The City On The Mountainside...

It has started, the path that we began eons ago is about to meet a dead end. What happens before that will determine everything. We won last time but with a heavy cost. I do not wish the same fate for them. They are far better then we ever were. So full of friendship, love, and hope. I wish our species had all of those qualities. They over came so many difficulties only with these traits. I can not let them die off too

The radiant sun hangs high above the land. It's a normal day if anything, the birds are singing, the ponies of Ponyville are all up to their usual tasks. The bearer of Honesty tends to her family farm, Generosity has planned a new line of clothes for her boutique, Loyalty flys fast in the sky clearing it of any clouds in ten seconds flat. Laughter has just finished up a party and is ready for the next one, Kindness helps her animals to their needs, and Magic looks over her balcony smiling to the day. A normal day as any in Ponyville. The ponies we're working, shopping or just mingling with no worry just like any day, though all that could change as swiftly as one can blink.

At the entrance to the Everfree forest, on the path stood Noteworthy a stallion looking to find Zecora who lives in the Everfree, how could anypony live there is beyond him but he needs to see Zecora. He isn't going alone thankfully. Having talked to Fluttershy about his journey, she asked one of her animal friends to escort him though the forest to Zecora's, a bluejay. She was perched on Notewothy's head, tweeting and pecking at his head much to Noteworthys annoyance.

"Hey. Stop that, i'm going already. I really don't need such an impatient bird right now", Noteworthy nagged the bird. "Just show the way", Noteworthy tilted his head down promoting the bird to take off, flying forward to the forest. He followed her, his eyes never leaving the blue bird for fear that she could make a turn and he'd lose her.

The walk was relatively easy, Noteworthy just needed to stay on the path, and follow the bird who keep chirping with rhythm. This forest was surrounding the path completely, you had to stay on the path cause the forest was so thick you can't see though it, let alone be able to walk though it, and not get lost. It would come to a split in the road from time to time, so without this bird he would have gotten himself lost and maybe much worse with all the dangerous animals that reside here. Looking behind him, he saw that the forest had seemingly ingulfed the road behind him but this was just in his mind, possibly. The Everfree here would work in so many mysterious ways that no one would ever know if it were magic or nature that created this forest.

It could be just his mind but recently he's gotten the feeling of being watched. The Everfree has many wildlife but just recently has this feeling gotten stronger, like a sort of burning in the back of his head. The trees have started to block out the sun the more deeper they go as well, which isn't helping.

"This is the correct path you're following, right?", Noteworthy questioned, and the bird simply tweeted at him. "Right..." Noteworthy sighed.

About twenty minutes into their walk did the bird stop and hover, Noteworthy stopped too. He saw the bird just stay there, flapping her wings to stay in the air. Her head jerked back and forth as if she was looking for something. She remained facing the forest on the side of the road. Noteworthy turned and saw nothing but the thick forest green. He scratched his head, and looked at the bluejay.

"You, okay there bird." He said with concern. The bird just stated into the forest before she screeched to him and flew away behind him. "Hey wait, you can't leave me here", he ran after the bird who with advantages of flight moved much faster and was leaving Noteworthy's sight much to the his dismay. He stopped to a split in the path, he looked between them not know which way to go, and panic began to sink in. This is exactly what he didn't want happening.

A loud whoosh from the forest startled him, he paused. The trees rustled, leaves fell from the force. He stated at the direction of the sound. The tree prevents him from seeing anything inside the forest.

He stepped back, he wasn't alone as he heard grating breaths, and a visable puff of breath. He trembled at whatever was watching him.

It's probably a manticore or a timberwolf or a...

He wouldn't get to know, with a blink of his eye it pounced on him, and pinned him on the ground. He couldn't get it off him, the creature held him with strength greater then him.

The creature has yellow eyes, a long muzzle and horns protruding out from the back of his head, with short mangled fur. This was all he got to see of the creature before it sunk its bloodied teeth into his neck, pulling and ripping his esophagus, blood gushed out, it trickles down everywhere. The creatures fur is stained red, chewing the meat tissue. Noteworthy grugles in anguish as tears rolled down his face, as his final moment ends the creature continues to devour.

A single blue feather decends down near the eating beast.

Luna wakes, screaming from the real nightmare she had just witnessed. She pants heavily, sweat streams down her face as she held on to her covers, sitting up right. She gets out of her bed making her way to the balcony of her room, she leans against the railing staring at the forest at the far distance.

Another warning, for an impending doom, but not just from that thing, something else pulled its strings, something else here in Canterlot ready to pull more.

"I must tell my sister, she has to know that this is no nightmare but another warning. I wish we could keep the peace for longer but they never rest and this one has been waiting"...