//-------------------------------------------------------// A Lone Soul: Twilight's Journey -by TitanusDraconus87- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Hunted //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Hunted In the dark of night, the skies were overcast with clouds that rolled and churned violently. The wind blew harshly, swaying the strongest tree in the woods to the point of breakage. The rumble of thunder caused the ground to shudder like a cold winter breeze upon one's back. Lightening flashed across the sky, briefly bringing light to the darkness of the forest. That lightening briefly revealed the movement of a lone figure standing in the forest. The second flash of lightening, accompanied by the roar of thunder revealed more movement from the lone figure in the midst of the woods. Their movement was more startled, almost frantic as they could be heard whimpering over the howling of the wind. "W-Where am I?" the figure in the dark spoke. In the clearing a large crater has been formed. Scorched earth, smoldering red and melted rock glowed, and the smell of burnt timber and wood permeated, A small creature sat in the center of the crater. The creature was what one would describe a small miniature horse. But that's were the similarities ended, and more bizarre features of the small horse began. For one, despite the darkness. The small horse possessed a set of wings, one would think it was a miniature Pegasus. However another flash of lightening was soon followed by a soft glow from the Small horse's head. Illuminating the area with a five foot radius of soft purple or pink light. The glow originated from the small horse's head, upon it's forehead, a conical spiral horn could be seen. "That's better." The small horse, or more accurately, Pony said with a prominent feminine voice. "Ugh, what happened?" The pony looked around, all around she saw trees, clouds, and the occasional flash of lightening. She felt the rumble of the thunder through the ground. "This, this isn't.... Where Am I!?" The pony said more to herself more than to anyone in particular. "Oh I hope Spike and the others are okay. I shouldn't have just left them like that!" After getting her bearings, The pony turned again. "There has to be a way out of this forest!" She shouted over the howling winds as she made a guess and hoped to the higher powers that be she made the best choice and began her trek out of the crater and through the trees. As she walked through the woods, she took note of how unusual the trees were. they were like silent sentinels standing vigil, as though guarding some unknown secrete lost to time. "Come on Twilight. There has GOT to be a way out of this forest!" The pony known as Twilight whispered to herself. The walk felt as though it went on for eternity. There didn't seem to be an end to this forest. As she walked, Twilight felt a forbidding presence in the woods. Like she shouldn't be there, like her presence wasn't welcomed. Then she felt something move through the trees. "Just calm yourself, Twilight." She said to herself as she caught sight of a shadow darting between the trees. She swiveled her ears, hoping to catch any sounds of something moving with her, but all she heard was the storm and the wind. "There's nothing out here." Twilight kept trying to tell herself. But being a herbivore, her prey instinct told her different. She was being hunted. 'AAAH-OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!' That sound brought Twilight's blood to run ice cold. She knew several animal calls from her times in the Everfree Forest. That sound was unmistakable, and well known to any pony who heard it. "O-oh no..." Twilight's eyes widened as she looked around, hoping her mind was playing tricks, that the wind was making weird sounds. "M-maybe the wind blew through a hole in a tree or some branches in a natural arrangement caused the sound?" Her hopes died the second she heard the snarling and barking. 'AH-OOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!' There was no doubt now. Wolves have caught her scent! Twilight stayed where she was, her instincts told her to run. But she knew better. Wolves were renown to use that strategy to tire out their prey. She had only one way to save herself. Twilight looked around as she soon spotted several wolves, a total of four emerging from the forest. They weren't Timberwolves, luckily. But no less a formidable threat. Worse, there was four of them, and those were the ones she COULD see and these were quite large. Not just in terms of muscle and bulk, but in size they were nearly to her nose! The snarls and howling of other wolves were echoing through the woods, these were scouts. The four wolves snarled and licked their teeth, Twilight's magic light causing their teeth to shimmer in the light. The drool dribbling from their mouths made the intention clear. They were hungry. From first glance, one could tell they haven't eaten in well over a week. Twilight knew running was a bad idea. Not just because they were circling her, but she knew they won't be easy to give up. The wolves snarled and the first made it's move. A series of savage barks called Twilight's attention as one of the four wolves charged at her, snapping it's jaws. It's intent was clear. It wanted fresh pony flesh and Twilight was no doubt the perfect meal for a pack of famished wolves. The wolf was mere inches from it's prey, but before It's open maw, filled with huge jagged teeth could catch her, Twilight did something the wolves weren't expecting. She shot the wolf with a beam of Magical energy. The wolf yelped, flying and sprawling the moment it landed on the ground. The wild beast quickly got up as it snarled at the Pony. "I'm not going to be your meal, so GET!" Twilight shouted as her horn charged another blast. Her body moving in a defensive stance. "YAAAAHHH!" She shouted, trying to scare the wolves away. It was one hundred percent ineffective. And only served to do the one thing the wolf was wanting. To distract her. As soon as she shouted at the one wolf, the others quickly followed suit, They began to charge all at once. One wolf trying to go at the pony's throat but was rewarded instead with a magic blast in the face. Another pounced on her back and bit down on her shoulder as the third bit down on her rear leg. Twilight screamed out in pain as she stumbled back as the the wolf that had her leg pulled her back, soon other wolves got the scent of her blood and more joined in the attack. "No!" Twilight shouted as she charged her magic, trying hard to concentrate through the pain. Once her magic charged enough she formed a five foot radius blast of magic around her, knocking the wolves away from her long enough to make a quick escape. Through the charge of adrenaline and the will to survive, Twilight galloped through the woods. The trees did little to slow down the wolves who quickly got back at her hooves, Trying to get another bite into her rear legs, every wolf that tried this was quickly given reason that it was not the best strategy when they were either bucked square in the nose or blasted away with a beam of magic. Twilight continued to run for her life, She couldn't stop, she knew if she did she'd be torn to pieces by the wolves. The sounds of running paws on forest floor and their snarls, barks, and howling told her there was well over ten of them. "The pack must be huge!" She thought. "That or it's several other packs joining forces. If it weren't the fact they are trying to 'EAT ME!' I'd be fascinated." Twilight continued running, she weaved through the trees. Trying to use the woods itself to slow the wolves gain on her. But both to her dismay and relief. The trees began to get thin, and a light was seen at the end of the forest boarder. "Light!" Looking back she saw the wolves were on her tail, literally, one wolf took a snap at her tail. "KYAH!" Twilight yelped, she swiftly she raised her rear hoof and bucked the wolf so hard the sound of it's skull being cracked was heard as it fell to the ground. This didn't stop the wolves, only fueling their efforts more as they started to gain on Twilight. Once they left the forest, Twilight began to look around. her search for safety was quickly rewarded as the source of the light belonged to a small house. The shadows in the windows from the light beaming from them called her attention. "HELP ME! WOLVES! HELP!" Twilight shouted, she looked back as the wolves were now at her flanks. They outran her in a clear terrain and they were making use of it. She tried hard to keep the wolves at bay, using her magic to blast them away when they strike. "HELP!" She called out again, praying that the pony in the building heard and they would come to her rescue. "PLEASE! WOLVES ARE---- GAH!" Whatever she had intended to shout was cut off as soon as one of the wolves pounced on her, knocking her off balance and pinning her to the ground on her back. despite their starved condition, one wolf proved he was heavy enough to keep Twilight pinned, and didn't hesitate long to take advantage of the situation. Twilight screamed out in terrible pain as the wolf clamped down in a vice like grip as he bit down on her foreleg, shaking violently trying to pull the limb out of the way to go for her throat. "NO!" Twilight shouted as she charged up her magic, but she was magically exhausted, and the wolf knew it. She cried out again as the wolf shook her foreleg more violently. "AAAH!" Tears streamed from her eyes as she tried to kick the beast off. This only severed to encourage the wolf more as he tried to go for her throat. Soon the others attacked, The four from before began to bite down on her legs shaking at them violently, Twilight could only scream in pain and cry tears, this wasn't how she would image her life would end. She wanted her friends to arrive, to save her from the wolves. for everything to be okay. But nothing happened, and the next sound that she heard was a snap of bone. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Twilight screamed, more tears fell from her eyes, She felt the bone in her rear leg, below the knee snap from the tugs of the wolf pulling and shaking violently. The pain was worse then the wolves bites alone. That's when she made her greatest mistake. When her leg broke, and the pain got to her, she let go of the wolf that had her front foreleg, with nothing holding him back, he took the moment and reared up, his massive jaws filled with teeth, no doubt the same that was first to attack Twilight before, readied himself to take the final bite. They earned their food and all that is needed now is the final killing bite. Twilight knew it, and closed her eyes ready for the end of her life, she just prayed it was swift. "BOOM!" Twilight's Eyes opened as the wolf that had her pin yelped. The side of the wolf's torso erupted as something ripped clean through his body. The force of the blow was powerful enough to knock him off her. "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" More shots rang as the wolves that had Twilight's legs were hit, two fell from their wounds. One had a wound in it's head, the other was similar to the first. The third wolf however only suffered a leg wound, but the message was clear as it and the rest of the pack made a quick escape. Twilight shuddered as she turned to her side, she had several bleeding wounds, and one broken leg, but she was alive, thanks to her unknown savior. She whimpered as she crawled to the source of the booms. sobbing from the pain from doing so. "P-Please. Please help me... I---" Twilight stopped mid sentence as she saw who her savior was. They weren't a pony, that much was sure. Standing just three feet from her was a towering being. It had a tall yet slim frame, it put Twilight in mind of that Unicorn, Fleur De Lis Rarity told her about. It stood upright on two legs, it's front legs were holding a long stick that ended in a tube, the hole of which was smoking with black residue from it's lip. long dark hair whipping behind it from the wind. The creature looked down at her with blue eyes. They were wide, as though Twilight was the most unusual thing it's ever seen. "Oh... My.... God...." The creature said. it's voice was feminine, she lowered the stick and held out a shaking hand. "W-What the hell are you!?" Twilight raised her blood soaked shaking hoof, her eyes streamed of tears from the pain the simple motion brought her. "P-Please! I... I n-need Help, I need----I-I I.... uuuhhh...." And like that, Twilight collapsed, exhaustion and blood loss taking their tole. Author's Note Prologue complete. Next will be the first chapter. Enjoy! //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: The Storm //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: The Storm A Lost Soul Chapter 1: The Storm The day started like most others, A trip to town, running supplies, and checking in on her patients at the hospital. For five years she worked as a nurse, putting her education into trying to become a full fledged doctor. However, it's not been easy on her. Amanda has been forced to move back with her father, Richard. who worked as the local vet doctor of her home town where she grew up. While keeping up with her studies as best she could. Amanda has also had to help at the local vet to get paid, even though her father was glad to have her live with him. She was adamant about helping to pay bills and earn enough for herself. however, Amanda did keep up a part time job at the hospital in the city. It wasn't an easy life, but she made it work. As the house came to view, a medium sized home that sat next to the old forest, Amanda turned on the radio, looking up at the sky as angry clouds rolled overhead, like angry gods going to war. The air itself felt like a storm was brewing, but there was something more to it. It felt like a violation in nature. As the skies darkened as the sun lowered and the clouds obscured what little sunlight was left. A feeling of something bad was coming. Something more than just the storm. "---In the immediate area of the Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee counties, a large storm has unexpectedly formed within the area. This storm is predicted to be a severe thunderstorm. Destructive winds are being expected, and the possibility of one or more tornadoes developing is a possibility." As the weather forecaster continued, Amanda turned her truck into the garage and parked, cutting the engine. As she got out, she was still wearing her nurse uniform. A light blue pants, white shirt with a matching coat whipped to the side as the second the wind hit her, she was nearly knocked off her feet and only became acquainted with the ground several times during her walk to the door. "DAD! I'M HOME!" She called out. The door soon unlocked and open, Standing before her was a middle to late aged man, he was around 65 years old, having been 'blessed' with the responsibility of fatherhood at a young age. his once dark black hair has since begun to gray at the sides, his philosopher blue eyes developing crows feet. Despite his aged look, his body stood straight and strong. He wore a pair of black pants, gray shoes, and an olive shirt. Richard quickly opened the screen door and ushered his daughter inside. "Hurry Mandy! The storm is gonna hit hard!" he said as he brought her inside. With a roar of the wind, Amanda made little argument as she closed and locked the door. "Good to know the storm shutters are closed." Richard nodded in agreement. "This storm was a bit sudden, but I had enough time to close the shutters and secure everything." Amanda took her coat off and made her way upstairs. taking little time to change into a pair of denim pants, white sleeveless undershirt and button up shirt. After dressing, she went down stairs and made her way to the kitchen. Taking a medium size pot she filled it with water and placed it on the stove, the stove used propane gas so even with a power outage, cooking dinner should be no problem if the power went out. "Ah, now you don't have to go and cook, I can---" Before Her father could continue, Amanda poured in some noodles and put in some cheese. Richard smiled. "But if you want, mac and cheese would be splendid." Amanda giggled. It was no secret her father had a weakness to Macaroni and Cheese, hell the whole town knew it. As she stirred the pot she began to add different spices, A pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic. bringing a greater taste to the noodles and cheese that no store bought version could compare. After a few minutes, and as the storm blew harsher, dinner was finished, aside from the Mac and Cheese, Amanda prepared some other meals, Spaghetti, grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and a sweet potato casserole. Just as she put the food on the table, a haunting call caused the two to freeze. 'AAAH-OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!' Richard got up from his seat, Moved towards the window and stared out to the forest that bordered the valley their house stood in the center of. "Sounds like they caught wind of something." He said before he went into the living room gun cabinet and pulled out a lever action rifle. "Better keep this handy, For close encounters." Amanda stared out the window as another call was heard. "Whatcha think has them all riled up?" "Dunno." Richard said as he looked out from the window. "Let's just eat. I'll keep the rifle nearby just in case though." he said racking a number of four bullets into the rifle. As they ate, they couldn't help but hear the sounds of the wolves, it was obvious there were a lot of them. what really caught their attention was the unusual flashes of colored light made the blackness between the trees light up, the light was followed by what sounded oddly enough like energy discharge, similar to the sounds an energy weapon would make in a video game. Amanda and her father stopped eating when they heard a scream. it was faint, but they heard it clear as day. It was muffled by the wind but they knew what they heard. "There's someone out there!" Amanda shouted as she got up from the table and looked outside, peaking between the openings of the shutters. "I'm getting the pickup." Richard said as he got up and tossed Amanda the rifle. "The flood lights will help whoever it is in the forest towards the valley." Just as they began to move into action, a voice called out. "HELP ME! WOLVES! HELP!" The voice sounded like a young woman, and it was obvious she was calling for them to help her. "GET OUT THERE AND GUIDE THEM TO SAFETY!" Richard shouted as he ran outside, but not without grabbing another rifle from the gun cabinet, then the keys to the pickup truck. Amanda made her way to the back door, while she may have been a nurse and studying doctor, she none the less took an oath to help anyone who needed it. While that mostly meant medical help, There was no difference to her. When she got to the back door she slammed into it, forgetting the door would often stick, the latch being old and rusted to the point it could not be opened without a fight. "Come on you bastard, I haven't the time for this!" Amanda cursed under her breath, fighting the door latch. She was contemplating running to the front door when she heard... "HELP!" The voice called out again. "HELP! WOLVES ARE..... GAH!" Amanda's eyes widened as the sound of the woman's screams and the wolves attacking her snapped her to reality. They were tearing her apart while she was fighting with a stupid latch. Finally, Her brows furrowed as she took a step back and with a hard kick, sent the defiant door swinging open. wood splinters got flew off by the wind as the latch that hindered her was sent flying into the yard. The howling wind was so strong by the time she cleared the house that it nearly knocked her over while on her way to the scene. In several instances the wind shoved her off course. Once she got there however, her eyes widened at what lay before her. Several wolves were attacking what looked like a small 'Purple' horse. Amanda's brain couldn't fathom where the horse came from but she couldn't do anything but stare at the scene. The horse, as stated was purple. But also had a set of wings and a long spiral horn on her forehead. It's mane and tail was a deep dark blue or more accurately indigo with a pink and purple stripe. She would say the horse was rather beautiful. Did she put something bad in the mac and cheese? Was the garlic expired? It's then the snap of bone caught Amanda's attention, and the situation brought her back to reality. It hit her hard when the horse cried out. It wasn't a whinny or nicker of pain. but a scream. A human-like scream that struck Amanda to her core. She noticed the blood coming from the horse's legs and shoulder and realized immediately she needed to act fast. Racking the rifle's lever and taking aim. Amanda took a slow breath and aimed at the wolf on top of the horse, violently trying to rip the poor creature's front leg off. Slowly anger began to take hold as she leveled the rifle and took account for the wind. With a release of her breath, she fired. The bullet ripped through the wolf that pinned the horse on the ground. It wasn't a shot Amanda was proud of, but seeing the beast fall to the ground dead was good enough. Soon she took aim at the others and three more shots range out. Two fell from head shots, but one however took a shot to the leg. Just as Amanda began to reload the rifle to take it out, The wolf ran back to the woods, a trail of blood followed it's wake. "Son of a bitch!" She cursed under her breath but before she could begin the chase, a small voice gripped her motionless. "P-Please. Please help me... I---" The horse had crawled to her and was holding a hoof out in a plead for help. Amanda couldn't help but look into those almost human yet large velvet eyes. The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, both an alien to the other. Finally Amanda spoke what came to mind.... "Oh.... My..... God...." She said, her hand reaching out unsure whether if touching the horse will make her disappear. "W-What the hell are you!?" With that the horse spoke once more. Holding out a blood soaked hoof. "P-Please! I... I n-need Help, I need----I-I I.... uuuhhh...." then she finally collapsed, no doubt the mix of adrenaline running out, blood loss, and finally the shock taking their toll on her. Amanda stood unmoving for a manner of several seconds, she looked over her shoulder at her father, carrying a rifle in hand but just like herself was wide eyed and shocked at what laid before them. The stupor didn't last however as she bore a face of determination and leaned over. "Dad help me get her in the truck!" Richard took little time to snap out of his stupor before opening the tail gate. "Amanda, we have NO idea what that thing is!" Amanda got as best of a grip on the horse she could get. It was small but had a good weight to it, She held it similar to the way one would carry a dog, but the horse was still quite large. "Jeez she weighs a ton!" She took several steps but nearly stumbled before her father ran up and grabbed a hold of the horse, getting a hold of it's head and shoulders. "It asked for help, dad. That's enough for me. You know mom would agree." As the two carried the strange creature to the back of the truck, her father spoke up. "You didn't need to bring her up, Mandy. I'm with you all the way. I just hope this thing don't decide to... I don't know. Gore us with that horn." Amanda laughed. "I doubt it'll do that, dad." After loading the horse onto the back of the truck, it didn't take long until they brought it back to their house. Carrying the creature through the hall adjacent to the living room, they entered a room with a medical table, few medical tools, syringes, a cabinet of medicine bottles, pills, and gauze wraps. The room was also dominated by a large but simple x-ray machine, it's design was built however for veterinary uses. "Get her on the table." Richard said. He felt a warm sticky sensation on his hands and looked down. His hands were covered in blood, he made his way to the sink to wash off his hands. "Get her hooked up to the heart monitor so we can begin." Amanda hung to her father's every word. After getting the creature hooked to the heart monitor and situated. Amanda began to draw blood. "She's bleeding bad. I'm getting to work on cleaning the wounds and bandaging." As Amanda prepared to clean the wounds she noticed the creature's left rear leg was twisting in an unnatural position. "Shit! She's got a broken Leg!" "We'll get the X-Ray on that in a bit, but if we don't stop the bleeding she's gonna die from blood loss!" Richard stated as he made his way to the table with a syringe. "Injecting Antiseptic. Get some pressure on those wounds, Mandy." "Right!" she chirped as she got to work. As the two worked through the night, The creature who they've nicknamed 'Tilly' named after the actress Jennifer Tilly of the same last name, just so they could stop calling it a 'Creature' or 'Horse thing', was laying on the table as they held the X-Ray scanner over her leg. "It's gonna need to be reset." Amanda said as she looked at the scans. While the leg, itself wasn't completely broken. only a few stress marks from where the wolf had bit down on it were evident. The bone however was ripped right out of it's joint socket. "Otherwise the tendons and muscles are good. The damage is bad but they'll heal." Richard said as he looked at the bone. "We'll need to do this now or she'll wake up and I hate to see what she'll do when she's in a panic. Might make it worse." The two took positions, Amanda grabing 'Tilly's' Shoulders while Richard took hold of the leg. As the two braced they nodded to each other before her father forced the leg back into place. The moment the pop was heard 'Tilly' flinched and it was obvious despite the unconsciousness she was somewhat aware of what was going on. it's then her ears begin to flick about. "Shhhh...." Amanda soothed. "Your okay now. Just had to set your leg back was all." "We've done what we could with what we have here." Her father said as he took a syringe and filled it. "I'll give her something to numb the pain, but without an idea of her metabolism or medical history I can only give her a small dose until she wakes up." checking 'Tilly's' gauze bandages to ensure the bleeding's has been stopped he looked up at Amanda. "I'll call the Sheriff in the morning and warn him about the wolves." He looked to their patient and sighed. "Dunno about her though." Amanda shook her head. "Dad, do you realize what would happen if we told people about her!?" Her father nodded and sighed. "I do, Mandy, but do you know what would happen if they found out and we tried to keep her a secrete?" Amanda was about to retort when 'Tilly' stirred a bit. her ears twitching to and fro. "How about we wait until she wakes up? See what she's like, THEN figure out what to do?" Richard sighed as he stood and looked over the sleeping creature on the table. her breathing regulated (If that's regular for her, at most he had to go by equine terminologies during the operation) and she was now in a deep sleep. The occasional twitching and ear flick however was rather adorable. He couldn't help but smile as he pulled the gloves off. "Fine." He finally said. but before Amanda could say a word he stated. "But the second she becomes trouble I'm calling the sheriff." Amanda however held her smirk and nodded. "She won't be." Her father however couldn't resist and ran his fingers through the mare's fur. it was unnaturally soft and fluffy, it was as though she was made to be more of a pillow than a living thing. "In the meantime, we should test her blood for Rabies and any other deceases she may have. All three of us are getting a rabies shot in the morning." Amanda's smirk disappeared as she groaned. "Good Night dad." "Your not going to bed?" He asked. Amanda shook her head. "I'm staying with our patient, here. She'll need a friendly face to wake up to." Richard smiled as he made his way to his door. "Good Night, Mandy." 7:47AM The storm outside had been reduced to a minor rainstorm, a few rumbles of thunder was all that remained of the monster storm that threatened the area. The dim light from the morning sun offered a beacon to the waking world. One in particular answered that beacon. Twilight gave a soft moan as she slowly turned to her stomach. The pitter patter sound of rain soothed her mind. But slowly the pain in her shoulder and legs became evident. She muttered a whimper as her ears wilted slightly. As she opened her eyes she found herself in a strange room. her eyes looked around for a moment before they focused on the floor. the dim light from the window beamed down upon the tiled floor, the droplets of rain streaming down from the window's glass left shadowed streaks behind. It was something that could put one in a light trance. The soothing sound of rain hitting the roof as the droplets streaked down the window, their silhouettes danced along the floor. It was something that always calmed Twilight. A rainy day was a perfect time to read a book. Especially when the power went out, where there was no other sound in the house except the ticking of the clock, and the occasional but inevitable turn of a page. But as Twilight laid there, she began to see the silhouettes take form. Her eyes widened as the face of a snarling wolf glared at her. Then without warning it lunged at her, snapping jaws as it barked in an attempt to tear her throat out. "NO!" Twilight screamed jumping back holding her forelegs in front of her in an attempt to keep the beast away from her. It's then the lights came on, bringing light to the darkness of the room and Twilight back to her senses. As she slowly opened her eyes she saw the wolf was gone. Her foreleg and rear legs however had bandages with red marks bleeding through. It's then a faint pain in her shoulder became evident. In her panic attack she'd bumped into a medical cabinet. This agitated the bite wound on her shoulder and now the wound was protesting quite a bit. Twilight panted and slowly eased herself back on the medical table she now found herself on. She took a quick look around the room until she realized the room was dark not long ago. Somepony turned the lights on. Then movement caught the corner of her eye. "It's about time you woke up." Somepony said. The voice was familiar, in a way it sounded similar to Applejack, but that's where the similarity ended. The voice startled Twilight, She turned her head ready to bolt out of the room in a burst of speed that would make Rainbow Dash proud. She had expected some other horrible beast come to tear her to shreds. But to her both relief and shock. She instead saw an alien creature sitting in a chair beside her. Twilight gasped as she tried to jump away from the creature. She was still half out of it, but she could tell the alien had some similarities to the humans from the mirror world she went to. But that's were the similarities ended. This creature was taller, slimmer, but still looked quite strong. She was ready to run out of the room when she put pressure on her left back leg. "AAAH!" Twilight screamed as a shot of pain went through her, she stumbled back on her haunches and looked at the cast on her leg. "W-What!?" "HEY!" The alien shouted, catching Twilight's attention. "Take it easy there! You got messed up pretty bad, those wolves were ripping you apart." The creature was blunt and her bedside manner sucked at the moment, but there was no deception in her words. It's then the memories came back to her. Blood covered teeth, glowing yellow eyes, the feeling of being eaten alive. It sent a chill up Twilight's back. She began to fidget her hooves together in nervousness. The memories were still quite fresh, the feeling of the wolves jaws crushing down on her legs were still there, the feeling of their tongues lapping up her blood as they ripped her to shreds. It was something that would haunt her for a long time. But just as the memories flooded back, she also remembered something else. The sound of four explosions, And a tall slim creature with long dark hair, blue eyes, and a smoking metal pipe in one hand and the other holding out, shaking but willing to help. Slowly, Twilight looked the alien creature sitting in the chair beside her, The light of the room revealed her features. From the looks of it, she was young mature female. Her eyes were a dark blue with long dark brown hair. Her skin was a light peach color. Her cloths were a pair of pants, boots, and a long sleeve shirt. It's then however Twilight noticed the blood on her cloths. "It's yours." She said looking down at herself, noticing Twilight's wide eyed reaction. "I'm a nurse, my father and I were trying to save you." She said, trying to reason with the Alicorn. "You were bleeding pretty bad." Looking at her wounds again, Twilight saw that once again the creature spoke honestly, From the wounds she received from the wolves. She must have lost quite a lot of blood. It's then the creature began to get her attention. "Hey, can you speak?" The creature asked in a gentle tone. She had a gentle southern accent, not as deep as Applejack's. "I know you can, you asked for help." Twilight looked at the creature for a time. She blinked and with a swallow of nervousness she nodded. "Y-Yes, I can talk." The creature smiled as she slowly got up. She took a clip board and got some papers. "Well, this is a formality, but my father and I need some medical information so we can further treat you. Sorry, but my father is a professional...." She said before chuckling to herself. "Even for a vet." Twilight stared at her dumbstruck for a few moments, she slowly nodded before responding. "O-okay...." To say Twilight was out of it was an understatement. Physically she was awake and alert. Mentally she was still getting her bearings trying to understand her situation. She played the earlier events in her mind several times in her head. but before the wolf attack her mind hit a mental wall. She knew everything about where she came from, her friends, the princesses. She wasn't experiencing any form of amnesia. It certainly wasn't that. She knew this was not her home, she knew this wasn't her world, and She KNEW this wasn't good. Something was blocking her memory. She thought back to the forest, but it was as though that memory was being burnt away, like the reel of a movie strip burned up by the projector light. Up until the wolf attack, Nothing remained of how she got to this world. That's all she knew. Something happened that brought her to this world. That's what she gathered. This was NOT Equis. This was NOT Ponyville, and this was certainly NOT her universe. She remembered an experiment. A mirror, but not the one in the Crystal Empire. Slowly a fragment of the day before came to her. It was all she could remember, Perhaps it was how she got to this strange world? -Ponyville, Castle Of Friendship- In the Foyer of the Castle, sitting at a table with multiple books, scrolls, and tomes around her, Twilight stood before a slab monolith of glass. It reflected the Unicorn nicely, it was well polished and the frame around it was purple and stylized with the carvings of ponies of all three tribes, at the top, a single alicorn statue dominated as the centerpiece. The frame was studded with gemstones that glowed ominously around the mirror, feeding it power through it's reflective glass. An occasional ripple like water was the only blemish upon the glass surface. Arcane energies surged through it. The unstable powers that coursed through it's form was testament to it's instability. Standing before the Mirror. Twilight furrowed her brows as she placed a pondering hoof to her chin. "I don't get it. I followed Starswirl's notes." Twilight said as she looked over the tomes and scrolls several more times. "In trying to replicate the exact method to create a Magic Mirror, This should have stabilized hours ago." As she looked through the data before, Spike emerged from the kitchen and offered Twilight a cup of fresh tea. Turning to greet her number one assistant, Twilight's horn glowed as she took the cup and sipped the warm beverage. "Thanks Spike." Twilight said as she continued to read, trying to figure out what she might have done wrong. "Maybe it doesn't have enough power?" Spike suggested as he looked the mirror over. The mirror stood to be the size of two Celestia's if stood on top of each other. It's width matching the solar goddess's wingspan quite well. The energy surging through it made Spike's spines stand on end. He took a step back from it with a mist of magical energy reached out and wrap it's 'arm' around him, trying to invite him through. "Spike, get away from there!" Twilight scolded. The little dragon made little argument. Running back to the comforts of Twilight's side. The sounds of hooves coming down steps called their attention, Looking up, Starlight Glimmer made her way down with Trixie trailing behind her. "Are you still working on that mirror?" Trixie asked with a sneer. "Has anypony ever told you that it's sometimes good to leave great and amazing discoveries buried?" Twilight rolled her eyes as she continued reading. "Starswirl The Bearded stopped his research due to his mirror possibly being used by the wrong ponies." Twilight said as she looked over the scrolls. "The problem was that the dimension the pony went to was related in some form or another to Equestria." "Well duh..." Trixie stated. "Magic Mirror. Mirror Dimensions. See the phaze being used there? MIRROR!" Starlight however put a hoof to Trixie's mouth muffling her rants. "I think what Trixie's trying to say is that the mirror Starswirl made was to visit mirroring realities." She said as she looked up at Twilight's mirror. "But what I don't understand is what is THIS mirror supposed to accomplish?" At that question Twilight beamed. "This mirror is made to open a door to OTHER worlds. Not just mirrored to our own!" "So, Like a mirror to another universe?" Starlight asked as she moved up to the monolith of glass. "What are it's limits?" Twilight sighed. "That's the problem. At the moment, there's no set destination. I sent several magic probes, each probe was sent to someplace totally different." Twilight's horn glowed as she replayed several recordings from several probes. One was sent into space. Another was sent to a world devoid of life. One was sent to a word of sharp rocks and unnatural looking formations with a strange horseshoe like organic looking structure in the distance of two suns setting in the horizon. And finally the last probe's life was cut short when a giant reptile creature blasted it with a blue stream of fire. "Whoah." Spike said seeing the last one. "Without a set destination, there's no telling WHERE you'll be sent to. So from that, there ARE no limits. Which makes this thing far to dangerous to send somepony through." Twilight explained as she looked through starswirl's notebooks only to find two pages stuck together. "Huh.... what's this?" Opening the two pages carefully, they showed an illustration of a spell, Twilight read through it a few times before she slowly realized what it was for. "A Stability Spell! Exactly what I need!" Twilight said as her horn began to glow. "Wait, Twilight!" Starlight interrupted. "You have no idea what that spell will do!" But it was to late, by the time Twilight cast the spell and Starlight stated her concern, The mirror began to react violently. Eventually it shattered, it's fragments flying outward to reveal a vortex of magical energies behind it. It began to suck everything with a heartbeat inside. Starlight reacted fast, forming a magical barrier around herself, Trixie, and Spike, but Twilight's slow response and being furthest away prevented her from being surrounded by the barrier. "TWILIGHT!" Starlight yelled over the roar of the vortex. "Grab a hold of something!" Twilight snapped out of her stupor, noticing herself being dragged into the vortex. She looked around and grabbed onto the pillar of the crystal wall. The rough texture hurt her hooves, but she held on for dear life. Starlight's horn glowed brighter as she focused on the vortex. "Hold on! I'm making a magic barrier to stop it from sucking somepony up!" Twilight pulled herself to get a better grip of the crystal support pillar of the wall. She felt her grip improving once she had a better hold on it. Smiling she knew she was going to make it. "TWILIGHT, LOOK OUT FOR--- Spike's warning came too late. The moment Twilight looked up to see what was about to hit her. A piece of glass, reflecting her reaction hit her square in the face, causing her to loose her grip of the pillar. "NO!" Spike yelled. "TWILIGHT!" Trixie and Starlight yelled out in unison. But their calls went unanswered as Twilight was sucked into the vortex. She felt her body be ripped apart, put back together, torn apart once more and back again. Then she found herself in a hall of light, the sounds around her were like the voices of birth itself. She felt her body be caught on fire yet no flame touched her. It's that moment however she felt another presence. She couldn't tell what or where it was exactly. It was as though it was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It's voice echoed in her mind. "INTRUDER!" Twilight awoke with a startle, at some point she fell asleep. She looked around and found herself still in the medical room of her rescuers. Taking a few minutes to calm herself. Twilight better inspected her surroundings. She remembered the creature that rescued her asked about her medical history, asked what she was allergic to, which she answered nothing. And asked about her metabolism. After these questions were asked, she was given a sedative to help her sleep, and a much softer pillow to lay her head on. Twilight slowly got out of the medical bed. The second she put weight on her left rear leg however she winced. She held the leg up and with a limping hobble took the time to look around. The room was filled with veterinary supplies. two Cat and Dog skeletons stood on display on the desk of where the doctor would sit. It was obvious however that these were just models, and not the real thing. Twilight smiled to her relief. The last thing she needed was to wake up to a family of inbred hillbilly murderers or animal killers. Hobbling to where her bed was she saw a hastily displayed poster depicting a horse, or equine... something. Where it showed the skeletal system, muscles, and heart. "Not very accurate to pony anatomy." Twilight said softly to herself with a smile. She also noticed the illustration of birds as well. She looked to her wings with worry, giving them a test flex and flap, but to her satisfaction both were in prime operation. "I guess they had were trying to help me the best they could." Twilight said as she moved on through the rest of the room. Finally her curiosity got the better of her, A tarp on the table in the next corner drew her attention. with a soft glow of her horn she pulled it off. The flash of lightening illuminated a skeleton of a small horse about her size. It's empty orb sockets stared back at her making her shout in surprise. She jumped back putting pressure on her rear leg. The pain made her fall on her rump, making her push away from the skeleton. Panting and looking the skeleton over, she noticed the proportions were all wrong for it to be a pony. her breathing slowed before regulating and with great care to her rear leg, she got up and looked the skeleton over. She gently knocked on the skull, it's hollowness and the feeling that it was made of plastic made Twilight laugh at her Jumpiness. "It's a fake." Twilight giggled. "They use fake pony skeletons all the time at Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. This one isn't even in proper proportion, though." Twilight continued her look around. When she got near the door she saw a photo, Three beings were standing together, a young female, an older female which looked similar to the one that saved her the night before. And another taller creature that, from it's build, Twilight figured was a male. "Their a family." Twilight said before looking to the door. 'Might as well introduce myself.' She thought as she took the door handle with her magic. Author's Note Chapter one, the story is coming along. Onward to Chapter 3! //-------------------------------------------------------// News Reporters and Hunters in Glass //-------------------------------------------------------// News Reporters and Hunters in Glass Canterlot Castle was the jewel capital of the kingdom of Equestria. It's ivory towers and gold spires were like spears to the heavens, the walls were as strong as the earth ponies who built them so long ago. Indeed, the castle acted not just as the heart of a kingdom of love, harmony, and peace. But the Castle was just the heart of an even greater city. A City of Gold and Marble. Usually the city was home to high class ponies of society and prestige, Though this is still true. however, the last twenty four hours has seen the city and now the gates of the castle turn itself into a circus of pandemonium. Standing before the crowd at the west tower stood the solar goddess herself, Princess Celestia. As she looked down upon the ever growing crowd of ponies. Worry was evident upon her face as her crown sat upon a troubled brow. Her ears folded back as the reporters and news stations came in. The oil had just touched the flames and now true chaos was about to start. Celestia watched the camera crews set up. She looked towards her fireplace as her horn glowed. The wall retracted and opened, revealing a large television. The jewel of modern times came alive as images flashed across it's screen. Celestia's lips curved up as her favorite television show played, yet that was soon replaced as the breaking news networks trampled all over it. Celestia huffed. Taking no solace in the few things that made her unwind. She looked on as a manic stallion replaced the fun show she so enjoyed. "This is Shout Out live with Canterlot Headline News! On the scene and In Your FACE!" A sage green pegasus stallion said over a microphone, yelling at a cameramare's camera. His short mane was a dirty brown that looked more like a rat made a nest on his head, his blue eyes were to the point they looked bloodshot with signs of no sleep for several days sleep with only the gift of caffeine keeping them open. His cutiemark was that of an exclamation point next to a Microphone. "Just hours ago, The royal princesses of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have issued a royal decree of emergency! It has been recently discovered that since five o'clock last night, the Princess of Friendship, Princess Twilight Sparkle, has disappeared!" Grabbing the camera and yanking it so his face is practically in the lens, He continues. "Since then the kingdom is now on Def-Com One!" "Let go of the camera, Shout Out!" The Cameramare said as she yanked it away from the manic news reporter. But, Shout Out didn't skip a beat, he was on a roll. "Since that proclamation, the Castle Of Friendship has been locked down as the royal mages are investigating into the disappearance. With Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as head investigators!" He shouted as he moved close to the camera again. Much to the Cameramare's discomfort. "As Always, Shout Out WILL report on the news as it happens, and as always, I'll be here...." Just then he jumps in front of the camera when the cameramare tries to pull back. "IN YOUR FACE!" "CUT!" The Cameramare shouted. "Shout Out, why do you always do that!" she shouted, wiping the spit and slobber off her camera as well as off her face. She was a Unicorn, not long out of Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, her coat was dark pink with blue mane and tail with Hot Pink eyes. her cutiemark was of a Video Camera. "Relax, Focus Zoom." Shout Out said as he fixed his hair. "Ah jeez, I look like a slob." "You ARE a slob." Focus Zoom said under her breath. "What was that?" Shout Out asked. "Nothing, let's just get back to the news station." Focus Zoom suggested as she used her magic to fold up the tripod and pack up the camera. However as she did so, the manic pegasus grabbed the camera back out of it's case and set it on his shoulders.... backwards. Obviously he had no idea how to operate said camera as Focus Zoom's brows furrowed before she yanked it back out of his hap-hazard handling. Petting it like it was her baby. "Now, Now, Focus! A TRUE reporter is always on the hunt for the next story!" Shout Out said as he wrapped his foreleg around Focus Zoom's withers, a motion the cameramare was clearly uncomfortable with. "And WHAT prey-tell would that mean? The story is in PONYVILLE, not in Canterlot." Focus Zoom stated before continuing. "WHICH by the way is where Breaking News stationed us. Especially after that Manehattan spectral you made of yourself!" She seethed as she recalled how close she came to loosing her job after their employer Breaking News was so mad his mane and tail were on fire. Even his mustache looked to resemble embers, it was quite the scene. Shout Out, however, wasn't pleased that 'accident' was brought up. he snorted as he recalled the event. They were reporting on the grand opening of the Manehattan Lunar Historical Museum exhibit. They were showcasing a rare and complete skeleton of a Saddlesaurus. It was a simple report, and not a bad gig for first time reporters, But in Shout Out's view, he was above first time news. He planned to prove himself. So he devised a plan to make things... Interesting. Surely several well, DISCRETElY, placed fireworks would liven things up! And make the exhibit look amazing. Not only would the news report be amazing, but the Museum administrators will appreciate the work he put into making their exhibit look amazing, and Breaking News will promote him to news anchor! Maybe even News Editor! The idea made him salivate like a dragon setting sights upon the greatest gem ever found. Indeed this was his calling, since he got his cutiemark in reporting the news in his school back at Baltimare he knew his destiny was to be a reporter and to one day own his own news station! It was just one great report away! Come time of the grand reveal the stages were set. But what happened next was what Shout Out would call unfortunate, and what everypony else would call a full blown explosive disaster. Literally explosive! The fireworks that Shout Out purchased at a Kirin's firework's booth, much to the poor doe's dismay as she tried to warn him, albeit in her native tongue thus he thought she was flirting with him (Shout Out thinks every mare flirts with him when it's the exact opposite), were intended for high altitude displays, not small spaces. Thus the explosions of color and earth shattering blasts not only startled ponies (brought several Viettrot war veterans into war flashbacks), But the skeleton as well as several other priceless artifacts to be destroyed or irreparably damaged. The Royal Guard didn't need to look far for the culprit either, as Shout Out still had the remote to set off the fireworks, and he (And an unfortunate Focus Zoom who was accused by association) was promptly tackled and arrested. Needless to say, the destruction of priceless artifacts and a once-in-a-lifetime discovery of a complete Ponysaurus has become the black mark upon his record he's worked to try and remove for the longest time. Had he not have groveled before Princess Celestia and later his boss Breaking News, he was sure he'd currently be in the dungeons for terrorism and the destruction of ancient artifacts, Or worse, Without a job! Focus Zoom spoke up as she shoved Shout Out off her. "Now, let's get back to the news station before Breaking News BREAKS us!" Shout Out shook his head in defiance. "Oh we're leaving." He said with a grin as he flew up several meters, his blue-bloodshot gaze locked onto the small town in a valley, cross-airs could almost be seen in his pupils as he focused on a gleam of light reflecting of the crystal Castle of Friendship. He glanced down at Focus Zoom with a determined grin. The same grin she hated since the two met. "Pack up the camera, Focus. We're headed to PONYVILLE!" Shout Out declared as he put his forehooves to his hips. Focus Zoom however simply facehoofed. Her ears pinned back as she gritted her teeth, she muttered how much she would love to glue the manic Pegasus' wings to his sides and chuck him off the edge of the city. Then she wondered if the Princesses would understood if she explained why she did it. "Buck it, it'll be worth being thrown in the dungeons." Focus said to herself as she packed up the camera. "Whelp...." She started as she gazed into the lens of the camera. "It was nice while it lasted." Meanwhile, In the castle throne room of Canterlot. Princess Celestia paced, Before her was the mirror Twilight had constructed, The magical barrier Starlight put on it to prevent other ponies from being sucked in was still in effect. Her Royal Mage was adamant that the barrier should hold. The Solar Princess had no doubt in Starlight's abilities. But now, it was time to go to work. "And you say it sucked her in... There?" Celestia asked once more, for the fiftieth time by Starlight's count. The unicorn nodded again. "Yes, As I've said. when the mirror shattered, this.... Vortex appeared. it sucked a few of the shards with it, but this one." She motioned to the large piece of reflective glass behind them. The glass was twelve hooves long and eight hooves wide and was shaped like a crude blade. The mirror shard however had unusual properties. Despite being inside the castle, It reflected a blue sky. Celestia approached the glass and peered into it. She saw a faint reflection of herself, but all she saw was the sky. When she lifted the mirror with her magic, she found the same to be true when she raised it up, side ways, even upside down. It's then something startling dropped from the sky before hopping towards the mirror. "A bird....?" Celestia said to herself as she spotted a small bird drop down and peck at the glass. It wasn't enough to break the glass but she felt the small taps. Finally it reached out of view and plucked what looked to be a worm. "It looks like it's showing another area." Starlight said as she watched the bird look behind it and flew off. The sound of footsteps caught their ears as a dog came sniffing up at the mirror. It sniffed and looked at the two ponies before tilting it's head. The dog growled before barking at the two. Celestia and Starlight jerked back a bit. The barking went on for a few minutes, some of the guards were perplexed as they heard the commotion, but soon the dog quieted down when another voice caught their attention. The Sentinel Forest. PRESENT TIME: A small bird, a Red Cardinal flew over the forest, it's trees were like silent sentinels, thus how it got it's name by the native Americans. It was believed it held ancient powers, and was home to the Windigo. The trees were both it's home and Prison. These days however, the forest was a Favorite hunting area for local towns people. Trekking through the woods, an older man with a bushy grey beard, orange hunting jacket, and camouflage overalls and white shirt under those held his rifle in readiness. He had heard reports of wolves in the area. He still remembered the visit he got from Richard, the local Veterinarian.... Earlier that day 6:00 AM: In a field surrounded by trees and woods, a large but old house stood in the center of a clearing. An old truck, rusted and worn by usage and hard work sat in the driveway, farm animals began their daily routine. The cock crew as the pigs wallowed and the chickens emerged from their roost. On the porch a dog rose from his favorite spot, stretching out with a long wide yawn before circling and laying back down. Waking from his slumber, an older man, from the look of his face he was in his fifties, made his way out of his bed. He coughed before spitting out phlegm from his system as he brushed out his beard and combed out his long hair. Putting on his overalls and boots, he made his way to the kitchen table. "Jed. How'r ya this mornin?" A woman, looking to be the same age as him if not slightly younger asked as she was cooking some eggs. She had a darker complexion then he did, clearly the years weren't as kind to her as much as they weren't to him. Her hair began to fade to grey as she held it in a bun now and wore a simple flower printed dress and shoes. "Doin good 'nuff this fine mornin, Ethal." Jed replied as he kissed his wife's cheek. Ethal smiled as Jed sat down at his place in the table, they had been married a good thirty years and looked forward to another thirty more if the good lord allowed it. By then they had one son and two daughters. Their life was simple, they couldn't afford a farm, but they worked with the land they had, and since then they were fine owners of three hogs, four chickens, one rooster, and a fine stallion Clydesdale and a young mare they hoped to breed. Then there was their dog, a hunting dog they bred that also served as a guard hound. "Where's them kids at?" Jed asked as he saw the table still uninhabited beside himself. "Don't tell me their off playing in them damned woods again?" Ethal shook her head as she gave her husband his breakfast. Three eggs, sausage links of four, and a good helping of biscuits and gravy. "They're feedin the hogs like ya told em to, Jed. They ain't kids no more." Jed sighed before he began to dig into his meal. "Well..." He said between bites. "'Least ther' takin up responsibilty." He chuckled. "I shouldn't be so harsh on em. I miss bein a kid myself." Before he could continue to reminisce in his old memories, the sound of a truck pulling up was heard. "Now who'n god's name could that be ther?" Ethal went to the kitchen window to take a look. Pulling up the driveway was a much newer style of truck. It was blue with white strip on the sides with flood lights on a rowbar on the back and front of the grill. When a man she recognized stepped out she looked over to her husband. "Why it's Richard. What on earth can he be doin in these 'ere parts?" Ethal said as she went to the door. When Richard made his way to the screen door, he was about to knock when Ethal opened it. "Why Richard, good 'avin ya 'ere." Ethal said with an inviting smile. Richard smiled as he took off his wide brimmed hat and sighed. "Hello, Ethal. Is jud here?" "Course that old coot's here." "I heard That!" Jed said as he made his way to the door. Ethal grinned, knowing her tease would work. "Why don'tcha come on in, Richard? We got breakfast. Plenty enough for ya." Richard smiled but looked down. "Mighty fine offer, there Jed, but I gotta decline. I ain't here on pleasure." Jed and Ethal looked to each other, they saw through Richard's smile and knew something was wrong. "Somethin wrong ther, Rich? If lil Mandy's havin any problem with that damn Carson Boy I'll get the boys and--- "No it isn't that." Richard interrupted. he took a breath as he looked into their eyes. The three of them had been friends since childhood, yet he knew Jed the longest. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. But he knew Jed and Ethal were the most loyal and dependable people in the community. "Well..." Richard began. "You see, something unusual came up last night. There was a wolf attack." "Wolves?" Ethal asked. "Mah Word, Richard! Who was attacked!?" Now Richard didn't like to lie, he hated it. But he didn't really needed to. he just had to leave out some.... Details. "Well, it wasn't anyone from around here." Richard finally said before continuing. "Foreign Girl, got herself lost in that damn forest." "Is she alright!?" Jed asked in worry. "Yeah, Amanda and I helped fix her up and she's sleeping right now. But those wolves, It was a huge pack." Richard said. the look of Jed's eyes growing so wide made it clear he got the point. "I'm going to the sheriff's office today, there might be a town meeting. But with those wolves running around I thought I'd warn ya." Jed and Ethal looked at each other before nodding. "Thanks fer the warnin, there Richard. I'll get a posse together and set some traps, maybe we can thin them beasts out." Richard nodded, after they said their good-byes, and Ethal packing him some food to bring back to their injured friend, Jed made his way to his room. Got on his hunting jacket and pulled out his rifle from the gun rack. Ethal and Jed shared a short yet heartfelt good-bye, as though he was going to war. After calling his hound to his side, and forming up a posse, Jed and his crew made his way into the Sentinel Forest. 2:49PM After a few hours of searching, and laying down traps to both capture and kill, Jed was making his way deeper into the forest. There were many stories about it, the forest took on different names, but Sentinel Forest still had it's fair share of ghost stories. Ranging from spirits of those who got lost in them now haunting the forest, searching for a way out. To dark forces taking residence. They've even had satanic and witchcraft origins as well. Jed hated being in this forest because of it. No matter what the stories were one constant testimony was obvious. You always felt like you weren't wanted there. Like some force was trying to protect something inside. And no matter what, there was an unseen force trying to pull you further inside. Jed had caught himself in a trans, moving further into the forest several times before his dog 'Butch' barked at him back to his senses. It was a miracle he wasn't lost to the rest of the group, They had all agreed to a five meter spread, setting traps and keeping an eye out for each other. Since then they've killed several wolves, They were far from a 'huge pack'. Somehow Several Packs had joined into a single large community. This was bad, If they found themselves into the other farms and the town itself nobody would be safe. So far they killed a good score of twelve, but more seemed to be coming out of the wood work. "ARF ARF!" Butch barked, his gaze was set to something on the ground, he was barking and growling at something reflective. Jed shook himself from his thoughts as he walked over to the dog. "BUTCH! whatcha got boy? Hmm?" Jed petted the hound's head as he held the rife to his side as he leaned over and looked. Laying on the ground was a shard of broken glass, it seemed to glow around the edges. Jed could feel the power it emanated. It was as though the good lord himself brought this down upon the world. As he moved closer to investigate, he saw the glass looked to be an entry way to a large room, so large that he worried he'd fall through the ground and die from the drop, yet his footing was as firm as ever. "What is this?" Jed asked his hound, Indeed the dog took a step back, tilting his head and made a whine before barking at the glass. That's when two figures caught Jed's attention. As he peered into the reflective glass, he saw two horses standing there, his eyes widened to their full size, as he looked them over he noticed the smaller one was a lighter shade of purple with darker purple mane with a teal stripe through it, her eyes were light blue with a spiral horn. But the other... The other horse was tall, a swan like neck atop a slim frame body with both wings and a horn, her coat was ivory white with a mane that flowed like a never ending breeze. the colors were of purple, pink, mint green, and blue. She wore a gold breastplate with stylistic engravings, a crown sat atop her head behind her long horn. That's when his gaze went to her eyes. Magenta orbs stared back at him as they both glared at each other. Jed quickly pulled out a bottle full of amber fluid, the bottle of whiskey was scanned over with his eyes before he promptly chuckled it aside. No doubt believing his drinking, as light as it was, was making him hallucinate. Then one of them spoke. "Greatings, creature." The tall white horse spoke, making Jed jolt back in shock. "WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU!?" Jed half shouted half held under his breath. he looked at his dog, but he knew they weren't crazy. "Are you even real!?" The white horse and small horse looked to each other, but the tall white one looked to Jed, her lips turned to a gentle smile as she nodded. "I assure you, we are quite real. I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria and it's protector. Might I ask your name?" her voice carried with gentleness and maternal love, she spoke to him as though they knew each other since birth. Jed's shock lessened but only by a small fraction. "I'm Jed Harley, This is my huntin' dog, Butch. How are ya in that ther mirror? Ya'll get trapped in ther?" Jed asked as he motioned to pick the glass up, his gloved protected it from it's sharp edges as he sat it down on a tree in a way to prop it up. Celestia continued however as though the movement didn't bother her. "The mirror is just a reflection of this world. A fellow Alicorn, Princess Twilight created a mirror to visit other worlds. However..." Her voice escaped her as she lowered her head and ears folded back. "The mirror shattered and she was sucked in. We don't know where she is." "Well, I sure am sorry ta 'ere that." Jed said sincerely. "Now ya'lls sayin this here's part of that mirror? Looks like normal glass ta me?" Starlight shook her head. "It may LOOK like normal glass." She said before continuing. "But it's got magical properties that allows it to access other worlds." "If one of the shards is in your world, then it stands to reason that's where Twilight is!" Celestia said with a smile. "Jed, would you be kind to help us find her?" Jed sighed as he ran his fingers through his beard. "Well this 'eres' a big world, Princess." He said not sure he liked how calling her 'princess' tasted. But continued. "She could be anywhere." This made Celestia's smile wane, her ears folded down and honestly, Jed felt bad for punching a hole in Celestia's hope, however. "Hold on, thar. Never said I wouldn' 'elp ya'll." Jed stated. "Now thar was a report by a friend of mine 'bout a foreigner in these parts. Could be yer missin Twilight." "Foreigner?" The smaller one asked. "Who brought you this information?" Jed sighed. "Friend of mine, Richard told me. Said she got attacked by Wolves." The two gasped, Celestia looked down and her eyes slowly closed. Jed however continued. "I gathered a huntin' party to thin-em out. Big pack too. Never seen anythin like it. Then again this forest is unnatural." "Forest." The smaller horse asked. "Oh I'm Starlight By the way." She introduced herself with a smile before continuing. "But you said forest, what kind?" "Place is called Sentinel Forest." Jed said while 'mmhmm'ing. "Them thar Indians named it that fer it's unsettlin origins. Caught myself being drawn in by something several times while we've been out here." "Sentinel Forest?" Celestia asked. "What do you know of it?" "Place is wrong." Jed replied. "Legend goes, The Indians found somethin, something dark, powerful, evil. So they burried it, and planted these 'ere trees to prevent it from escapin." That didn't bold well to Celestia. "What was it they buried?" "Don't rightly know." Jed replied. "Was before my time. But it did a number on the land. Froze it, burned it, Killed life stock and turned people against each other. That is if ya'll believe them stories." Jed said as he looked around. "This place feels wrong. There's been witchcraft, satanic rituals, all kinds of stuff goin' on in 'ere. People go missing, animals bein found horribly mutilated. Iffin yer friend did end up 'ere, just hope she didn't stay in this 'ere forest fer too long." Celestia nodded. "Thank you, But now I wish to ask you, will you be willing to help us?" Jed sighed as he looked to butch. Hoping the hound would give him an answer. Finally he reminded himself of his family creed, help those who need it. He looked to the white mare and smiled. "Will do mah best, but I ain't no genius, Princess." Jed replied. "Now, whatcha needin me fer?" "First off, We need to know if Twilight is in your realm. Your top priority is to find her first." Celestia said as she looked over to the vortex mirror. "Furthermore, if you find any more mirror shards, Collect them and bring them to her. She'll know what to do." Jed once more ran his finger through his beard. He nodded as he looked to them. "I gots a idea where she might be, rest assured she's in good hands." Celestia smiled before bowing. "Then I won't keep you any longer. I wish you luck on your quest." "Now hold on, what do I do with this 'ere shard?" Jed asked. looking the glass over. "Hmmm... Too big to just carry. Not without drawin attention to it." "I fear we must leave that to you to figure out." Starlight said, she tried to use magic to lift it but little success was awarded with her efforts. "We can't manipulate it from your end." Jed stood for a moment before an idea came to mind. He took his coat off and wrapped the mirror up. "I'll keep it in mah truck fer now. I'll give it ta dat Twilight yer talkin about when ah run into er." The sound of the wind blowing and crows cawing caught Jed's attention. "Uh oh. Somethin's comin." "Jed? What's wrong?" Starlight asked. The sound of crows cawing and the wind blowing echoed in their side of the mirror. Jed grabbed the mirror and trudged his way through the forest, making his way back to his truck, the rest of the party had already left the forest yet he was the last. It seemed the Forest knew it. There was a high pitched inhuman scream that reached Jed's ears, He turned to get a quick glimpse of something moving behind the trees. Or the trees moved on their own, he didn't know. Jed however didn't want to know, He and Butch both made like bats out of hell as they reached the edge of the forest. As he reached his truck he could have sworn he saw a shadowed clawed hand pull back from the shadows of the canopy. "See, What I tell ya'll? Un. Natural." Jed huffed. "Now, let's go find yer Princess Twilight Whatchama-call'er." On the other side of the mirror. Celestia and Starlight got a good view of Jed running from unseen presence. Starlight slowly looked to the Solar Princess as she shook. "Princess.... What was that?" Celestia shook her head. "I do not know, Starlight Glimmer. But I know for sure one thing. Twilight MUST be brought back to Equestria, and soon." Celestia recalled back at the being she saw. A decayed looking dear creature with jagged long horns, Carnivorous teeth, and hollow black eye sockets. It was a glimpse, but she knew what she saw. "I fear Twilight's arrival to that realm released something ancient and evil." Celestia continued. "And I am unsure if the barrier between our realms will keep it out." Author's Note Hey everyone! here's the next chapter! sorry for the long wait, but I been wanting this story to feel like there's more then one thing going on. The being Celestia saw, if you go by the description is indeed a Native-American Windigo, But it's much different then Equestria's. But is this Windigo the enemy? Not gonna tell you! And thus the first new characters (Besides Amanda and Richard) are now revealed! Focus Zoom and Shout Out are of course my characters, I wanted another view on this story and I kind of liked the idea of news reporters being part of the story yet having their own history. Shout Out is egotistical, self absorbed, and borderline lunatic. Yet you can tell he has his own goals. Focus Zoom however HATES her co-worker. She's done everything to try and keep her job, but being shackled to a pony like Shout Out you can tell why she has such a grudge towards him. And really, can you blame her? There will be more as time goes on. -Titan. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Introductions //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Introductions A hoof holding the nob pushed the door until it swung fully open. Looking around, Twilight made a few steps out of the veterinary operation room. As she looked around, she was in a living room. The room was furnished with a three seat couch, a short legged long table with several objects such as small statues of animals. One statue caught her eyes. It was of, Not a pony, but a large equine being, it had a large barrel body, long slender legs, a box-shaped head with a long muzzle with beady blue eyes. It sported a human sitting upon it's back, she could guess was a male with a uniform of some type with a sword in one hand and the reins of the bridle on the equine's face in the other. Twilight raised a brow as she picked the figurine up and inspected it. the horse was fixated by it's rear hooves to a 'ground' environment base to help support it's upper-body weight. The human on it's back sat on a saddle that had a long rod with a flat end in some kind of holster. As she turned the statue upside down she saw an engraving and read it out loud. "In honor of Lieutenant Commander Alfred Lockheart. 1945 United States Navy." Twilight figured this 'Alfred' was related to the people that saved her life. She sat the statue back to where it sat before and continued her exploration of the living room, a large black flat rectangle dominated one wall, she noticed a similar black brick sitting on the small table and figured it was related. Eventually her curiosity got the better of her as she picked the brick up and poked at several of the small buttons on it's surface. A soft thump was heard as the flat rectangle on the wall lit up. A loud explosion startled Twilight as images flashed on the screen. "EEP!" Twilight shouted as she jumped behind the couch. The sounds continued as she fumbled with the small brick. Images flicked on the screen again before settling on a scene of two figures appeared. One wearing black armor and a long flowing cape, He wore a black helmet that covered his face and holding a sword that glowed redder then hells fire. He loomed over a set of stares with glowing lights in a room of chains and mist as he looked down upon a human male with blond hair and cream white robes. "The force is strong with you, young Skywalker." He spoke in a deep but powerful voice. "But you are not a Jedi yet." Before she could watch the conclusion the screen went black. "Huh?" Twilight said as she looked for the remote, only to find it in the hands of the woman from before. "You should watch the whole series if you want to get the full story." she said as she set the remote back on the table. "Good to see your awake. We were worried you won't make it." "O-oh." Twilight said as she smiled. "Thank you." She said softly. "Uhm, for saving me, that is." The woman smiled as she nodded. "Your welcome." The young woman held out a hand. "Amanda Lockheart." Twilight recognized the gesture and offered her hoof. "Hello, 'Amanda'? I'm Twilight Sparkle." Amanda nodded. "Good to get your full name. I was worried we had to call you 'Tilly' the whole time we got you here." "Tilly" Twilight asked, tilting her head. "Anyway, my dad is out, but he'll be back with some food for you." Amanda said as she moved to the kitchen. "We don't know what your diet is. Humans are Omnivores, we eat both meat and vegetables, But being a horse, I guess your a herbivore, huh?" Twilight nodded. "Uhm, I'm a Pony, actually. Alicorn to be exact." Amanda just stared at her. "Right, well. Pony. He said he had to go warn someone about the wolves, But he'll be back." Amanda pulled out a bowl of Mac and Cheese she made last night and offered it too her. "I hope you can eat people foods?" Twilight looked over the bowl and sniffed it, she smiled as the scent gave no hints of any meaty contents, She took the bowl in her magical aura and dug in quickly. It was rude, but she was quite hungry. Amanda jumped back as the bowl was literally ripped from her hand by an invisible force, but the aura that took the bowl had a presence, it wasn't bad, it was warm like a hand taking it from hers. It was like ethereal almost. Like a ghost. "Whoa." Amanda said as she felt her hand slightly tingle. It was similar to when your hand starts to go numb, but is only beginning. She shook her hand a few times as she watch the bowl be emptied in a manner of moments. "Hungry, huh?" She chuckled. Once the bowl was empty, Twilight sat the bowl on the table, she hiccuped a tiny burp, holding her hoof to her lips before apologizing an 'excuse me'. "It's okay." Amanda said while pouring a glass of lemon aid. "We had to keep you tranquilized the whole night to keep you asleep." She said, giving the glass to the purple Alicorn. "Hell, your probably hungry enough to eat a a tree." Twilight accepted the glass with a 'thank you' before looking at her bandages, they were now stained with blood and one was coming undone. "How bad was I?" "The wounds themselves weren't life-threatening." Amanda said as she took a sip of her drink. "But, the wolves tore several tendons, and you lost a lot of blood. You'll live, but you need rest." Amanda said with a point of her finger. "Doctor and nurse orders." She said with a smile. Twilight sat on her haunches and replayed last night's events in her mind. Slowly one realization came to her. "Where am I?" "South East Missouri, Popular Bluff." Amanda explained. "Sentinel's Watch to be exact, A tiny, backwater town, if you will. Hell we're basically set back in the 1980's." "1980's?" Twilight asked. She thought for a moment until she realized... "Oh, is that how you count the years?" Amanda nodded. "Yeah, it's currently 2019." Before another word was uttered, the door slammed open as a middle aged man with pepper hair entered the house. He closed the door and held a few bags in his hands. Amanda smiled. "Hello, dad!" Richard nodded and made his way into the kitchen. "There's more in the truck, Mandy. Think you can--- "Of course, dad." Amanda said as she made her way outside. Twilight watched the older man set the bags down on the table, he looked as though he hadn't noticed her yet, so she figured now was better than never. "Hello." Richard paused his work as though he were a child caught stealing a cookie. He slowly turned and spotted the bandaged Alicorn sitting on the floor waving at him with a big bright smile. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing and would have wondered what was in his coffee earlier that morning had he not recalled the previous night's events. Slowly he calmed himself and smiled. "Hello, Tilly. feeling better?" "Twilight Sparkle," She quickly corrected. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and yes, though." She pointed to her bandages. "I'm rather sore, and I think the bandages need changing now." Richard set aside his shock, his Medical skills kicked in as he knelt down and inspected the bandages. Twilight winced and almost gagged at the slimy sound of the gooey red past pulling from her wounds and gauze. She looked away, not wanting to see the work the wolves had done to her. "Well." Richard began, fixating a set of spectacles on the bridge of his nose. "It looks like the wounds aren't infected." Twilight sighed a breath of relief. "However." he continued. "Your still getting your Rabies shot." He said as he pulled out a box. "What?" Twilight asked, raising a brow. "Wait, rabies!? You don't... I mean... Besides, Alicorns are immune to diseases." She said, she was certain of the last part..... then she recalled the terrible flue she had 'AFTER' her ascension. "Oh.... Never mind that last part." "Mmmhmm." Richard said as he pulled out a syringe from a box. It was filled with a clear liquid. "Try not to squirm 'too' much. I don't want the needle getting broken off." He said. Twilight nodded and looked away as she raised an arm. Only to see Richard pull out a LONG needle from the box, that made her eyes widen. "It's not going in your arm." Richard said, noticing her offering the arm. "It goes into your stomach. That's where the Rabies virus gestates." "W-Wait!" Twilight stammered. "I---Uh.... I ate! yeah, I ate just a moment ago!" she said with a nervous chuckle. Richard however smiled. "Actually, since we kept you sedated, your metabolism should be working overtime, so your empty by now, that'll help the vaccine work even faster." He said lowering down with the obscenely long needle. 'There should be LAWS against needles that long!' Twilight thought. ... Moments later, twilight rubbed her stomach from the offending needle's entry. the injection felt like an eternity, yet it was only a maximum of thirteen point eight seconds. Give or take a second or two due to squirming. "There, such a good girl too." Richard said with a smile as he offered her a candy on a stick. "Here's your lolipop." Twilight snorted. "Don't patronize me!" she said. though, she took the Lolipop and stuck it in her mouth. He couldn't help but chuckle at her brooding, but it had to be done. He moved to the table and pulled out two more needles. "Oh, come on!?" Twilight said. "One's bad enough!" Richard chuckled. "These aren't for you." He said as he injected himself with a grunt. "Nnngh... these are for Amanda and I. We had to operate on you, and your blood got on us. We might have caught a virus or rabies from you. It's just a precaution." Twilight was a little offended, and was about to retort, however, after thinking about it, he was right. Any species that initiates first contact MUST be vaccinated afterwards to prevent any contamination. They were just playing it safe. "I understand." She said but continued her defense. "But, I assure you, I am not contagious." Richard smiled and nodded. "I am sure. But, let's play it safe, yeah?" It's then Amanda entered the house with four more bags, she lugged them to the table and sat them down. "Grocery shopping, dad?" Richard nodded. "I had to buy new medical supplies anyway." He said as he gave Amanda her shot. Amanda grunted as she felt the needle pierce her stomach. Whimpering she looked to Twilight. "Coulda been worse, huh?" Twilight looked over the supplies. needles, syringes, bandage gauze, vaccines, etc. enough here to supply Ponyville Hospital for a few days. But still too much just for her. She then notices the milk and bottles. "Who's all this for?" Twilight asked. Richard began unpacking the supplies and putting them into a cabinet. "One of the farmers in town prized Clydesdale mare is having a foal. Poor thing never has a successful birth, so we kind of need to help her out." Twilight scratched her chin as she tried to figure out what a 'Clydesdale' is. She heard it called a mare, so she figured it was an equine of some kind. From what she gathered from Sunset Shimmer in the mirror world, Humans have horses as burden animals, pets, show animals, and to ride. They aren't sapient like Equestrian ponies and are simple animals. "What is a 'Clydesdale'? if you don't mind me asking?" "Think a horse but MUCH bigger and built like a tank." Amanda said, she noticed Twilight's clueless expression and giggled. "Think YOU but much bigger, thicker and no horns or wings." Twilight brought the image to mind and figured she'd look like a Celestia on Ket. Then she giggled. "When's the birth?" Twilight asked. "Sometime this week or next." Richard said. "OH! if your still hungry, the paper bag has some pancakes and.... wait, can ponies eat eggs?" Twilight giggled as she took the bag and opened it. "Yes, so long as they don't have a chick in it." She said taking out a plastic plate with several sections made to separate the foods. There were five pancakes, four eggs, a large salad that would make a modest meal for a family of three, a bowl of gravy (minus sausage), and six biscuits. All of which looked appetizing, it was just a bit, too much for her. Until her stomach growled at the sight. "You can thank Jed and Ethyl Harley for breakfast." Richard said as he put the supplies away. As soon as Twilight began digging in, the sound of a vehicle pulling up was heard. Curious, Amanda moved to a window to look to the driveway and deflated as she saw a blue ford blazer in the driveway. She growled as a man emerged from the driver side, he had brown hair, wore sunglasses, and had a red hat on. "Oh no. It's the mutation...." Amanda said with a growl. "Better hide Twilight, this guy isn't pleasant." Twilight raised a brow, taking a peak out the window but is shoved back by Amanda. "Why? what's he done to make you not like him?" Amanda furrowed her brows as she glared at him as he approached the door. "Cheated on me, stole money from me to buy that blazer." she went silent for a moment. "took something else I wish I never gave him." Twilight looked up at her in worry as to what she meant by that but the loud banging of 'The Mutation' knocking on the door rather harshly. "Amanda. It's me, Carson. Open up!" The man yelled. "Hide." Amanda whispered to Twilight as she made her way to the door. "Go away, Carson. I told you, 'your not welcome here!' And I meant it!" Outside, Carson sighed as he tried to open the door, only for Amanda to lock it. "Look, I came back to apologize. I promise, I changed!" Amanda chuckled. "You said that the last time, see how that went." Inside the house, Twilight heard the whole exchange as she hid in a closet. She shook her head, she wished she knew what exactly happened between these two, maybe she could help. But it was obvious now that Carson was not to be trusted if he cheated on her more than once. It didn't take her too long to realize he was unfaithful. It's rare in Equestria, but couples fighting and breaking up due to unfaithfulness isn't too uncommon. All it leaves is broken hearts and bad feelings. It's then Twilight is startled when Carson kicks the door. "Damnit, woman! Open this door!" He yells kicking it again. "You owe me money anyways, Bitch. It's time you payed up!" Amanda held the door closed and grabbed for her rifle. "I don't owe you shit! You stole what money you could from me!" "Cause it BELONGS to me!" He said once more kicking the door. "The moment we got together I inherited everything you own!" "YOUR A PSYCHOPATH!" Amanda yelled before being knocked to the floor as the door was swung open. "Get Out!" Finally Richard had enough and emerged from the kitchen with a rifle. "You heard the girl, GET!" Carson saw the rifle but took no heed. The reason why was obvious, a bottle wrapped in a paper bag was in his hand, Richard shook his head and raised his barrel to his head. "Your drunk, boy. Go home before we both do something we'll regret." Richard tried to bargain. Carson swayed a bit, he refused to say a word, but he was unaware of the huge rock floating in an aura of magenta energy. With a soft 'Crack!' Carson collapsed to the floor in a heap. Amanda scrambled off the floor and looked to the rock that plopped to the floor, across the room Twilight emerged from the closet and looked down at Carson as she approached. "Well, that happened." Twilight said with a sigh. "What was all 'THAT' about?" Carson groaned in subconscious. Later that evening, The local sheriff (with Twilight hiding in the closet again) arrived. He looked down at Carson, shaking his head. "Well, we'll take him off your hands and let him stay a night or two at the jail." The sheriff said as he began lugging the drunken man out of the building. "Thanks, Frank." Amanda said as she smiled to the sheriff. "You always seem to come to our rescue." Frank chuckled with a smile. "Well, he's been nothing but a pain in the ass of as late." With a few grunts, The sheriff lugged Carson into his cruiser and put cuffs on him as he pushed him into the back and closed the door. He shook his head as he looked at the unconscious man groan. "Good thinking with the rock though. How did you get behind him, if he was in front of you though?" Amanda went silent, she chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "I moved love like a bat out of hell when I need to." Frank chuckled. "Well, I'll tell Deputy Simmons you said Hi." Amanda's face went red and slowly smiled. "That be nice." "See you tonight at the town meeting." "Town meeting?" Amanda asked. "Your father set it up early today at the house. Something about wolves and an announcement." he stated After saying their good-byes, The sheriff left with Carson, and with that, Amanda went back to the house. "You want me to reveal myself to everypony!?" Richard and Twilight stood in the living room. Twilight's eyes were wide. Amanda figured her father wanted her presence to be known. At least this way there wouldn't be any awkward moments of trying to hide her. She couldn't live in the closet after all. "Twilight, please, think about this. We need help to figure out what's going on. We need the whole community, if we're going to get you back home." he explained. "I'd rather have the town with us than against us." Twilight went quiet as she put her hoof to her chin. She closed her eyes and considered her options. She was still hurt, and her injuries will take time to heal. Surely seeing this would make her look sympathetic. Hopefully she could come off as inoffensive and not threatening as possible. Plus, it be easier to find a way home with more minds pulling together then just hers. Than, she began to recall Celestia's teachings, 'Would it not be more productive to have many friends on your side than just a few?' No doubt that's probably what she'd say, if not something similar. Twilight sighed before nodding. "All right, I see your point." She said before continuing. "And your right, if we hide and skulk around we'll never get anything done with prying eyes. And I rather have more eyes than just ours to find a way home for me." The three now all in agreement, began preparations for the meeting. Author's Note Sorry for the long wait. Had to get so much done. that and being sick sucks. I blame aliens....