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               Sometimes Fate must be Forced               
                     -by SoaringCoal-                      
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                       Cruel Reality                       
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Cruel Reality
At first there was no sound. There was only nothing. A cold void that left nothing but darkness and emptiness in its wake. How long had he been there? Why was he even there in the first place? He couldn’t remember.
A soft feeling appeared beneath him. It was gentle and cold. Not icy cold, no just comfortably cold. He felt a slight breeze and it made him wonder if all that had happened throughout his life was just a dream, a horrible nightmare? Perhaps he was home in his forest with his brother and best friend?
Why is everything so so blurry? He wondered. He remembered the times he, his brother and her, his best friend had played together, laughed together. What happened to those times?
He heard gentle noise. Crickets, leaves being touched by the breeze and running water. The sounds of a forest. He turned in his place, feeling a relaxation and peace he hadn’t felt for a very long time. Why hadn’t he?
Hearing the owls hooting, he could only assume that it was night. It made a rare smile appear on his face as he took it all in. The forest and its sound in all its glory. He could almost hear the laughter of his former people, the Kaldorei or night elves as they were called amongst the mortal races, and their beautiful language. He waited in anticipation for either his brother Malfurion or his best friend and loved one, Tyrande, to come and disturb him as he rested. He waited and waited but no one ever came.
With slight confusion, he laid onto his side and opened his eyes only to be berated by an array of colors, auras from the forest. He could see cold blue energy going through the trees like veins, brown glowing beneath him being the earth and many other different colors as he spotted a creature. An owl, the same owl that was hooting, its aura bland and almost nonexistent.
All of these colors would have made almost anyone stare in wonder and amazement. To be able to look and see magic in its purest form was a gift very few creatures possessed. One that many had made many sacrifices to try and acquire. It gave magic a new meaning, a new understanding and a way into learning all there was to know about it. But to Illidan, this was not a source of wonder. To him it was a reminder of the cruel reality he was in.
Losing every trace of his smile, Illidan rose only to fall as he tried. “What is this?” He grumbled in annoyance and looked down his body, his eyesockets widening in the process. Instead of his normal humanoid body he had one of a small horse with pale purple fur, his own magical aura a weak arctic blue with faint traces of faint poison green. “What?!” He blurted, horrified with his discovery. Where is my magic? My power?
Right now having a small horse body didn’t matter. Everything he had worked for, sacrificed so much to achieve. All gone but a sliver of what it once was. He sat there, shaking his head in disbelief before letting the cruel reality set in. “All gone…” He muttered, gritting his teeth in anger. How did this happen? And more importantly, why in the legion’s name did he have a horse body? It doesn’t matter He concluded. He would get his power back, one way or another.
Putting one hoof in front of another, he tried to stand up once more only to fall again. He groaned in anger and tried again, this time managing to stand up. “What a weak form,” he stated. Illidan took a step, then another and another. Strangely enough it felt natural to walk in his new body.
He couldn’t help but look back at the spot of his wakening, hoping a little that his weapons of choice were there, but there was nothing but flattened grass. He sighed and began journeying through the forest.
Through Illidan’s eyes, the forest was strange. There was so much magic and energy in the trees, plants and even the ground, much more than there had been in his ancestral home, Ashenvale.
As he wandered, Illidan came across a tree decorated with colored horse masks and other creature masks with differently colored vials and flasks hanging from the tree's branches. Light was coming from inside the windows of the tree and it even had a door.
Illidan raised an eyebrow as he approached and looked inside a large hole, discovering the tree’s interior. There were candles, even more flasks and masks, a large cauldron with wood underneath and even a small bed in the corner. If anything, the house reminded him of a troll hut, but with a much more friendly interior.
“Hello to you my unknown friend--”
Whirling around at the sudden voice, Illidan found himself facing a zebra. A smiling and talking zebra.
“Are you lost or wrongly been...sent?” The zebra’s voice died down as she got a good look over Illidan, but what she noticed the most was the green tattoos all over his body and the cloth tied around his eyes with the two burning green globes behind it.
Looking over the zebra, Illidan could see a grey magic aura around her. So the inhabitants have magic…strange. Illidan wasn’t fazed by the fact that the zebra could talk. He had seen many weird and terrifying creatures throughout his long life, a talking zebra was probably one of the least strange things he had seen. “I seem to be lost,” he replied. “Could you tell me where I am?”
The zebra’s eyes just kept lingering on Illidan as her eyes kept being drawn to the orbs behind the cloth covering his eyes.
“Seize your staring and tell me where I am,” Illidan snarled with bared teeth. If there was one thing Illidan wasn’t it was being patient.
Splaying her ears back at the angry tone of the stallion in front of her, the zebra took a step back. She smiled sheepishly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare, of that I hope you are aware.” She gulped as Illidan’s angry expression hadn’t wavered and continued. “Everfree is where you have found yourself to be, may I ask of what it is you seek?”
Everfree? Illidan felt a twitch in his left eyelid at the zebra’s riming. He groaned in displeasure, I won’t be getting anywhere with this useless Equine. “No,” he simply replied, walking past the zebra that moved a reasonable distance as he approached, and walked back into the forest.
The forest seemed to continue endlessly as Illidan walked through it, but Illidan barely noticed it. There were too many things going on in his mind. One of the things that plagued him the most was the fact that he was alive. How was he alive? The last thing he remembered before waking up in the forest was taunting his former jailor Maieve before giving out his final breath. He had died and yet he was now alive in a different body. How could be explained. Magic was unpredictable at times and may have somehow brought him back to life. The real questions were why he was in a different body, and seemingly world, and who could have done this?
He heard rustling of bushes behind him and turned his head. Behind him, the magic of the forest was bending around a large shape hiding inside some bushes. With his eyes, he could see many things, but what they couldn’t see, his ears could hear. Such as the fact that the shape had been following him for a while.
“Come out. I have no patience for those who think they can hide themselves from me.” Illidan snarled behind him.
Illidan’s ears flickered as the creature behind him growled before pouncing towards him. He rolled to the side in time to see a big lion like creature jumping over him. It had wings, dark brown mane and a scorpion tail. Illidan wasn’t fazed by its appearance. Having lived amongst demons, and been to other worlds, he would be amazed if anything could surprise him at all.
The lion creature turned back towards him and bared its teeth, growling in the process. It began circling him like a shark, waiting for the right opportunity to attack.
Taking a stance, Illidan watched the creature carefully, baring his teeth menacingly at it. He was slightly unsure of how he should deal with it. The creature was over three times his size and him having a new and unfamiliar body didn’t exactly help. But none of it mattered. Illidan Stormrage was not about to back down to some lowly forest critter.
“You will regret approaching me.”
“Are you sure Zecora can help with this?” Rainbow Dash asked, scratching some green dots that had appeared all over her body. “I mean, wouldn’t it just be easier to go to the hospital? Or a doctor?”
She, the rest of their friends, and Spike, were on their way to Zecora, wanting to cure a rare case of green measles that Rainbow Dash had attracted and then smitten Spike with, who had then smitten Angel Bunny.
“I just hope that Zecora can help Angel with it.” Fluttershy said, floating with sorrowful frown. “Poor thing hasn’t left his bed for the last two days.”
“Zecora cured mah apple flu in two days when a doctor said it’d be at least two weeks before it was gone,” Applejack replied, walking beside her disease filled friend. “If anyone can help, it’s Zecora.”
“I agree, Applejack.” Twilight said with a nod. “The zebras are known for their extensive studies and cures of various diseases. When she Helped us with the poison joke is one of the most common examples as zebras actually grow poison joke in their homeland.”
Rarity did a spit take. “Why would anypony grow that dreadful plant? It completely destroyed my mane and coat for that matter!”
“Well apparently it’s used for a very special soup,” Twilight said with a smile.
“Uh soup! We should try and make it sometime!” Pinkie Pie said, smiling widely. “Wonder how it would taste with chocolate and maybe some cotton candy and some--” Pinkie started to drool, “frosting.”
“Pinkie, ya haven’t even tasted the soup yet and ya already wanna add somethin to it?”
Scratching the green spots with her hooves and coughing, Rainbow joined. “Yeah, and why frosting of all things?”
“Because everything tastes better with frosting, silly.” Pinkie casually replied.
Several of her friends rolled their eyes and smiled at her response.
A loud roar suddenly sounded through the forest, making several of the friends flinch in surprise.
“What in Equestria was that?!” Applejack exclaimed, looking after the source.
“I-it sounded like a lion.” Fluttershy peeped in.
“I hope it’s some kind of huge monster.” Rainbow Dash said rubbing her hooves together in anticipation.
Twilight looked confused at her friend “Why would you say that, Rainbow?”
“Because fighting a huge monster would be AWESOME!” Rainbow replied followed by a few coughs.
Twilight gave her a deadpan look and the rest of the mare's facehoofed all except Pinkie who seemed overly excited as always.
Another roar followed by a painful yelp sounded from inside the forest.
“It’s close. We should probably go check it out,” Twilight suggested. Her friends nodded and they began cautiously walking towards the sound.
The roars and yelps continued as the five mares went looking for the source of them.
“Hey, look!” Pinkie called as she found a clearing with claw marks all over the trees.
“Nice work, Pinkie.” Twilight said and began following the trail, her friends following closely.
The girls gasped as they found another clearing, but in this one was a purple stallion with a black mane fighting a manticore and the manticore looked to be losing.
Illidan groaned in annoyance as he dodged another pounce from the manticore. It had been an pitifully easy fight for Illidan. The manticore was so big and slow.
The manticore swiped out its claws towards him but he merely ducked. It swiped again, this time Illidan took a fast jump back, looking at the manticore with boredom as it kept swiping its claws towards him and him dodging easily.
“Pitiful creature,” Illidan growled as he kept evading its attacks.
The manticore seemed exhausted from its relentless attacks, but it only seemed to anger it further as it roared and pounced, teeth first, towards Illidan.
This time, Illidan jumped up into the air, making the manticore miss as it plowed its head through the dirt and landed with a disgusting crunch on its paw.
Yelping in pain the manticore took its paw up defensively as Illidan jumped off of it.
“If you wish to get out of this fight alive, I suggest you leave now,” Illidan snarled with bared teeth.
The manticore’s ears splayed back and for one second it looked like it was about to retreat, before once again pouncing out against Illidan. But he saw it coming and jumped into the air, making a salto and landing on the manticore’s upper back and getting a clear shot to the back of its head. “You should have left when you had the chance!” Illidan yelled menacingly, raising his forehooves and preparing to plow them through the manticore’s skull.
But it never got that far as the manticore reacted quickly and jumped up on its hind legs, sending Illidan flying head first into a tree trunk.
Illidan groaned in pain as he landed on the ground, a starting wetness being felt in the back of his head. He felt dizzy, but more than everything else he felt angry, hatred boiling in his veins. He clenched his teeth at the creature and slowly got onto his hooves. How dared this pathetic creature hurt him? And worse, how could he have allowed it? Such a weak meaningless critter.
Staring deeply into the manticore’s eyes, Illidan saw it go slack jawed and staring at him with wide eyes. He could feel it squirm beneath his demonic gaze. Nothing could resist the magic of his eyes. Without further warning, Illidan broke the gaze. The manticore shook its head, being free from the eyes, roared and charged, limping fast on its injured paw. Illidan positioned himself properly.
The manticore got closer and closer, but Illidan kept standing there, resuming his position of staring into the manticore’s eyes. He began to walk and then swiftly began to run towards the manticore, still keeping his eyes locked on its. The manticore was starting to struggle beneath Illidan’s gaze but didn’t stop its charge. Just before they hit each other, the manticore tried to pounce Illidan as it had done many times before, but this time Illidan slided underneath it and kicked it painfully in the ribs with his hind legs as it went through the air, a cracking sound filling Illidan’s ears. The manticore yelped in pain once more as it was forced on its hind legs from the powerful kick and tried to stop its charge, but it was too late. It crashed into the tree Illidan had positioned behind him jaw first, a disgusting crack went through the air as the manticore and the tree trunk made contact.
Landing behind it, Illidan stood up and walked over to the unconscious manticore and tsked. “It seems you were not prepared.”
He heard some rustling in some nearby bushes. What now? More creatures that need to be taught their place? He prepared for the worst. A pity the worst wasn’t a blue horse with undersized wings, rainbow mane and green spots all over her.
“Dude, that was SO AWESOME!” The pegasus yelled with awe and admiration, followed by a few coughs as she floated mid air.
Had it been any other day, Illidan would have found the fact that there was a horse with wings talking to him weird. Any other day. He felt dizziness wash over him again and the pounding in the back of his head getting worse, but he dismissed it. He didn’t have time for such things.
More horses stepped out of the bush. Two with horns, another with wings and two without either. Illidan didn’t pay further heed to their looks as they were unimportant. He heard a gasp and turned his attention towards it.
It was the other pegasus having flown over to the unconscious Manticore and was now trying to sooth it as she brushed its mane with her hooves, her getting a painful yelp in reply. “Oh you poor, poor baby.” It said to the manticore as if it was a small child.
Illidan was slightly confused by this, but let it slide. The rest of the horses walked up to him much to his annoyance.
“Excuse me, sir, are you okay?” The purple unicorn asked, sounding concerned as she noticed a dark and wet spot springing from the back of his head.
“You kidding me, Twilight?” The blue pegasus asked, landing beside Illidan. “This guy just took out a Manticore all by himself! Of course he’s okay.” She was about to clap Illidan on the shoulder when she went into a coughing fit.
Illidan’s dizziness washed over him once more and he actually fell on his haunches before getting up again. Such a wound normally barely faze him. Was he really this weak? His sight became blurry, something he had thought to be impossible, and he fell unconscious.