Prologue: The Everlasting Storm.
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A young filly laid in her bed, fast asleep as the first snow of Hearth's Warming began to fall. It had come early. The filly was roused from her sleep by several nudges, and groggily awoke to see her mother attempting to wake her.
"What is it, mama..." The filly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She was sent into a rush of happiness as she galloped over to her bedroom window and saw snow beginning to fall. She happily squee'd, and ran downstairs, to see her father lying out breakfast for her two brothers and mother.
"Good morning, papa!" she greeted happily to her father, climbing into a seat as a plate of food was laid out for her.
"Good morning, pumpkin." The father replied, smiling softly. The mother soon followed behind her child, climbing down the stairs and taking a seat beside her husband.
"Snow's a little early... thinking it might've been a planned surprise for Equestria." the husband gave his wife a nuzzle on the cheek, then trotted upstairs to waken his sons.
"Mama? Why is it snowing? Hearth's Warming Eve is still a lot of moons away!" The filly inquired. Her mother hummed in thought and stared out the window to their small cottage.
"I don't know, sunshine... No need to worry. I'm sure everything's alright." Her mother replied with uneasiness. Hearth's Warming Eve was about thirty moons away—the Pegasi always started the snowing fourteen moons away from Eve. It was no matter. They'd still enjoy the time they had together... little did that small family know how little of that time they'd have left.
***
Rainbow Dash was feverishly flapping her wings and bucking clouds, only for her hooves to harmlessly phase through instead of impact the pillowy skybound objects. She growled.
'Why won't they just give?!' Her mind raced as she bucked another, only for it to have a similar effect. The rainbow-maned Pegasus was becoming frustrated now.
"Ugh! What is up with the—" Rainbow Dash was suddenly thrown to the ground by a giant black blur. The air was forcibly sent from her lungs as she hit the ground.
"Jesus, Flutters! Calm..." Rainbow Dash looked up at the thing... definitely not Fluttershy.
It was tall, around five feet, with a black pelt of fur, vaguely humanoid. It stood on it's hinds, with two long, razor-like claws mounted at the tips of the three-fingered hands. Bony protrusions stuck out of it's arms and upper body at odd angles. It's face was a mess of black fur, two beady red eyes, and a large maw, lined with hundreds of sharp canines. Just staring at them was giving Rainbow Dash a feeling of fear for her life. It's feet had two large toes, with giant spikes protruding at the ends of where it's bones would be if it were human. The back of it's feet ended in a single 'toe' as well, each of the limbs lined with spiny bone armoring. The creature's spine stuck out like a sore thumb, with long, jagged spikes of bone and even metal attached to each bone.
It growled down at Rainbow with rage and bloodlust. The mare was frozen in fear. If she screamed, her friends might hear her, but wouldn't see her through the ever-thickening storm clouds. The screaming would probably piss this... thing off, too. She could try to fight it... but that likely would end in pain. Buck it.
Rainbow Dash slowly regained control of her body, watching the creature. It finally decided it had been long enough, and roared loud enough for them to hear it in Canterlot. It howled to the sky, giving Rainbow her opportunity.
She rushed up and bucked it in the chest, followed by a quick jab at it's face. She only managed to anger it more, and it lunged. Rainbow turned tail and began flying as fast as she could. The rainbow mare risked a glance, then immediately regretted it.
The thing was leaping across buildings, ripping into the weak, flimsy wall paneling or ceiling parts. She heard screams of ponies as the beast kept chasing her... Rainbow knew now that she needed to take it down if she wanted Ponyville's residents all intact.
She did a roll midair, getting behind the beast, which seemed to be in an angry frenzy, not even caring about where Rainbow went, simply jumping between buildings and throwing itself at the next... it was going toward the castle, where Twilight was. Rainbow flapped her wings frantically until she had pretty much caught up to the beast.
"Hey, ugly!" Dash yelled. The beast continued on. Dashie let out an annoyed grunt and swooped down. She grabbed something off of the ground, a two-by-four, and rushed forward.
"Raaargh!" She smashed it into the back of the creature, partially stunning it and disorienting the monstrosity. It crumpled to the ground, scrambling across the snow-covered earth to get up. Rainbow grabbed the half of wood and rushed forward, yelling out a war-cry.
*insert gore effect here*
The beast screeched and held it's eye, thrashing around. It swung it's claws around and flung its limbs about until it crumpled to the floor, a black-red blood soaking into the two-by-four, the life gone.
Rainbow Dash fell down with a sigh, looking herself over with a wince. The thing snagged her with it's claw. Her shoulder down to her flank would be aching for the next week...
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!
Rainbow's head spun on a 180 to the noise. She flew toward it, and through the foggy snowstorm, she saw it...
Dozens of those creatures, and many like it, along with some ones that looked completely unlike it, tearing apart the town..
"Buck me..."