Author's Note

Wow, it's true! The best ideas do come to me when I'm trying to go to sleep. I've been entertaining the idea of this story for a while and I'm glad I can finally make this!

The Ghost

Twilight felt her heartbeat quicken as she nearly dropped the posters she was carrying. Her arms felt numb and her legs felt weak. She tried to do anything, but she was frozen. Time itself seemed to slow to a stop as she saw her missing friend, standing right across the street from her. Twilight let her legs finally move as she placed the "missing" posters carefully on the ground. She began bolting, half stumbling in disbelief, towards her friend, preparing to throw herself onto Sunset.

But, Sunset turned and ran in the other direction. Twilight pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose in confusion before picking up her pace and going after Sunset. She called Sunset's name once and then she stopped herself as she saw Sunset running for the EverFree forest. Twilight sighed.

This wasn't Sunset. Surely, it was the fog playing tricks on her. Sunset would've come running straight for her and probably stood there while Twilight strangled her. Still, the thought made Twilight curious. Of course the slightly toxic fog would make her hallucinate Sunset Shimmer, but why though? Maybe it was something more than that? Twilight didn't know, but it was worth investigating. Walking over to the edge of the woods, Twilight looked at the path where the -supposedly- imaginary Sunset went off to. Looking at the markings on the ground definitely showed someone or something had been here. The leaves looked like they had been not exactly stepped on, but moved aside by a breeze, maybe. It was strange but it made Twilight's heart speed up once more.

She zipped up the jacket that Sunset herself had given to her and began walking into the woods, a joyful smile on her face for the first time in weeks. Before the foreboding trees swallowed her up, a voice began calling to her. Sunset's voice.

"Twilight, I'm here."

"Twilight..."

"Keep going, Twilight..."

The voice was beckoning to her to come deeper into the forest. The voice quickly began to be drowned out just as soon as it appeared, but it was just enough to get Twilight to break into a sprint. Twilight began running with all her might, faster than she ever had ran before. The desire to see Sunset again was insatiable. Twilight ran until her legs hurt and her chest burned in agony. She stumbled over and collapsed to her knees. After a few minutes of breathing, Twilight looked up and had a mini heart attack. She had no idea where she was. The forest had twisted and turned. All Twilight had been thinking about was blindly following the voice. It had doomed her. Twilight stood, hurriedly.

"Hello?" She tried, but was met with no response. How could she have been so stupid? Why couldn't she just have gone home instead of staying out in the toxic fog? Oh dear... what was she to do? What would she do now? Starve? Dehydrate? Go mad? Get viciously mauled to death by some sort of animal? Twilight began to break sweat as she began panicking. She sat back down as she tried not to seize or have a panic attack.

She steadied her breathing. She focused her mind. "Okay, Twilight. No reason to FREAK OUT!" Twilight yelled suddenly as she heard a loud thump from behind her. She scrambled up, in a state of terror. She turned and backed up against a tree. Two yellow eyes peeped out of the woods at her. Then more eyes. Twilight turned and ran as howling erupted from all directions. Timberwolves! 'But I thought they only came out at night!' Twilight thought, hoisting herself into a tree. She knew wolves couldn't climb. The Timberwolves began bounding out of the trees and collectively gathering underneath Twilight. They began jumping up and slashing their claws at her. 'Maybe I should've picked a taller tree!'

The pale and sand colored wolves began to jump onto nearby rocks and attempt to jump the tree. One made it, but Twilight pushed him off. He landed with a yelp and a whimper as the ground broke his fall. "Sorry!" Twilight yelled, climbing her way to the top of the tree. The branches were protecting her for now, but she heard the wolves still trying to get her. Soon, the tree began to shake and rumble. It began to FALL OVER.

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY!" Twilight yelled, knowing it was impossible that someone could hear her. No one goes into the forest anymore. The tree tilted and Twilight felt tears coming from her eyes. She was going to get eaten by Timberwolves and no one would know. Or perhaps even care.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and prepared for the impact of the ground. The tree groaned and cracked until finally, it fell over. Twilight tumbled out from the top and put her hands over her face. The wolves were to be coming out to eat her any second now. But, once Twilight refrained herself, she looked up. There was nothing but the broken tree she had been in. Had she imagined the wolves just like she imagined Sunset? But, she couldn't have. The tree was knocked over. What on Earth happened? Twilight pressed her hands to her face, which was damp from being out in the fog. Twilight crouched on the ground, quaking in fear. She was going to die out here within the hour, she knew it. She began to sob, her shoulders shaking. This wouldn't be the first time in her life that she had no idea what to do. She was scared and lost. She finished getting her sad out and stood up. Her legs were a little muddy from crouching on the ground. Twilight turned back towards the tree, examining it. She went around towards the front and saw the deep gnash that the wolves had left. It was terrifying to see how close to death she had came to. Looking grim, Twilight began to go over everything she had learned about surviving the woods in her mind. The first thing you were supposed to do to survive was try to find water. You're most likely to die by dehydration than starvation. Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, listening.

Water. Running water.

The sound made Twilight's heart sing. Maybe she was going to live after all. Twilight went towards the sound of the water, now that she could focus. As she broke through the trees, she saw it. The sight of a waterfall bursting from the rocks was glorious, of not slightly foggy. Twilight suddenly realized how thirsty she was. What a lovely time to not be able to order a pizza, though. Twilight had left her phone at home. She made a mental note to never do that again, after this experience. Twilight unzipped Sunset's jacket and pulled out her handy water bottle. She began to fill it up with the clean liquid. It was so clear, it almost looked unnatural. Twilight would need to hurry though. Who knew when those disappearing Timberwolves would be back?

"Twiiiiiilllliiiigggghhhht...." Sunset Shimmer's voice called. Twilight nearly dropped her water bottle into the little pond, but she caught it.

"Sunset! This isn't funny! Show yourself!" Twilight demanded, stamping her foot like an impatient pet owner.

"But I'm right here." The voice sounded like it was coming out of nowhere. And now that Twilight could really hear it, it didn't sound like Sunset. Mildly, but not exactly.

"Where?! I don't see you!" Twilight called, backing up ever so slightly. She was getting nervous. Whatever was talking to her wasn't her friend.

"Oh, come on, Sparky. Just come a little closer and take a look-sie," The voice said, somehow sounding like a breeze on the water. "If you really want to see me that badly, I suggest you take a look."

Twilight gulped, finding her throat uncomfortably dry. "How do I know I can trust you?" She asked, taking yet another step back. All the alarms were going off in her head that told her to break into a run.

"Because I know alllllll about you. We're friends, right?" The voice said, still refusing to show its form.

"I think I'll just leave," Twilight said, taking another step back. Her heart dropped when she felt something touch her back. She looked up, her face getting covered in slime.

"No, you won't," The tree said, the holes in its face moving to make words. Vines immediately lashed out to take Twilight by the waist. Twilight screamed as she was lifted up.

"Good job, Oakley," The mysterious voice from earlier said, its owner rising from the water. It looked like a turquoise, scaly sea monster. "Truth be told, I wanted to get the last laugh before we split her for dinner," It said.

"D-dinner?!" Twilight screeched, her eye twitching. She was done for, now.

"Okay, Saka. Should I kill her first or do you want to?" Oakley -the tree- asked the dragon-presumably Saka- who shrugged. The tree made a face and began lowering Twilight down to its gaping mouth. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as she prepared to get eaten for the second time. But, the tree stopped.

"Saka, did you say something?"

"No, Oakley, I don't believe I did."

"But I heard you tell me to "drop her or else." Are you messing with me?"

"Maybe your psychic powers picked someone's thoughts up from outside the forest. Now get to eating, we don't have all day," Saka said, studying her claws. Twilight began scanning the sky, her eyes filling up with tears.

"No, no it's not that. It's louder now," Oakley said, making confused grunting noises. They all jumped as Oakley's branches suddenly burst into flame. Twilight screamed, as did the tree. "OW!!" Saka yelled before she slashed back into the water. She disappeared beneath the surface of the water before the clear top would only show her red blood. Twilight was ripped from the tree's grasp and pulled into red talons. Twilight gripped onto the scaly hands that held her, but gave a yelp as the creature yanked her away and into the sky with it. 'How many creatures are after me?!' Twilight thought, knowing she'd probably never get her answer. The red dragon, whose talons she was being carried in, flew at a harsh speed until Twilight was dropped on the side of Canterlot Mountain. Twilight hit her head on a rock and blacked out at that moment. The red demon looked at Twilight and realized she had put her down too hard. Her ears lowered and she growled at herself. She lifted Twilight up and began carrying her to her lair, where she would wait until she woke up.