and heading back to her castle. “Well, if it’s a pet you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. My name’s James by the way.” He smiles, lifting a hoof. Leon shook his hoof. “Leon. So, let’s see what you’ve got.” “Right this way.” James lead them around to the backyard and gestured to wide variety of animals. “I’m sure someone here will be just what you’re looking for.” Leon looked around for a bit, taking into consideration each animal he came across. Dog? Nah, to loyal to leave if I told it too. Hmm...Maybe the cat? The cat in question rubbed up against his leg, purring. Nope too lovable. He gently pushed it aside with an apologetic smile. “Say, James.” Leon turned to the pony to find him sitting down in the grass, looking out at the horizon as the sun started to set. “Umm, James?” James sighed. “Even the sunsets feel the same here, makes me wonder if…” He stopped as he heard Leon approaching. “So, you pick one out?” “Actually I was wondering if you could give a few suggestions.” “Oh! Sure, follow me.” James rose from the grass and started pointing out animals as they walked, leaving Leon to wonder just what the mumbling could have meant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Present time ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So, what did you end up with?” Luna asked. Leon smiled. “I ended up with this little guy.” He reached into his mane, pulling out a small grey bat wearing a hoodie. The bat in question was currently sleeping, curled up on his hoof. “I decided to call him Echo.” Luna giggled. “A fitting name, although wear did the hoodie come from?” “No idea, but he likes it, so I’m not going to take it away from him.” Echo slowly woke up, stretching his wings before slowly rising into the air, stopping near Leon’s head. “Whoops look like we woke him.” The bat let out a tiny yawn and perched on Leon’s horn. “Anyways, the last train out of Ponyville is leaving soon, and I don’t want to miss it.” Luna nodded, “I won’t keep you any longer then, but I will ask that you keep me informed about your travels. Speaking of which, where exactly are you headed?” “I’ve been doing some research, and it turns out there’s a pony in Manehatten that just might be able to help.” “Well, I wish you safe travels, and will eagerly await your letters.” Leon nodded, and headed to the train station. Once he arrived at the train station, he noticed four familiar ponies, and a dragon, waiting for him. Twilight, Spike, Moon, Snow, and even James had come to see him off. Although James seemed to be more of giving Echo a send off than Leon. The two boarded the train as it started to move forward, waving good-bye as they went. Once Ponyville was out of sight, Leon laid back in his seat, glancing up at the bat still perched on his horn. “Well, looks like it’s just you and me from here on out.” Echo gave a small nod, as Leon smiled at him. Author's Note This took waaaaay too long to finish and post. I should've had this done MONTHS ago...Anyways, hope you all enjoy! Sorry it's quite a bit shorter than the others so far, hehe... CREDIT STUFF! Snow Flash still belongs to ummm herself? James belongs to...well, James_the_Unicorn No editing by Moonlight Chord this time, but his OC is still here. Chapter 1- Of Bats and Scorpions (Introducing: Moonlit Chord )Chapter 1- Of Bats and Scorpions (Introducing: Moonlit Chord ) Chapter 1 - Of Bats and Scorpions (Introducing: Moonlit Chord) When Leon arrived in Ponyville,Twilight had offered him a room in her castle, but he had declined, saying it was too dangerous for him to be too close to anypony. "Well then, where are you going to live?" She asked. "I'll just stay in the Everfree, I've spent enough time there, and I'm already enough of a burden for you without me staying here." Twilight looked shocked, while Leon had simply shrugged, "Besides, this way if He takes control, I'll still be close enough to you, and the others, for you to stop me before I become too much of a threat, while also being far enough away that no innocents can get hurt." Twilight had thought on it for a few minutes before sighing in defeat. "Alright," she said," but I want you to come here first thing every morning for breakfast. Luna said you were to be my responsibility, and that includes making sure you eat." Leon rolled his eyes,"Alright, it's a deal." It's been about a week since then, and Leon has held true to his side of the bargain, afterwards he would study the books in her castle library, still trying to find a way to get rid of Him. "Augh!" Leon slammed his head on the table, "There's nothing in this either!" he said as he threw the book he was reading. "Ow!" "Hm?" Leon raised his head to see Spike sitting on the ground rubbing his head. "Whoops, sorry Spike" He apologized to the baby dragon. Spike sighed, "You know I try to keep the books tidy for Twilight, why'd you have to go and throw it?" "I'm just frustrated, that's all. It seems like none of these books hold the answer..." Leon replied, gesturing with a hoof at the walls of the library. Books lined the walls, and there were several rows of shelves filled with all sorts of literature, from Daring Do, to Starswirl the bearded. "Hey, it's only been a week, I'm sure something will come up." Spike said encouragingly. Leon sighed, "You're right Spike. I just have to keep looking." He rose from his seat and went back to scanning the shelves. Spike just shook his head as he watched his friend examine a few books before adding them to a growing stack that he held with his magic. "Hmm, this looks promising." Leon thought as he grabbed a book titled, “ Ancient artifacts of Equestria” “You do realize that most of the items mentioned in that are just legends and rumors, right?” Spike asked Leon raised an eyebrow, “Says the dragon who’s seen the Elements of Harmony, the Tree of Harmony, the Alicorn Amulet, and helped reclaim the Crystal Heart. Just because it’s a legend or a myth doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist..” Spike shrugged, “Fair point.” Leon rolled his eyes and went back to searching through the book. Now there’s bound to be something here… He thought to himself Still searching, I see. Another voice replied. You do realize it’s hopeless right? You can’t get rid of me. We’ll see about that. Leon replied. He began scanning through the book hoping to find anything that may be useful. "Speaking of the Elements, this has been going on for years, right?" Spike asked Leon nodded. "Well, then how come you didn't just try to have Twi and the others use them to get rid of Him?" Spike asked. "Two reasons. One, the Elements tend to be unpredictable. When Celestia used them against Nightmare Moon, she wanted to save her sister, but instead ended up banishing her to the moon. Whereas when they used them, it freed Luna. It seems like pure luck that Discord was turned to stone twice, and that they were able to free him the same way." "And for the second reason," Leon turned to Spike," this is my problem. I don't want to drag others into it. I realize that sometimes it can't be helped, but, if I can help it, then I'll keep as many ponies as possible at a distance if it means He will have fewer targets." Leon turned back to the book. "Now, if your curiosity is satisfied, I have research to do." *THUMP* Leon jumped and looked towards the sound to see Spike, with a second copy of the book, sitting next to him. "You might not want us involved, but we're here to help, whether you like it or not." Spike said. Leon sighed, and turned back to his book, a slight smile on his face. Leon yawned as he trudged through the Everfree to his campsite. He and Spike had had no luck yet, they had found a few that seemed promising, but they weren't able to find any clues as to their whereabouts. He smiled. Despite not finding anything, I'd definitely call today a good day. Oh? Leon groaned. And you ruined it. He chuckled. You're welcome. Leon sighed, What do you want anyway? You usually seem to show up when you want to taunt me about one thing or another. Nothing but silence answered the question. Leon sighed again, "So now you're just deciding to be annoying? Great." Leon was almost to his campsite, but stopped when he saw the shadow of somepony. *SNAP* The Mysterious pony quickly turned towards him, and simply stared. "Um...hello?" The shadow spread it's wings, Leon could only stare in shock, they were bat wings?! A batpony? He thought to himself, What is it doing out here? "Er...nice wings?" Leon tried a second time for conversation. The batpony seemed startled by his response, folding it's wings before finally deciding to speak. "Normally that scares ponies away." She said "Well, when you live out here for a few years, it takes more than a pair of bat wings to scare you." "Hmph, I find it hard to believe that any unicorn would spend more than an hour out here." "Well this is my camp." Leon motioned around the clearing with a hoof, " Complete with tent and firepit." He said," Speaking of which, why don't we chat a bit in the light." The bat pony seemed to sigh as she stepped out into the moonlight in front of him. She had a tan coat, and a flowing black mane. Her eyes had slits for pupils, and a darker violet color for her irises. Her Cutie Mark was a picture of the moon, with a sixteenth note in the center. "There, now maybe introductions are in order, or at least an explanation of what you're doing here." Leon raised a hoof, "As for the former, my name is Leon Nexus, but just Leon is fine too." The batpony glared at his hoof in obvious distaste. "Moonlit Chord, but Moon is fine, and as for why I'm here, well, that's none of your business." She answered. Leon lowered his hoof, "Ok, well then, could you please leave, I don't recommend staying here too much longer. The Everfree tends to get worse the later it is." Moon raised an eyebrow," That's it? Just gonna greet me and kick me out?" "You obviously don't like unicorns, so unless you want me to grab you a sleeping bag, I suggest you leave before it gets any later." Moon sneered at him, before taking off into the night. Leon sat down in the clearing, staring up at the night sky. There, now hopefully she'll stay- He heard a rustling in the leaves of a nearby bush, but before he could even get up to investigate, Moonlit was thrown out of the bush, and slammed into him. "See, this is why I told you to leave earlier." Leon groaned. "Shut up." Moonlit said as she slowly got off of Leon. As they got up, Leon was able to see just what had thrown Moon in the first place. What came out was a giant scorpion, it's body seemed to be made out of stars. "What the hell did you do to piss off a Scorpio!?" "I didn't do anything!" She shouted. "I'm pretty sure that it would disagree!" "Well it doesn’t really matter right now, does it?!" Leon's horn started to glow. "What are you-" Moon was cut off as a bright flash emanated from Leon's horn. When her vision cleared she noticed they seemed to be in front of an old castle. "What is this place?" She wondered out loud. *THUMP* "Huh?" Moon turned to see that Leon had collapsed, exhausted. "You ok?" "That took a lot out of me." Leon said, as he rose,"but I'll be fine. Now as for your first question, this is the Castle of the Two Sisters. My mentor brought me here a couple years ago, and it's as deep in the woods as I could get us." He explained. Moonlit gazed at the ruins of the once great castle, when a thought came to mind. "Wait a minute...You brought us deeper into the forest?! Why not get us out of here?!" "You really think a simple teleportation spell would get us away from a Star Creature? At most I bought us a few minutes. This way, instead of it following us into town, it'll just follow us deeper in the woods." Leon said, "Fair point." "Well, now that I've answered your question, why don't you answer mine. What did you do to anger that Scorpio?" "I told you, I didn't do anything." Leon raised an eyebrow. Moon sighed, "Alright fine, I came in here looking for mangoes, this forest seemed similar to the one near my home, and after I ran into you I decided to keep an eye on you. No matter what you say it's still very unusual to see anypony camping out here. Anyways, I was watching from a nearby bush when I felt something touch me. I instinctively bucked at whatever it was, and then found myself being launched towards you." "Let me get this straight, you came into the Everfree Forest, one of the most dangerous places in Equestria, to find mangos?" Leon asked, a smirk on his face. Moon poked him with a hoof, "Go on, laugh, I dare you." "Alright, alright, geez." He pushed her hoof away," Now we need a good spot to take cover before it gets here." The two turned to enter the castle, when they heard an ear splitting screech come from behind them. "That's just my luck." Leon turned just in time to see the Scorpio crashing through the trees. "Ok, different plan, you fly off, and get help. I'll distract it." Moon looked shocked, "Are you crazy?! There's no way you can keep it distracted." "We really don't have time to argue about this. GO!" "Buck that! I'm not going to just leave you here!" The Scorpio began charging at them. "Fine then! follow me!" Leon said as he charged into the castle, the Scorpio not far behind. "I think *pant* we finally lost it." Moon was leaning against a wall in one of the many hallways of the castle. Leon was peering around the corner, making sure the path was clear. "I *pant* doubt it. Scorpios are said to have the greatest abilities of tracking *pant*, rivaled only by timber wolves." "Great, so where is it?" Leon shrugged,"How should I know?" Moon groaned, "So what are we supposed to do? I doubt we can fight that thing." Leon nodded, "That's why I wanted you to leave in the first place. Anyways, let's move, we can't stay in one place for too long." The two turned a corner and entered a hall filled with empty suits of armor. Every once in awhile there would be a tremor shaking the ruins causing pieces of the ceiling to slowly come apart. Ugh, why'd I think it was a good idea to lead it here? Luna's going to be so pissed. Leon thought. As they neared the center of the hall, Leon moved slightly ahead, stepping on a hidden switch as he did so. The floor opened up beneath Moon and she was so surprised by the sudden lack of flooring she momentarily forgot she could fly and fell into the hole. "You ok down there?" Leon asked Moon groaned, and looked up at the still open trapdoor, "Yeah, I'm alright, just give me a sec, and I'll fly right up." "Glad to hear you're ok." Leon said as he lifted his hoof from the switch, closing the trapdoor above her, and leaving her in darkness. "Um, Leon, you mind doing whatever you did to open that thing again so I can get out." "Don't worry, I'll be right back." "What?! Don't you dare leave me down here!" "Look, just stay quiet, and I'll get the Scorpio out of here. Then come back and get you as soon as I'm sure it's safe." Leon walked away listening for the sounds of the giant scorpion. Still able to hear Moon's voice yelling at him through the floor. Meanwhile, Moon was understandably pissed. This is what I get for trusting a freaking unicorn. How could I have been so stupid! She started slamming her head against the wall, STUPID, STUPID, STU- *click* huh? Moon raised her head, and saw the wall in front of her begin to open up. Guess I found a switch out of here, that dumbass probably thought I was trapped here. With a smug smile on her face, and some pay back in mind, she walked out of the room to search for Leon. Leon however, wasn't faring so well "Whoa!" He ducked as the Scorpio swung at him with one of it's claws, and continued to run, letting it stay close enough to keep chasing him, and not search for Moon. This, was your brilliant plan?! Not exactly the best time right now. Kinda busy, mind bugging me later? No, I think this is the best- DUCK! Leon felt himself duck, just in time for the claw to pass right over him, nicking a few hairs. It screeched in frustration at missing it's target once again. -time to mention just how stupid you're being right now! He finished. "I already knew it was a stupid plan, but I'm sure Moon will be able to find the exit and get out of here. So unless you have something useful to say, SHUT THE BUCK UP, AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Leon yelled. The Scorpio, now convinced that the pony it was chasing was crazy, chose just that moment to swing at him again. This time it hit it's mark, sending Leon flying down the end of the hall, and slamming him into a wall hard enough to crack it. Leon screamed out in pain, and crumpled to the floor. The scorpion advanced, certain that victory was near. However it paused, when it noticed that it's prey was rising. Now confused, it moved slowly towards Leon, only to pause when he opened his eyes. Leon's left eye now had a slit pupil, and had turned black around the iris. The Scorpio raised it's tail, ready to strike. Leon simply glared at him. "I dare you try it. However, if you prefer to have your tail attached, I suggest you don't." He still sounded like the same pony, but there was something different with how he spoke. A coldness that showed he was just as likely to keep his word, as well as strike no matter what happened. It hesitated, but eventually lowered it's tail. Leon smirked, "That's better," His horn began to glow," now here's a little something to remember me by." He made a slashing motion with his hoof, and the Scorpio screeched in pain, covering one of it's eyes. "Now beat it." He commanded. The frightened beast wasted no time in running off through the halls to escape. He chuckled, "You see, that's how you solve a problem, show a little force and it runs off like a little filly." "What in the name of Tartarus, did you do?" Moon asked as she approached him from down the right hall. Leon closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, before he collapsed. The last thing he managed to see, was Moon running towards him, worry on her face. So much for that plan. He thought. When Leon finally came to, he moaned slightly from the pain. "Hey, you awake?" A voice asked. "I think I'd prefer if I was still asleep." "Well, I'll go tell your friends you're awake, they've been worried about you." Leon groaned again, "Of course they were." He heard the door close and decided to take a look around, not surprisingly, he was in the Ponyville Hospital, What did surprise him was the bat pony asleep on the couch. "She has not left the hospital since you've been out." Leon turned to see Luna standing in the doorway. He smiled. "So I guess you heard, huh." "Twilight Sparkle sent me a letter as soon as she heard you were in the hospital." Now he was confused, and looked back at the bat pony on the couch, "You mean she carried me here from the Forest? " "That is certainly how it seems." Leon slammed his head back on the pillow. I try to get her to go away, and this happens instead? Great, just great. "What is troubling you?" Leon sighed, "I think you of all ponies knows the answer to that question." Luna's ear twitched as she heard something down the hall. "Well it seems I must depart, your friends will be here soon." And with that, Luna's horn glowed, as she teleported away. Not a second later, the door burst open as Twilight and Spike entered the room, waking up Moon in the process. "Huh?! What's going on?!" Moon asked as she tried to make sense of why she was suddenly awoken. "Oops, sorry Moon. When we found out Leon was awake, we ran over to see him." Twilight apologized. "What do mean Leon's awake? The nurse would've woken me up for that." Moon said, still trying to wake up. "I guess she just wanted you to sleep." Leon said,"Speaking of sleep, how long have I been out?" "Oh, about three or four days." Spike answered, Leon's eyes grew wide, "Don't worry I've been keeping up the search while you were out." He relaxed a little at that, but still...all that time wasted. He laid back down, and was about to ask them to leave, when his stomach growled. "I guess being out for so long has made me hungry." He said, embarrassed. Twilight smiled," Don't worry, Spike and I will go grab you something to eat." Spike nodded in agreement, "You can count on us!" He said with a salute. Leon chuckled, as he saluted the dragon in return. "Leon?" Moon was now sitting on the couch. "What?" "I just wanted to say… I'm sorry." Leon blinked in surprise,"Sorry for what?" "It's my fault that the Scorpio came after us in the first place. If I hadn't kicked it..." She stopped as she noticed Leon was laughing. "I'm trying to apologize, here!" She snapped "Sorry, but how can you apologize for following your instincts? I mean, you didn't know what it was, it could have just as easily been a rabbit or something." "Whatever, you never told me why you were out there anyways." "Yes I did, I live there." "Not what I meant. No one would just live there without a reason." Leon shrugged, "Doesn’t matter why. I live there because I choose to." Moon sighed. "Y'know, you never answered my question as to why you dislike unicorns so much." Leon said, turning to the bat pony. Moon sighed and got up from the couch. "A group of unicorns killed my parents. I was just a filly at the time." Leon looked at her with understanding. " So, ever since then I've had trouble trusting unicorns in general. However, the night my parents died, I swore to not let any other ponies feel my pain." She looked at Leon, a fierce fire burning in her eyes. "So I became," She unfurled her wings as wide as they could go," Batmare!" Leon face hoofed at her little joke, as she was now smiling at him, and took a bow for her performance. "Ok, so what's the real reason?" Moon shrugged,"Bullies, lots of bullies. Not all of them were unicorns, but a good portion of them were. Over time I just started to think that all unicorns were alike in that regard. So I generally stayed away from them. Although, now I know not all of them are bad." She smiled. Leon nodded,"Ok, that sounds reasonable. " "Now will you tell me why you were out there?" Leon tapped a hoof on his chin for a moment, thinking. "Nah." Moon stomped a hoof in frustration. "Oh c'mon!" Leon laughed. "Does it have something to do with your parents?" Leon's laughter stopped cold,"Look, the less you know about me, the better off you'll be." Moon was about to ask what he meant when Twilight and Spike returned with some hayburgers. "We brought enough for everyone." Leon grabbed one with his magic, "Thanks Twi, I didn't realize how hungry I am." As they ate, Twilight had asked for a detailed retelling of what had happened, and was surprised to hear that a Star Creature had even been roaming the Forest. "I might need to ask Princess Luna what's going on. Star Creatures tend to stay deeper in the Forest than ponies regularly go." Twilight said. "You don't think somepony could've done something to make them move do you?" Spike asked. "Unfortunately, it is a possibility, but it would take an extremely large amount of power to pull off, but we can talk about that later. As for now let's just celebrate that everyone is ok. After all I'd be surprised if Pinkie isn't wanting to throw a party for you." Leon smiled at the thought."Certainly seems like something she'd do. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she's already sent out invites." The four of them shared a laugh as they joked about Pinkie Pie's crazy antics. However, there was a mysterious figure watching the friends laugh together, and smiled. "You may have gotten to keep your little secret safe this time, but who's to say about the next?" Author's Note Big thanks to my friend BlackJack for letting me use Moonlit, and editing to make sure I didn't screw up with Moon's personality. Hope you all enjoyed, and hopefully it won't be another month for chapter 2.
Prologue Prologue It had started out like any other night, Celestia lowered the sun as Luna raised the moon, and began traveling the dreamscape to ensure that their subjects could sleep peacefully through the night. However, tonight would be anything but peaceful. As Luna wandered a scream suddenly pierced the silence. Luna's ears twitched locating the direction of the scream. She took off through a hall of doors as another scream sounded in the distance. She stopped in front of a door as another scream sounded from within, and just as Luna was about to open the door, it vanished, signaling that the dreamer had awoken. "If only we had been faster, we would've made it on time." She muttered to herself," Very well then, we shall try again tomorrow night." The next night Luna was ready, her senses on high gear to get to the door as soon as possible. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luna bolted towards scream as fast as possible, scanning the doors she ran by to make sure she didn't pass the one she was looking for. As the second scream sounded off, she turned to face the door and quickly opened it, she was prepared for a young foal's nightmare, she was not prepared for the scene in front of her. The room was dark, lit with only a dim lantern in the center of the room, showing a young foal with a tan coat and messy brown mane, crying with what looked like blood on his hooves, and the bodies of two older ponies. Those must've been his parents., Luna thought, but before she could move towards the young colt to comfort him, a figure came out of the shadows in front of her. All Luna could could make out were the figures light blue eyes, with cat-like pupils, and nothing, but blackness surrounding the irises, before a wave of light-blue energy threw her out of the room. Luna quickly and ran back to the door, only for it to slam on her face. She quickly placed a hoof on the door and concentrated, only for the door to disappear once again. Luna merely stood where the door had once been, deep in thought. Even though the door had disappeared, she had managed to find out where the dreamer was, and that's what was troubling her. "What would anypony be doing in the Everfree Forest?" She wondered aloud. Meanwhile, in the Everfree Forest, a young unicorn named Leon had just awoken from a terrible nightmare. He shook his head. "Not nightmare, a memory." He corrected himself, "Why do you keep showing me that same memory each night." Oh, it's so fun to watch you squirm, when I show you what we did. A voice answered from inside his head. "No, not we, YOU did that, not me...you took control...you killed them, not me..." He replied anger rising in his voice, all the tears had been shed years ago. Leon looked around his small clearing his gaze stopping at the small fire pit in the middle. He sighed, noticing the flames had almost died, he got up to collect some more firewood. As he searched in the bushes he heard a soft thump come from behind. "Whoever you are, I suggest you leave, the Everfree isn't exactly the safest place, especially at night." He said without turning to face the newcomer. "We are well aware of the dangers here." She replied. "If you know the dangers then why are you here?" He turned around and went still at the sight of the princess before him. "Princess Luna!? What are you doing here?" He questioned "We were about to ask thee that very question." She replied. "I'm camping. Now what's your excuse, your old castle is at least two or three miles away from here." The lunar princess merely looked at him, "We are here, because of thine nightmare." "Little late then aren't you? I'm already awake." "Indeed, but we can tell it still troubles thee, and wish to help." "If you want to help somepony, then help someone that deserves it. That nightmare is my punishment for my past sins, something I'm sure you're familiar with, Nightmare Moon." Luna flinched at the mention of the monster she had become so many years ago, it was a memory that still haunted her, and still would years later. Leon noticed her flinch, and turned to continue collecting wood for the fire. "If we have an understanding, then I'd like you to please leave me alone." He turned back carrying a few sticks in a field of magic, but as he passed by Luna she stopped him with wing. He sighed, "Look princess, I get that you're trying to help, but-" He was cut of as Luna suddenly embraced him in a hug, dropping the sticks in the process, he blushed as she pulled him close. "Thy is correct, we do still suffer the pains from our past, but we have learned that it doesn't have to be a burden carried alone." She released him, "Now, tell us your troubles, so that we may help ease your pain, as our sister has done for us." "Fine." Leon picked up the sticks, quickly throwing them in the fire to keep it burning. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he tried to think of how to begin. Luna sat beside him, waiting patiently for him to begin. Leon looked into the flames as he spoke, looking back into his memories. "It happened about...nine years ago. I lived in a small village, just on the outskirts of Equestria. It was a pleasant place, everypony knew everypony else. I lived there with my parents, but it wasn't just the three of us in that home. He had been around ever since I can remember, always trying to take control, and cause trouble. And one day, He succeeded." Tears started to run down his cheeks, he thought he had done enough of that, he wiped the tears away and continued. "My parents and I had gotten into a fight, I was angry, and He took advantage of that. He took control, and he...killed them!" Leon was truly crying now, but continued on screaming out in frustration and sadness,"HE KILLED THE ONLY PONIES I LOVED, AND JUST TO MAKE IT WORSE, HE LIT THE HOUSE ON FIRE JUST SO THAT I WOULD HAVE NOWHERE TO RETURN TO!" Leon slowly calmed a bit before continuing. "The others in the village had noticed of course...so I ran away. I ended up here in the Everfree, just the place a monster like me deserves to be." His story finished he looked up at Luna, tears still in his eyes, "Now you know why I stay here, to keep Him from ever being able to hurt anypony ever again. So I'll ask you again, will you please leave...it's dangerous here." Luna firmly shook her head, "No, we shall not leave thee here another night." She said firmly. Leon looked at her in shock, "Weren't you listening! I'm dangerous! I could hurt somepony if I leave here!" Luna stood up and looked down at him, "That is why thine will stay with us at the castle, so that we may help you to maintain control, and still be under supervision in case something does happen." Leon's eyes seemed to shine with a hope he thought was long gone," Can...can you really help me?" Luna smiled, "We shall." She spread her wings wide as she prepared to fly, "Are you ready?" "Um...ready for wha-" He was cut off as Luna began to levitate him. "Whoa" Luna's smile grew as she took off in to the night sky Leon floating alongside her. Suddenly a thought struck her mind. "It occurs to us that we did not even ask thy name." Luna said With a grin on his face and hope in his heart he answered, "My name is Leon, Leon Nexus." That was four years ago, Leon , now 19, stood at the edge of a small town called Ponyville. Luna had told him it was time for his final test, he was here to study with Twilight about possible ways to get rid of Him, and also to make friends, for he knew he would not be able to do this alone. So he took a deep breath, and took his first step into the next chapter of his life. Author's Note I hope you've enjoyed the opening for this story, I'm looking forward to writing more. Please leave your opinions below, I hope to improve my writing as the story continues. And last ,but certainly not least, Thanks for reading!
Chapter 2- When the past becomes more than memories... (Introducing Snowflash)Chapter 2- When the past stops being just memories (Introducing: Snow Flash) "Ahh, it feels good to finally get out of there." Leon said, walking away from the hospital. "Couldn't agree more." Moon said, spreading her wings. "You do realize that you could've left at anytime, right?" Moon shrugged. "Didn't have anywhere else to be." "Why not head home? Don't you live near Fillydelphia?" "Well, yeah, but I'm still trying to figure you out." "Figure me out? Moon I told you, the less you know, the better." Moon raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that's gonna stop me? I mean, c'mon. You live in the Everfree and you're friends with a princess. I need to know. I'm your friend, aren't I? Don't I have a right to know what's going on? Leon?" She turned around and noticed that he had stopped walking, and was staring at the ground. "Hey, you alright?" Moon asked as she trotted back to him. "You should head home." He said, still staring at the ground. "What? Why!? I already told you I'm not leaving without answers!" She stomped her hoof in frustration. "And I already told you, I'm not giving them. So just go home." He said, his voice seemed eerily calm. Moon glared at him. "Tell. Me. Why. Why is it so important for me to go home!? Why don't you want ponies around you!?" Her voice rose with each question until finally she ended up shouting. "AND WHY THE BUCK DON'T YOU HAVE YOUR CUTIE MARK!? YOU'RE NINETEEN AND A BLANK FLANK WHO SPENDS HIS DAYS IN SOLITUDE AT A FREAKING LIBRARY! WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IF YOU JUST SIT THERE STARING AT BOOKS ALL LUNA-DAMNED DAY!?" "I MIGHT FIND ANSWERS!" Moon stopped, confused. "YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WITH QUESTIONS!? YOU THINK I WANT TO PUSH PONIES AWAY!? I DO IT BECAUSE I! HAVE! TO! I WISH, I COULD HAVE FRIENDS. I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO SCARED. I WISH..." Leon stared at her, all of his frustration clearly shown. Leon closed his eyes, and took a deep breathe to calm himself. "I wish, I had my cutie mark. Maybe it could point me in the right direction. But right now...I really wish you would just go home, and leave me alone..." Leon walked off, heading towards the Everfree, leaving Moon standing alone, mouth wide open in shock. After a few seconds, she spread her wings and took off. Leon had planned to head to his campsite, but wasn't sure if Moonlit had actually left. Instead, he had decided to head towards a nearby lake. He laid down at the edge, staring at his reflection. He sighed, his breath rippling the water. When it had calmed, He had replaced Leon's reflection. Leon scowled at Him. "What do you want?" He chuckled. "Oh, I'm just here to congratulate you on a great performance. Losing your temper like that really made me feel for you." Leon snorted. "If she knows what's good for her, she'll leave." "Because that worked so well last time, right?" Leon stood up, glaring at Him, "Look, I wanted to find some peace, so if you could just leave me alone, that'd be great!" He splashed water, leaving only his own glaring face. No matter how much you may want me gone, I will always be here. Leon sat back down, trying to figure out what to do next. I can always head over to Twi's, but I should probably wait a bit, I don't need her asking me why I'm coming so late...I think I'll just stay here and relax... He thought, making himself comfortable. Leon woke up to find somepony gently shaking him. "Excuse me, sir. It's getting late, shouldn't you be at home?" A feminine voice asked. Leon groaned, "Don't have one, now let me sleep." He said, turning over to get comfortable again. "What do you mean you don't have one?" The voice asked. Leon tiredly waved a hoof in the air. "I mean I don't have one. Simple as that. I've got my campsite, but that's just where I usually sleep. Speaking of which, that's something I'd like to get back to." "Why don't you just head back to your campsite then? It's bound to be better than out here." Leon shrugged. "I'm comfy here." "I'm sure your campsite would be better" "...You're not just going to let me stay here are you." The voice giggled. "Nope." Leon sighed and started to get up. "Alright I'm up, can you go now." "You haven't even opened your eyes." She deadpanned. Leon opened his eyes to see the lake lit up in the moonlight, the full moon reflected off the lake's surface, helping to spread the light throughout the area. Leon turned around to face the pony that had been wanting him to wake up so badly. "So, you got me up, mind telling me your name?" He asked. "I'm Snowflash." She said. She was a young pegasus, slightly shorter than Leon. Her coat was white, and her mane and tail were also white, but had a blueish tint to it. Her mane was tied into double ponytails that fell across her shoulders. Leon stopped as his gaze approached her flank as he tried to see her cutie mark, only to discover that she didn't have one. Snow felt his gaze linger and shifted her tail to cover her blank flank. "No need to stare." She said, "Not all of us can be good at..." She stopped, noticing Leon's blank flank. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Leon laughed, "It's alright. I'm used to it, but how did you not notice earlier?" "I was just trying to wake you up, didn't really pay attention to anything else." She said, relieved that she hadn't offended him. "Wait a minute, shouldn't you be headed home as well?" Leon asked. "Oh! Um, I was just heading there and..." "You live on the outskirts of town?" "Y-yeah, just on a floating cloud." Leon sighed, "I might've believed that if it wasn't a clear night tonight. Do you not have anywhere to stay?" Snow nodded. Leon sighed again. "Well, I think I know where you can stay the night. A friend of mine usually does some late night reading before bed, so she should still be awake." Snow smiled. "Really?" "Yeah, just follow me, she's got plenty of spare rooms." After a few minutes of walking the duo had arrived at Twilight's castle. "So, when you said friend you meant..." "The Princess of Friendship? Yeah, but she still prefers to be called Twilight." Leon knocked on the door. Hopefully she's not too upset with me for not stopping by today. The door opened to reveal Moon, who just stared at him for a minute. "Where's Twi?" "Studying." "May we come in?" "Sure." Moon stood to the side to let them in, closing the door behind them. The three of them walked in awkward silence, tension thick in the air as they approached the castle's library. Leon opened the door to the library, Twilight was sitting at a table searching through a book for something. As they got nearer, they could hear her muttering to herself. "No… No...maybe, but then...." Leon tapped her on the shoulder. "AHH" Twi spun around to face him. "You jerk! That scared me!" "Whoa, easy Twilight. I was just wondering if you could let Snowflash here use one of the spare rooms for the night." "Huh?" Twilight looked past him to the pegasus standing behind him with Moon. "I don't see anything wrong with that, but you're staying here as well tonight." "Why would I be staying here?" "Because, in case you haven't noticed, it's late, and after that Scorpio incident, I'd prefer it if you stayed here rather than in the Everfree." Leon sighed, "Alright, fine." Twilight nodded. "Good. Owlicious!" A brown owl flew out from the rows of books and landed on the table in front of her. "Would you mind leading Snow to one of the guest rooms?" The owl hooted and flew to the doorway, waiting for Snow to follow. "Thank you for letting me stay." Snow said "Don't worry about it. Now go, get some sleep." Snow nodded and left to follow the owl. "Leon, you should go get some sleep too." "Nah, I had a nap earlier, I'm good. Besides, I have studying to catch up on." Leon replied, moving towards the shelves. Moon flew in front of him. "I'm sorry." Leon blinked. "About what? If you mean earlier, I should be apologizing. I lost my temper, and there was no reason for me to shout at you for not understanding." "Wait, what happened earlier?" Twilight asked. Moon shuffled her hooves. "I tried to interrogate him about his past..." "And I ended up shouting at her." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "And why won't you tell her? She obviously cares, and wants to help." "Because it’s my problem! How many times do I need to tell you this? If it had been my choice, neither you, Spike, nor your friends would know about it either!" Twilight closed the book she had been looking through, and showed it to him. It was the book of ancient artifacts he was always looking through. "And how many times do we have to tell you? We don't care if it's your problem. You can't do it on your own, so we will help you. Tell her!" "No! Enough ponies have been dragged in as it is!" Moon cleared her throat, getting their attention. "Leon, you helped me out when I'd angered that Scorpio, so let me help you. I understand that there are some things you want to keep to yourself, and I shouldn't have tried to force answers, but Twilight's right. I just want to repay you for how you helped me." She looked around the library. "Even if it means sitting here looking through a bunch of books." Leon sighed. "Fine...but you can't just look through them, you'll need to know what to look for...and why..." Moon and Twilight looked at Leon surprised. "Wait.. you mean?" Leon nodded. "If you're my friend… it's only fair you know who I am." So, Leon told her everything. None the wiser about a certain pegasus standing just outside the door, listening to every word. Well, he certainly doesn't seem like a bad pony. Snow thought as she trotted back to her room to sleep. "Let me get this straight." Moon said. "There's two of you?" Leon nodded. "In a way, yeah." "And Luna, the Princess of the Night, helped you learn how to keep… Him at bay?" "Yep." "Still doesn't explain why you don't have a cutie mark." Leon shrugged. "I don't know either, but Twilight has a theory." Twilight nodded. "Since Leon is, in a way, two ponies in one body, he might have to find both His cutie mark as well as his own." "I guess that makes sense..." Leon yawned. "I don't know about you, but I think I'll head to bed." Twilight yawned as well. "I second that notion. What about you Moon?" Moon shrugged. "I'm a batpony remember. We tend to sleep during the day. I might just go for a flight around town, or try to find some helpful artifacts." "Alright then, goodnight." Leon said, as he opened the door out of the library. Only to find a note pinned on the door with a white feather. "What the?" He pulled the letter off the door, and read it before turning back to the others, the note still held in his magic. "Twilight, you may want to hold off on sleeping… We've got a problem." "What is it?" Leon showed her the note. Twilight gasped. "But who would?" Leon shook his head. "I don't know." "Um, you going to tell me what's going on?" Moon asked. Leon showed her the note. "Somepony fillynapped Snow." He said. "Wait, what!?" Moon snatched the note out of Leon's magic, and read it. Hello Leon, It's been awhile. Thirteen years, maybe? I thought it'd be nice to see you again. See if you've… changed over the years. And I thought your newest friends might want to come as well. Little Snowflash here seemed overjoyed at the idea. So, come join us at your little campsite in the Everfree Forest. And you'd best be quick, it's dangerous here at night, and I'd hate for anything to happen to her. "What kind of pony, just up and takes somepony like this?" Moon asked "I don't know, but what worries me more is that they seem to know me." Leon said. "But it doesn't matter, we've got to get Snow back!" Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder. "We can't just go rushing in there, who knows what trap this pony could have set up out there. We need a plan." Snow was blindfolded, and scared. The last thing she remembered was heading back to her room, when something had been pressed against her muzzle, and a sharp pain in her wing as a feather was pulled out. "Oh, don't be scared. I'm not going to do anything to you." "And why should I believe anything you say?" "You know… that's an excellent question! Speaking of questions, I have one for you." "What?" "Why did you stay after finding out what Leon is?" "Well, he seemed like a nice pony… despite what happened." "Pfft. A nice pony!? Oh that's a laugh!" He started laughing, but quickly stopped, and whispered in her ear. "Tell me, little pony. Would a "nice pony" burn an entire village to the ground, and stand around to watch the flames?" "That...must've been somepony else. Leon isn't-" "A bad pony? Hmm… Well I guess you just had to be there." Snow could only sit and ponder. Leon walked into the clearing. "I got your note! Now where's Snow!" "And here I was wondering when you'd show up." A figure stepped out of Leon's tent, covered by a cloak. "Who are you?" The stallion shook his head. "Oh no, that simply won't do at all! I mean, is that really how you greet somepony? So rude." "Sorry, but I don't exactly feel inclined to be polite when somepony decides to foalnap others for no reason." "Oh, but I did have a reason. I wanted to see you as well as show your new friends what you really are." "Well, two things wrong with your plan. First off, it's only me. Secondly, I already told them everything." The cloaked pony laughed. "It's one thing to tell them, quite another for them to see it, don't you think?" The pony pulled back his hood, and Leon couldn't help but stare. The stallion's face was a mess of scars, and he seemed to be blind in one eye. "You should've known this was coming. One does not simply run from their past. Eventually, it will catch up." "So when you said thirteen years, you meant..." "I was there, yes. You destroyed my home, and now that I've found you." He smiled. "We are going to have so much fun." Meanwhile, Moon and Twilight were moving through the forest, circling around the campsite to try to find Snow. "I still don't like this plan." Moon grumbled. "We should be helping Leon beat whoever that creep is, not wandering through the forest." "Moon, we've been over this. This is the best way to make sure Snow is safe." Twilight explained. "I know, but he's using himself as bait." Moon paused for a moment. "Again!" "Just calm down, we're almost there." Twilight said. Moon's ear twitched, "Did you hear something?" She whispered. They could hear voices nearby. "So, when you said thirteen years, you meant..." The first voice said. "That was Leon!" Twilight whispered "I was there, yes. You destroyed my home, and now that I've found you. We're going to have so much fun." Said the other voice. "That doesn't sound good. We need to hurry, and get Snow out of here." Twilight said, as they approached the clearing from behind Leon's tent. Twilight used her magic to cut a hole in the back of the tent, and stepped inside, Moon close behind. Inside they found Snow with a blindfold on. Her wings and legs were tied to keep her from trying to escape, and she had a gag in her mouth. The ground soundly started to shake. "C'mon, let's get these ropes off, and get her out of here." Moon said, "It seems like Leon's going to need our help." Snow's ear twitched at the sound of voices, she started panicking. "Snow, what's wrong? It's us, we're going to get you out of here." Twilight said. Snow shook her head furiously. Twilight removed the gag. "You need to get out of here, it's a trap!" "What!?" Moon and Twi exclaimed. The ground started shaking again, as metal bars rose from the ground around them. "What the hell!? Oh no you don't!" Moon started to fly above the bars, only to get shocked, and fall back to the ground. "Moon, are you okay?" Snow asked. "Ugh, yeah, I'm alright." “Oh, did you hear that? It would seem the other guests have arrived!” Said the strange voice from outside. The tent collapsed around them, the cage cut a hole through the top of the tent, so that the captives were clearly visible. “Who are you anyway?” Moon asked, rising from the ground. The pony face hoofed. “How rude of me to not introduce myself! Well, I gave up my actual name years ago, but you may call me Scar. Fitting don't you think? Now, why don't you all just sit back, and enjoy the show.” He smiled at them. Twilight's horn started to glow, “Don't worry I’ll get us out of here.” “I wouldn't try that if I were you.” Scar warned, “This cage has quite a shocking reaction to magic.” Just as he finished speaking, a bolt of electricity struck Twilight's horn. Twilight screamed out in pain, and collapsed, twitching from the shock. “TWILIGHT!” Leon's horn started to glow, as he glared at the pony in front of him, “You better let them out, or else!” “Or else what?” “Or else, THIS!” Leon fired a small blast of magic toward the center of the clearing, covering the area in smoke. Leon followed the sounds of coughing to make his way across the clearing and find the cage. “You guys ok?” He whispered “Oh I'm sure they’re fine.” “Wha?” Leon's was cut off as a hoof smashed into his face. “That was a neat little trick you did, but that's not why I asked you to come out here.” Scar said, as the smoke began to clear. He turned and bucked, sending Leon flying to the center of the clearing. “Now, if I remember right, there's still one pony I have yet to meet, but you're being a little stubborn to let me meet him.” “Why?” Leon groaned, as he rose back to his hooves. “Why do you want to meet Him?” “Well if nothing else, I'm sure he'll be more entertaining than you. I mean, a smokescreen, really? Not very fun at all now is it.” Leon's horn started to glow again, but Scar charged him and punched him. He then quickly moved to Leon's side, and bucked him again. Causing him to slide across the clearing. Scar snorted “Oh come now, surely you can do better than this. Did all that reading teach you nothing?” Leon lay in the grass groaning, eyes closed. Any movement brought pain. He opened his eyes, and saw Moon and Snow's worried faces, as well as Twilight's unconscious body, still slightly twitching. So, now what's your big plan. “I'm going to get them out of here, duh.” Leon groaned, trying to get back up. Only to be stopped with sudden kick the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. “Tsk tsk, poor you.” Scar put a hoof on top of him. “You just won't do it. Come now, show your true self!” He kicked Leon again. “Show them the monster you truly are!” “No...I won't...let him...hurt anypony...ever again…” Scar’s eye twitched. “Well, there's no fun in that now, IS THERE!?” He kicked again. “Well, if you don't want to have any fun, I'm sure your friends would be happy to oblige.” He pulled a little box with a button on it out from his cloak. “As soon as I push this button, your friends will get some free shock therapy, I'm told it's quite relaxing.” “Don't you dare…” Leon glared at him. “Then let me have some real fun.” “You don't understand what you're asking!” Wow, he is persistent. C’mon, let me show him what he's asking for. Leon continued to glare at Scar. If I let you take control...promise me... you won't hurt them. Oh fine, I promise. Leon's coat color slowly began to change to black. His mane grew longer as it, and his tail, changed to black as well, with a red stripe down the center. Last to change, were his eyes. His pupils changed into slits, while the whites of his eyes changed to black. The only thing that didn't seem to change, was the color of his eyes. Still the same light-blue they had always been. Scar’s eyes grew wide, like a foal opening a Hearth’s Warming gift, as he watched Leon change. Moon and Snow could only stare, wondering what was happening to their friend, as he slowly rose. “I don't believe we’ve been properly introduced. My name, is Nexus.” He smiled, showing his new fangs. “And you,” He pointed at Scar, “are a dead pony.” Scar continued backing away, as Nexus approached him. “Now what was it you wanted to do? Have some fun, was it?” His horn glowed as his magic enveloped Scar in a levitation field. “Well, I would be more than happy to oblige.” Nexus threw Scar at the cage, causing him to drop the button. “Now then, magic clearly cannot be used inside the cage, but there’s no problem if I use it outside. Which means I can do this.” His horn glowed again, and there was a sudden flash as Moonlit, Twilight, and Snow, were teleported out of the cage, while Scar was teleported inside of it. Moon and Snow stared at Nexus in shock. Moon moved closer to him. “Y-you saved us?” Moon asked. Nexus scoffed, “Oh please, Leon and I had a deal, and I am not one to go back on my word. Otherwise I would've just left you in there as well.” They turned back to the cage as Scar began to laugh. He leaned up against the cage. “You are the one I've waited so long to meet. Those cold eyes! I could never forget that face.” Nexus sighed, and picked up the remote with his magic, “Yes yes, lovely to see you again and all that. Now then, shall we see just how relaxing this shock therapy is?” “What do you think you’re doing?!” Moon asked “I thought it was rather obvious, I'm going to give him a little shock.” He pushed the button, causing lightning to strike Scar within cage, Moon and Snow looked on in horror, as Nexus simply smiled. Scar laughed through the pain. “NOW YOU SEE WHAT HE IS! THIS IS THE PONY WHO KILLED HIS OWN FAMILY, DESTROYED HIS OWN HOME WITHOUT CARE!” Scar continued laughing until he collapsed, body twitching from the shocks. Nexus turned to see Snow looking like she might be sick. Moon, however, was stomping towards him, nothing but anger on her face. She punched Nexus. His expression remained cold, as if he didn't feel it. “What the buck was that?!” “I believe the term you're looking for is irony.” He replied. Moon was seething by this point. She quickly turned to help Snow get Twilight back to her castle. Nexus, what the hell?! “You were planning on leaving soon anyway, I just made i easier for you.” How exactly is this easier? “Now you won't have to say good bye to anyone. Now, if you don't mind, I’ve grown rather bored, so I believe I’ll let you out now.” Just like that? Last time you took control, you didn't let me out for about a month. “Last time, I killed our parents, and you were in no condition to travel. That, and hearing you constantly whine was getting on my nerves, and I’d rather not deal with that again.” Nexus closed his eyes, and his fur color began to change back to brown. Leon gasped and opened his eyes, he quickly trotted over to a nearby spring to check, they were back to normal. He ran his tongue along his teeth as well, checking for fangs. Oh, relax, I said I was done. “Since when have I trusted you?” Nexus gave a mental shrug. Fair point. Leon looked over at his tent, seeing Scar’s body still twitching every few seconds. He sighed, “I suppose we should bury him.” Leon's horn glowed as he teleported Scar’s body out of the cage, just to make sure, he put his hoof to Scar’s throat to check for a pulse. ….ba-bump… “He’s still alive?! It's faint, but I definitely felt something!” Are you serious?! Damn, should’ve shocked him longer. “Shut up, he needs medical attention. Twilight's Castle is closer than the hospital, but… Hospital it is.” Leon grasped Scar in his magic and placed him on his back before galloping as fast as he could out of the forest. Author's Note Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying the story, and I'd just like to say. I'm sorry that took so long. Next chapter, he's finally leaving Ponyville...but not alone. As usual, thanks to my friend Blackjack for editing, and thanks to Snow for letting me use her OC.
Chapter 3: Flying solo...sort of. (Introducing James)Chapter 3 - Flying solo...sort of. (Introducing James) Leon sat in the remains of his campsite, saddlebags strapped to his back in preparation to leave. Within his bags he carried some provisions, the ancient artifacts book, and a map of Equestria. I guess this is it. He thought. He rose and turned to exit the forest, and found Luna waiting for him. “Are you certain you wish to do this?” She asked. “It’s not a matter of want, I have to go.” Leon responded. “But must you go alone? Surely your friends must’ve offered to come with you..” Leon chuckled, ”Oh they offered alright.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earlier that day ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leon had asked his four friends, Moonlit Chord, Twilight Sparkle, Snow Flash, and Spike the dragon, to meet him in the library for an announcement. The four of them believed he may have found something to help him on his mission. The five of them had sat around a large a table in the center of the library. When he had told them he was leaving, all the excitement seemed to drain from them, leaving an awkward silence. Twilight was the first to break the silence, “How long have you been planning this?” She asked. “Ever since Princess Luna told me to come here.” “So you were planning on leaving, whether you made friends or not?” “To be honest, I didn’t want to make friends for this exact reason...Makes it harder to leave, and yet it has also further deepened my belief that I have to. Because now, I have something more to protect from Nexus.” Moon waved a hoof, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, when are we leaving?” Leon blinked, “We?” Moon gestured to the group, “Yeah, we’re going with you, duh.” The others nodded in agreement. “Um, no. None of you are coming with me. You saw what happened last night, I can’t afford to let that happen again.” “But you’re ok now aren’t you?” Snow asked. Leon sighed, “ Not as long as he’s still here.” Leon pointed at his head. “Which is why we should come with.” Twilight said. “If something does happen and no one is there to stop you, then what?” Leon shrugged. “Then I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen anywhere populated.” Moon slammed her hooves on the table. “Damn it Leon! You know you’ll need help!” Leon rose up, slamming his hooves on the table, glaring at Moon, “AND YOU KNOW HE’D KILL YOU IF GIVEN THE CHANCE!” Leon let out a shaky breath. “I can’t give him that chance. So, I’ll say it again, I’m going alone.” He sat back down, looking to each of them. Twilight cleared her throat. “Actually, I think I have a plan for a compromise.” Leon raised an eyebrow. “This is your plan?” Twilight had taken Leon to Fluttershy’s cottage hoping a pet would work as a traveling companion. “Just give it a shot alright.” Twilight knocked on the door. There was the sound of some commotion as a voice answered. “Hold on, I’ll be right there!” The door opened revealing a red unicorn with a black mane, and tail. With what looked like a blue ribbon for his cutie mark.. “Hi there.” “Umm, hi? Where’s Fluttershy?” “Oh, she went into town to get some more food for the animals, so I’m here making sure they behave.” A loud crash sounded from behind him. He sighs, ”Anyway, what can do for you?” “He needs a pet. A good traveling companion.” Twilight said, motioning to Leon. “So, I’ll leave you to it.” She turns around and heading back to her castle. “Well, if it’s a pet you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. My name’s James by the way.” He smiles, lifting a hoof. Leon shook his hoof. “Leon. So, let’s see what you’ve got.” “Right this way.” James lead them around to the backyard and gestured to wide variety of animals. “I’m sure someone here will be just what you’re looking for.” Leon looked around for a bit, taking into consideration each animal he came across. Dog? Nah, to loyal to leave if I told it too. Hmm...Maybe the cat? The cat in question rubbed up against his leg, purring. Nope too lovable. He gently pushed it aside with an apologetic smile. “Say, James.” Leon turned to the pony to find him sitting down in the grass, looking out at the horizon as the sun started to set. “Umm, James?” James sighed. “Even the sunsets feel the same here, makes me wonder if…” He stopped as he heard Leon approaching. “So, you pick one out?” “Actually I was wondering if you could give a few suggestions.” “Oh! Sure, follow me.” James rose from the grass and started pointing out animals as they walked, leaving Leon to wonder just what the mumbling could have meant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Present time ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So, what did you end up with?” Luna asked. Leon smiled. “I ended up with this little guy.” He reached into his mane, pulling out a small grey bat wearing a hoodie. The bat in question was currently sleeping, curled up on his hoof. “I decided to call him Echo.” Luna giggled. “A fitting name, although wear did the hoodie come from?” “No idea, but he likes it, so I’m not going to take it away from him.” Echo slowly woke up, stretching his wings before slowly rising into the air, stopping near Leon’s head. “Whoops look like we woke him.” The bat let out a tiny yawn and perched on Leon’s horn. “Anyways, the last train out of Ponyville is leaving soon, and I don’t want to miss it.” Luna nodded, “I won’t keep you any longer then, but I will ask that you keep me informed about your travels. Speaking of which, where exactly are you headed?” “I’ve been doing some research, and it turns out there’s a pony in Manehatten that just might be able to help.” “Well, I wish you safe travels, and will eagerly await your letters.” Leon nodded, and headed to the train station. Once he arrived at the train station, he noticed four familiar ponies, and a dragon, waiting for him. Twilight, Spike, Moon, Snow, and even James had come to see him off. Although James seemed to be more of giving Echo a send off than Leon. The two boarded the train as it started to move forward, waving good-bye as they went. Once Ponyville was out of sight, Leon laid back in his seat, glancing up at the bat still perched on his horn. “Well, looks like it’s just you and me from here on out.” Echo gave a small nod, as Leon smiled at him. Author's Note This took waaaaay too long to finish and post. I should've had this done MONTHS ago...Anyways, hope you all enjoy! Sorry it's quite a bit shorter than the others so far, hehe... CREDIT STUFF! Snow Flash still belongs to ummm herself? James belongs to...well, James_the_Unicorn No editing by Moonlight Chord this time, but his OC is still here.
Chapter 1- Of Bats and Scorpions (Introducing: Moonlit Chord )Chapter 1- Of Bats and Scorpions (Introducing: Moonlit Chord ) Chapter 1 - Of Bats and Scorpions (Introducing: Moonlit Chord) When Leon arrived in Ponyville,Twilight had offered him a room in her castle, but he had declined, saying it was too dangerous for him to be too close to anypony. "Well then, where are you going to live?" She asked. "I'll just stay in the Everfree, I've spent enough time there, and I'm already enough of a burden for you without me staying here." Twilight looked shocked, while Leon had simply shrugged, "Besides, this way if He takes control, I'll still be close enough to you, and the others, for you to stop me before I become too much of a threat, while also being far enough away that no innocents can get hurt." Twilight had thought on it for a few minutes before sighing in defeat. "Alright," she said," but I want you to come here first thing every morning for breakfast. Luna said you were to be my responsibility, and that includes making sure you eat." Leon rolled his eyes,"Alright, it's a deal." It's been about a week since then, and Leon has held true to his side of the bargain, afterwards he would study the books in her castle library, still trying to find a way to get rid of Him. "Augh!" Leon slammed his head on the table, "There's nothing in this either!" he said as he threw the book he was reading. "Ow!" "Hm?" Leon raised his head to see Spike sitting on the ground rubbing his head. "Whoops, sorry Spike" He apologized to the baby dragon. Spike sighed, "You know I try to keep the books tidy for Twilight, why'd you have to go and throw it?" "I'm just frustrated, that's all. It seems like none of these books hold the answer..." Leon replied, gesturing with a hoof at the walls of the library. Books lined the walls, and there were several rows of shelves filled with all sorts of literature, from Daring Do, to Starswirl the bearded. "Hey, it's only been a week, I'm sure something will come up." Spike said encouragingly. Leon sighed, "You're right Spike. I just have to keep looking." He rose from his seat and went back to scanning the shelves. Spike just shook his head as he watched his friend examine a few books before adding them to a growing stack that he held with his magic. "Hmm, this looks promising." Leon thought as he grabbed a book titled, “ Ancient artifacts of Equestria” “You do realize that most of the items mentioned in that are just legends and rumors, right?” Spike asked Leon raised an eyebrow, “Says the dragon who’s seen the Elements of Harmony, the Tree of Harmony, the Alicorn Amulet, and helped reclaim the Crystal Heart. Just because it’s a legend or a myth doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist..” Spike shrugged, “Fair point.” Leon rolled his eyes and went back to searching through the book. Now there’s bound to be something here… He thought to himself Still searching, I see. Another voice replied. You do realize it’s hopeless right? You can’t get rid of me. We’ll see about that. Leon replied. He began scanning through the book hoping to find anything that may be useful. "Speaking of the Elements, this has been going on for years, right?" Spike asked Leon nodded. "Well, then how come you didn't just try to have Twi and the others use them to get rid of Him?" Spike asked. "Two reasons. One, the Elements tend to be unpredictable. When Celestia used them against Nightmare Moon, she wanted to save her sister, but instead ended up banishing her to the moon. Whereas when they used them, it freed Luna. It seems like pure luck that Discord was turned to stone twice, and that they were able to free him the same way." "And for the second reason," Leon turned to Spike," this is my problem. I don't want to drag others into it. I realize that sometimes it can't be helped, but, if I can help it, then I'll keep as many ponies as possible at a distance if it means He will have fewer targets." Leon turned back to the book. "Now, if your curiosity is satisfied, I have research to do." *THUMP* Leon jumped and looked towards the sound to see Spike, with a second copy of the book, sitting next to him. "You might not want us involved, but we're here to help, whether you like it or not." Spike said. Leon sighed, and turned back to his book, a slight smile on his face. Leon yawned as he trudged through the Everfree to his campsite. He and Spike had had no luck yet, they had found a few that seemed promising, but they weren't able to find any clues as to their whereabouts. He smiled. Despite not finding anything, I'd definitely call today a good day. Oh? Leon groaned. And you ruined it. He chuckled. You're welcome. Leon sighed, What do you want anyway? You usually seem to show up when you want to taunt me about one thing or another. Nothing but silence answered the question. Leon sighed again, "So now you're just deciding to be annoying? Great." Leon was almost to his campsite, but stopped when he saw the shadow of somepony. *SNAP* The Mysterious pony quickly turned towards him, and simply stared. "Um...hello?" The shadow spread it's wings, Leon could only stare in shock, they were bat wings?! A batpony? He thought to himself, What is it doing out here? "Er...nice wings?" Leon tried a second time for conversation. The batpony seemed startled by his response, folding it's wings before finally deciding to speak. "Normally that scares ponies away." She said "Well, when you live out here for a few years, it takes more than a pair of bat wings to scare you." "Hmph, I find it hard to believe that any unicorn would spend more than an hour out here." "Well this is my camp." Leon motioned around the clearing with a hoof, " Complete with tent and firepit." He said," Speaking of which, why don't we chat a bit in the light." The bat pony seemed to sigh as she stepped out into the moonlight in front of him. She had a tan coat, and a flowing black mane. Her eyes had slits for pupils, and a darker violet color for her irises. Her Cutie Mark was a picture of the moon, with a sixteenth note in the center. "There, now maybe introductions are in order, or at least an explanation of what you're doing here." Leon raised a hoof, "As for the former, my name is Leon Nexus, but just Leon is fine too." The batpony glared at his hoof in obvious distaste. "Moonlit Chord, but Moon is fine, and as for why I'm here, well, that's none of your business." She answered. Leon lowered his hoof, "Ok, well then, could you please leave, I don't recommend staying here too much longer. The Everfree tends to get worse the later it is." Moon raised an eyebrow," That's it? Just gonna greet me and kick me out?" "You obviously don't like unicorns, so unless you want me to grab you a sleeping bag, I suggest you leave before it gets any later." Moon sneered at him, before taking off into the night. Leon sat down in the clearing, staring up at the night sky. There, now hopefully she'll stay- He heard a rustling in the leaves of a nearby bush, but before he could even get up to investigate, Moonlit was thrown out of the bush, and slammed into him. "See, this is why I told you to leave earlier." Leon groaned. "Shut up." Moonlit said as she slowly got off of Leon. As they got up, Leon was able to see just what had thrown Moon in the first place. What came out was a giant scorpion, it's body seemed to be made out of stars. "What the hell did you do to piss off a Scorpio!?" "I didn't do anything!" She shouted. "I'm pretty sure that it would disagree!" "Well it doesn’t really matter right now, does it?!" Leon's horn started to glow. "What are you-" Moon was cut off as a bright flash emanated from Leon's horn. When her vision cleared she noticed they seemed to be in front of an old castle. "What is this place?" She wondered out loud. *THUMP* "Huh?" Moon turned to see that Leon had collapsed, exhausted. "You ok?" "That took a lot out of me." Leon said, as he rose,"but I'll be fine. Now as for your first question, this is the Castle of the Two Sisters. My mentor brought me here a couple years ago, and it's as deep in the woods as I could get us." He explained. Moonlit gazed at the ruins of the once great castle, when a thought came to mind. "Wait a minute...You brought us deeper into the forest?! Why not get us out of here?!" "You really think a simple teleportation spell would get us away from a Star Creature? At most I bought us a few minutes. This way, instead of it following us into town, it'll just follow us deeper in the woods." Leon said, "Fair point." "Well, now that I've answered your question, why don't you answer mine. What did you do to anger that Scorpio?" "I told you, I didn't do anything." Leon raised an eyebrow. Moon sighed, "Alright fine, I came in here looking for mangoes, this forest seemed similar to the one near my home, and after I ran into you I decided to keep an eye on you. No matter what you say it's still very unusual to see anypony camping out here. Anyways, I was watching from a nearby bush when I felt something touch me. I instinctively bucked at whatever it was, and then found myself being launched towards you." "Let me get this straight, you came into the Everfree Forest, one of the most dangerous places in Equestria, to find mangos?" Leon asked, a smirk on his face. Moon poked him with a hoof, "Go on, laugh, I dare you." "Alright, alright, geez." He pushed her hoof away," Now we need a good spot to take cover before it gets here." The two turned to enter the castle, when they heard an ear splitting screech come from behind them. "That's just my luck." Leon turned just in time to see the Scorpio crashing through the trees. "Ok, different plan, you fly off, and get help. I'll distract it." Moon looked shocked, "Are you crazy?! There's no way you can keep it distracted." "We really don't have time to argue about this. GO!" "Buck that! I'm not going to just leave you here!" The Scorpio began charging at them. "Fine then! follow me!" Leon said as he charged into the castle, the Scorpio not far behind. "I think *pant* we finally lost it." Moon was leaning against a wall in one of the many hallways of the castle. Leon was peering around the corner, making sure the path was clear. "I *pant* doubt it. Scorpios are said to have the greatest abilities of tracking *pant*, rivaled only by timber wolves." "Great, so where is it?" Leon shrugged,"How should I know?" Moon groaned, "So what are we supposed to do? I doubt we can fight that thing." Leon nodded, "That's why I wanted you to leave in the first place. Anyways, let's move, we can't stay in one place for too long." The two turned a corner and entered a hall filled with empty suits of armor. Every once in awhile there would be a tremor shaking the ruins causing pieces of the ceiling to slowly come apart. Ugh, why'd I think it was a good idea to lead it here? Luna's going to be so pissed. Leon thought. As they neared the center of the hall, Leon moved slightly ahead, stepping on a hidden switch as he did so. The floor opened up beneath Moon and she was so surprised by the sudden lack of flooring she momentarily forgot she could fly and fell into the hole. "You ok down there?" Leon asked Moon groaned, and looked up at the still open trapdoor, "Yeah, I'm alright, just give me a sec, and I'll fly right up." "Glad to hear you're ok." Leon said as he lifted his hoof from the switch, closing the trapdoor above her, and leaving her in darkness. "Um, Leon, you mind doing whatever you did to open that thing again so I can get out." "Don't worry, I'll be right back." "What?! Don't you dare leave me down here!" "Look, just stay quiet, and I'll get the Scorpio out of here. Then come back and get you as soon as I'm sure it's safe." Leon walked away listening for the sounds of the giant scorpion. Still able to hear Moon's voice yelling at him through the floor. Meanwhile, Moon was understandably pissed. This is what I get for trusting a freaking unicorn. How could I have been so stupid! She started slamming her head against the wall, STUPID, STUPID, STU- *click* huh? Moon raised her head, and saw the wall in front of her begin to open up. Guess I found a switch out of here, that dumbass probably thought I was trapped here. With a smug smile on her face, and some pay back in mind, she walked out of the room to search for Leon. Leon however, wasn't faring so well "Whoa!" He ducked as the Scorpio swung at him with one of it's claws, and continued to run, letting it stay close enough to keep chasing him, and not search for Moon. This, was your brilliant plan?! Not exactly the best time right now. Kinda busy, mind bugging me later? No, I think this is the best- DUCK! Leon felt himself duck, just in time for the claw to pass right over him, nicking a few hairs. It screeched in frustration at missing it's target once again. -time to mention just how stupid you're being right now! He finished. "I already knew it was a stupid plan, but I'm sure Moon will be able to find the exit and get out of here. So unless you have something useful to say, SHUT THE BUCK UP, AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Leon yelled. The Scorpio, now convinced that the pony it was chasing was crazy, chose just that moment to swing at him again. This time it hit it's mark, sending Leon flying down the end of the hall, and slamming him into a wall hard enough to crack it. Leon screamed out in pain, and crumpled to the floor. The scorpion advanced, certain that victory was near. However it paused, when it noticed that it's prey was rising. Now confused, it moved slowly towards Leon, only to pause when he opened his eyes. Leon's left eye now had a slit pupil, and had turned black around the iris. The Scorpio raised it's tail, ready to strike. Leon simply glared at him. "I dare you try it. However, if you prefer to have your tail attached, I suggest you don't." He still sounded like the same pony, but there was something different with how he spoke. A coldness that showed he was just as likely to keep his word, as well as strike no matter what happened. It hesitated, but eventually lowered it's tail. Leon smirked, "That's better," His horn began to glow," now here's a little something to remember me by." He made a slashing motion with his hoof, and the Scorpio screeched in pain, covering one of it's eyes. "Now beat it." He commanded. The frightened beast wasted no time in running off through the halls to escape. He chuckled, "You see, that's how you solve a problem, show a little force and it runs off like a little filly." "What in the name of Tartarus, did you do?" Moon asked as she approached him from down the right hall. Leon closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, before he collapsed. The last thing he managed to see, was Moon running towards him, worry on her face. So much for that plan. He thought. When Leon finally came to, he moaned slightly from the pain. "Hey, you awake?" A voice asked. "I think I'd prefer if I was still asleep." "Well, I'll go tell your friends you're awake, they've been worried about you." Leon groaned again, "Of course they were." He heard the door close and decided to take a look around, not surprisingly, he was in the Ponyville Hospital, What did surprise him was the bat pony asleep on the couch. "She has not left the hospital since you've been out." Leon turned to see Luna standing in the doorway. He smiled. "So I guess you heard, huh." "Twilight Sparkle sent me a letter as soon as she heard you were in the hospital." Now he was confused, and looked back at the bat pony on the couch, "You mean she carried me here from the Forest? " "That is certainly how it seems." Leon slammed his head back on the pillow. I try to get her to go away, and this happens instead? Great, just great. "What is troubling you?" Leon sighed, "I think you of all ponies knows the answer to that question." Luna's ear twitched as she heard something down the hall. "Well it seems I must depart, your friends will be here soon." And with that, Luna's horn glowed, as she teleported away. Not a second later, the door burst open as Twilight and Spike entered the room, waking up Moon in the process. "Huh?! What's going on?!" Moon asked as she tried to make sense of why she was suddenly awoken. "Oops, sorry Moon. When we found out Leon was awake, we ran over to see him." Twilight apologized. "What do mean Leon's awake? The nurse would've woken me up for that." Moon said, still trying to wake up. "I guess she just wanted you to sleep." Leon said,"Speaking of sleep, how long have I been out?" "Oh, about three or four days." Spike answered, Leon's eyes grew wide, "Don't worry I've been keeping up the search while you were out." He relaxed a little at that, but still...all that time wasted. He laid back down, and was about to ask them to leave, when his stomach growled. "I guess being out for so long has made me hungry." He said, embarrassed. Twilight smiled," Don't worry, Spike and I will go grab you something to eat." Spike nodded in agreement, "You can count on us!" He said with a salute. Leon chuckled, as he saluted the dragon in return. "Leon?" Moon was now sitting on the couch. "What?" "I just wanted to say… I'm sorry." Leon blinked in surprise,"Sorry for what?" "It's my fault that the Scorpio came after us in the first place. If I hadn't kicked it..." She stopped as she noticed Leon was laughing. "I'm trying to apologize, here!" She snapped "Sorry, but how can you apologize for following your instincts? I mean, you didn't know what it was, it could have just as easily been a rabbit or something." "Whatever, you never told me why you were out there anyways." "Yes I did, I live there." "Not what I meant. No one would just live there without a reason." Leon shrugged, "Doesn’t matter why. I live there because I choose to." Moon sighed. "Y'know, you never answered my question as to why you dislike unicorns so much." Leon said, turning to the bat pony. Moon sighed and got up from the couch. "A group of unicorns killed my parents. I was just a filly at the time." Leon looked at her with understanding. " So, ever since then I've had trouble trusting unicorns in general. However, the night my parents died, I swore to not let any other ponies feel my pain." She looked at Leon, a fierce fire burning in her eyes. "So I became," She unfurled her wings as wide as they could go," Batmare!" Leon face hoofed at her little joke, as she was now smiling at him, and took a bow for her performance. "Ok, so what's the real reason?" Moon shrugged,"Bullies, lots of bullies. Not all of them were unicorns, but a good portion of them were. Over time I just started to think that all unicorns were alike in that regard. So I generally stayed away from them. Although, now I know not all of them are bad." She smiled. Leon nodded,"Ok, that sounds reasonable. " "Now will you tell me why you were out there?" Leon tapped a hoof on his chin for a moment, thinking. "Nah." Moon stomped a hoof in frustration. "Oh c'mon!" Leon laughed. "Does it have something to do with your parents?" Leon's laughter stopped cold,"Look, the less you know about me, the better off you'll be." Moon was about to ask what he meant when Twilight and Spike returned with some hayburgers. "We brought enough for everyone." Leon grabbed one with his magic, "Thanks Twi, I didn't realize how hungry I am." As they ate, Twilight had asked for a detailed retelling of what had happened, and was surprised to hear that a Star Creature had even been roaming the Forest. "I might need to ask Princess Luna what's going on. Star Creatures tend to stay deeper in the Forest than ponies regularly go." Twilight said. "You don't think somepony could've done something to make them move do you?" Spike asked. "Unfortunately, it is a possibility, but it would take an extremely large amount of power to pull off, but we can talk about that later. As for now let's just celebrate that everyone is ok. After all I'd be surprised if Pinkie isn't wanting to throw a party for you." Leon smiled at the thought."Certainly seems like something she'd do. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she's already sent out invites." The four of them shared a laugh as they joked about Pinkie Pie's crazy antics. However, there was a mysterious figure watching the friends laugh together, and smiled. "You may have gotten to keep your little secret safe this time, but who's to say about the next?" Author's Note Big thanks to my friend BlackJack for letting me use Moonlit, and editing to make sure I didn't screw up with Moon's personality. Hope you all enjoyed, and hopefully it won't be another month for chapter 2.
