The Everfree forest, a place known to ponykind to be a location of some of the most mysterious and dangerous creatures in all of Equestria. And so due to the area's mysterious reputation, it isn't uncommon for the most bizarre and outright strange events to happen inside this dark forest.
But despite the strange events that appeared normally on a daily basis, this day would prove to be one deserves to be in the Equestria book of "Insane events that do NOT involve Pinkie Pie".
Without warning, as if there was a rip in time and space, a dark hole suddenly ripped the landscape asunder. As if from the black gates itself, the portal grew to about the size of a small cottage and remained there in silence. No animal approached it, no pony was around to view it, and there was nothing nearby to cause such a event to appear out of the blue. IT was simply...there.
Although, that silence would not last long.
Emerging from the portal was a tall, lengthy figure. His skin was pale and covered in various clothes and garments which included a pair of bone-like gauntlets and even a large purple scarf that was wrapped tightly around his shoulders. The figure’s hair hung like a dark curtain, black to the very core and long to boot. Despite being fairly skinny, the mysterious figure seemed to be very muscular and battle hardened if the scars and cuts were any indication (although the glowing green wound did not seem normal in the slightest).
But the most interesting part of this creature was the mask that sat upon his face. It was a fairly simple mask, pale and having the very simple indication of a skull.
Although to the residents of many worlds, this mask was very familiar and could never left their mind once they saw it. It was the mask of a single individual that spelled doom for anyone and everything, one of the four who would ride at the end of time…one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.
The Rider of the Pale horse, Death.
Stepping out of the portal, the Rider took in his scenery with confusion upon his face.
This was not the eerie dead lands that made up the Kingdom of the Dead and nor was it the lush mountain landscape that the makers had made their home. There wasn’t even a Tree! No Tree of Life or Death (The Kingdom of the Dead version of the tree of Life due to the nature of the realm) that was normally there whenever Death crossed realms.
The only thing the Rider saw were trees and a light dirt path…that was it…
“Troubles horseman?” A familiar voice asked the Rider.
Turning to the source of the voice, the Rider looked upon a ghostly figure. The figure had the appearance of a very frail, old man and aside from the ghostly green appearance no one would consider this man a threat at first glance. But Death knew better, having fought against this man before the Rider knew that there was much more to this man then it appeared.
“Crowfather, if this is another one of your games…” Death sneered at the old man. This would not be the first time the old one had pulled some kind of nasty trick on the rider.
Crowfather waved his hands in an innocent manor, “Perish the thought horseman, this is not of my doing.”
“Then what is this?! I sought to arrive at the dead lands, not this colorful mess of leaves and dirt!” Death roared as he stepped closer to the ghost, “And where is the tree? I have never arrived in a realm in anywhere else but the tree of life!”
Indeed, the Tree of Life was known universally as a portal to other realms, to arrive in a realm while using the tree and yet not appear before it was a strange occurrence.
The ghostly Crowfather looked concerned by this as well, “Indeed, that strange…but that seems to be something you will have to find out on your own horseman.”
And with that, the Crowfather’s form suddenly vanished into a green mist and shot back through the portal as it closed, leaving the Rider alone in this unfamiliar forest.
Normally Death would have been annoyed by such a quick exit, but he had grown to accept the Crowfather’s sudden and random appearances and disappearances. Due to his current status of being one of the dead (courteously of Death himself) the Crow father could only exist in the Land of the Dead or the Tree of life. And due to the absence of such a tree, the old man was forced back into the portal as it closed.
Sighing to himself, Death looked toward the dirt road and decided that if there was anywhere to head at the moment, he might as well pick that one (besides, going into a unknown forest with the kind of luck Death has been having lately would just be a terrible idea).
Snapping his fingers together, Death proceeded to summon his trusty stead and companion, Despair.
A burst of green and lively fire suddenly sprouted from the ground and began to rise from the dirt (which was normal since it happened every time a Rider’s horse was summoned to the realm). But when the fire subsided and Death turned to greet his horse he was meet with something he did not expect in the slightest.
Standing in front of the horseman was the familiar undead horse that he meant to summon, but Despair’s appearance was greatly different then what the horseman remembered.
Instead of a massive horse that toward over the Rider, the creature standing before death was barley even up to his knees. Combine that with the cartoonish appearance that the horse now had, the Rider was shocked to see his stead openly squeal in joy and jump towards the rider in joy. Catching the newly miniaturized horse (which now could be called a pony by its appearance) in his arms, Death watched at as his previously frightening stead nuzzled against the Rider’s neck, showing affection that he thought was impossible for a horse made for one of the Riders of the End.
In short…it looked like a friggen cartoon in comparison to Death himself.
(Note: The Four Horseman have unnatural and extremely close bond to their horseman, as displayed in the first game when War refused to attack his horse Ruin in the arena despite being commanded to do so by the Watcher.)
“Despair…what in the creator’s name is going on?”
Death asked this question more to himself then to his pony (Yes, by all means Death should be calling his horse a pony at this point), but Despair responded with a giggle before jumping from its master’s arms. With a nudge, the Rider noticed that the pony was now urging the Rider to follow it down the path.
With a sigh, the horseman took off after his stead on foot seeing how riding was no longer an option due to the current status of his horse. That was a issue that still bothered death to no end. In all the realms that the horseman had visited, there was none that had such properties that could affect one of the rider’s horses in such a way.
Still, despite the strangeness of the situation, the Horseman followed his stead down the path, unknowingly heading toward the closet portion of civilization in the land...Ponyville.
