After a bit of running, Leon eventually caught up to the monstrous goat creature, catching the rampaging monster in his sights, but the situation couldn't have been simple.

Leon saw the rampaging monster, but it was fighting some kind of floating ghoulish pony girl. Their eyes were wide, glowing white lifeless voids, her fur was patchy, scratched, and she seemed to be missing a leg, and a portion of her bottom jaw. She had some kind of mark on her flank, but it was too messed up and mangled to tell what it was supposed to be.

Beneath the goat creature, was another creature, something that looked like a ghost, only less human. It had numerous black lines along its body, and a singular bright pink eye, and it was cowering as the two monsters lashed out at one another.

"This is getting more and more confusing by the second," Leon twisted the dial on the device as he popped the core up. He twisted the dial and noticed one of the other icons. It looked to be some kind of insect, almost like a mix between a kid, a Bumblebee, and a bunch of mashed up sticks. "Well, this one ought to have some kind of use."

Against his better judgement, Leon made his choice and pushed the core down, enveloping himself in another cyan light. The light caught the ghoulish pony, the goat creature and the ghostly woman's attention.

Leon's body began to fall apart. His body crumpled and withered into dead sticks and soon reformed into a smaller humanoid body. His forearms and forelegs bulked up incredibly, forming and shaping into a shape vaguely resembling a honeycomb, as a hand with three fingers protruded from the openings in the center. The creature's body was becoming incredibly fuzzy, sprouting black and red hairs in a striped pattern along its body, other than its chest, which was covered by a black and white bodysuit. The face was covered up substantially by a helmet made out of twigs, sticks, leaves and brush, all while two big bee antennae burst from the top of the helmet itself. The only semblance of a face that could be seen were two big glowing white orbs that seemed to be its eyes. It sprouted a relatively human-sized set of bee wings as the watch's emblem formed on the top of the helmet.

The flash of light soon died down, revealing the strange insect-like humanoid that Leon transformed into.

"Alright, miss too ghoul for school, time for you to get a taste of nature," The creature looked at itself and seemed very unsure of what exactly it had become. "So call me, Bramblebeet!"

The goat creature continued to lash out at the ghoulish pony, but the insect, dubbing itself 'Bramblebeet' was flying in close, and slammed its head into the ghoulish pony's back, making it scream out in the same manner as he heard before. One of the flowing locks of the mare's mane grabbed the insect and slung it away as it attempted to use the rest of its locks to choke out the goat creature.

Bramblebeet went flying a good bit of a ways, but was still determined to put the fight to an end. He moved his wings as much as he could and managed to recover, flying back towards the fight. In an attempt to try using what other powers this alien had, it maneuvered its body upwards as its antennae began to vibrate and glow with a mystical yellow shine. The ghoulish pony was about to turn the tides in its favor, but was then immediately snagged and squeezed in these super strong, and sickly sweet scented roots, causing the ghoul to be caught off guard and struggle to free themselves, allowing for the rampaging goat creature to smack the ghoulish pony to the ground.

"Booyah! Now that's how you get to the root of the problem! Score one for Bramblebeet, the bumblebee you just can't beat!" The insect remarked, its voice was incredibly high pitched, and oozed confidence. The goat creature grabbed the ghoulish pony, and without warning, just swallowed it whole. The bee suddenly stopped celebrating and grimaced. "Ok, maybe there's still a problem."

The goat creature began to walk away, all while the ghostly woman seemed to be dusting herself off. Bramblebeet flew down to see if they were truly okay, and it helped to have someone to talk to, even if they weren't human.

"Hey there, saw those two colossal monsters fightin' each other, you doin' alright?" The insectoid asked.

"I'm quite fine... Just wish going out at night wasn't so difficult nowadays, not since the collapse of the Age of Eclipse." the ghostly girl stated.

'Well, guess I got some time to kill, may as well spare a moment. It's not every day that someone can actually have a conversation with a ghost girl.' The insectoid thought to himself. "If I may ask, what is the 'Age of Eclipse' you're referring to?" The insect asked.

"You don't know? Surely a shapeshifter like you would know so much." The ghostly woman said with surprise.

"This whole changing forms thing is kind of a... recent development," The insectoid said with uncertainty. "Plus, I'm new in town, so I know practically about nothing."

"Ahh... I see, well, all I really know is what supposedly happened one-thousand years ago, that was when the Age of Eclipse came to its end, and it has hurt a great number of us since then." the ghostly woman stated. She suddenly looked like she remembered something, and a purple glow appeared onto her face. "Oh! Where are my manners tonight... I am Gh'Aloe, thank you for assisting me in my time of need."

"I'm Leon, but I guess in this form, call me Bramblebeet!" The insectoid tried to do a pose, which only seemed to entertain the ghostly lady before him. "Anywho, you're welcome for the save, it's the least I could do since you were in trouble, and all. I don't mean to be a nosy bug, but what did happen a thousand years ago, if it's still a problem today?"

Gh'Aloe seemed a bit silent for a short time. She seemed to be debating something within the recesses of her mind. The ghostly girl took a deep breath and sighed, curling their ethereal tail into a type of seat for them to sit upon, as Bramblebeet sat across from her.

"It was supposedly known to a rare few individuals as 'The Breaking of Daylight'. Long ago in an Equestria far from the one we know of now, There were two sisters, both of them being incredibly strong Alicorns. One could control the sun, and the other the Moon," Gh'Aloe used what looked to be a very pointy and clawed finger to draw some kind of illustration into the dirt path, showing a visual representation of two thin, but very tall winged unicorn-like creatures. One had a sun on her flank, the other a crescent moon. "These sisters were known as Celestia and Luna. They essentially controlled the expansive cycle of day and night, ensuring that Equestria would prosper, as would their loyal subjects..."

Gh'Aloe seemed to have stopped for a moment, wiping away a bright purple teardrop that had formed in her eye.

"I remember when the rebellion first sprang up, dividing the sisters and putting Equestria in peril. Celestia believed that she should keep the daytime at a constant state of being, but Luna, her younger sister, believed that she was going to set Equestria up in flames if such a thing happened. She constantly reminded Celestia that it was her duty to lower the sun, but Celestia wouldn't listen," Gh'Aloe continued to tell the story, though it did seem as if something was clearly upsetting her. "In turn, Celestia let her own greed consume her, believing that because she was the eldest sibling, she knew what was best. She then became the bringer of the scorching sun... Nightmare Star."

Before the insectoid alien could utter a word, the badge began to flash red, reverting Leon back into his normal human form. Leon sat on the ground, letting the cool nighttime air brush past him. He was truly out of his element if there were beings that could control the sun and the moon.

"Luna couldn't bare the thought of having to put her own flesh and blood in the ground, so she had to do the one thing she never thought she'd ever do... She'd have to banish her sister, and there was only one thing strong enough to combat an Alicorn's magic," Gh'Aloe began to draw something else into the dirt, something that looked like a strange assortment of crystals arranged in a circular formation. "The two sisters each had to have a type of cross to bear. These crosses, were the Elements of Harmony, and due to one of the sisters falling to evil's temptation, this left Luna, the princess of the night, to be the one to banish her sister into the core of Equestria's sun, and there she has remained these past thousand years."

Leon watched as Gh'Aloe made another illustration, depicting what was probably Nightmare Star being held within the center of the sun itself. Leon couldn't fathom as to why, but he just suddenly felt disheartened.

"It was once foretold that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the sky will be bathed in a darkness so pitch black, it's blinding evil will summon Nightmare Star back to Equestria, just so she can finish what she started," Gh'Aloe wiped her eye, trying her best to keep herself composed. "To bring about eternal day... forever."

There was a long silence, and Leon just barely had enough info be understood by his own brain. Leon pulled out the black-paged book, and began to write down the information he had heard thus far below his latest log entry.

"Unfortunately, no one knows if this is just an old pony's tale, or a cryptic prophecy of the end that has yet to show. I know that most of my kind, the Ectonurites, they dread the day Nightmare Star returns," Gh'Aloe picked herself up and dusted herself off as Leon met her gaze. "I'm deeply sorry for taking your time, I suppose if my race is fated to be burned to ash, I must pass the legends of old to someone who can continue to spread the word. But, in any case, thank you for listening to my woes, and thanks again for coming to my aide. If there's anything I can do, please let me know so I can repay you in kind."

"Well, if you know of a shorter route to Appleloosa, that'd be pretty handy." Leon suggested.

"Sorry, but the only route I'm aware of is the one on most maps, I'm afraid," Leon looked disappointed, but then something else came to mind. He showed Gh'Aloe the watch on his wrist, and her interest seemed to be piqued. "Wait... that emblem, the craftsmanship, this technology-- I didn't think technology like this was still around, let alone functioning!"

"You know what this thing is?" Leon asked, intrigued to finally figure something out about his new acquisition of power.

"Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the device itself, but I probably do know of what race it originated from, and who could've made such a thing," Gh'Aloe floated over to a dead tree, reaching through its hallowed insides as she pulled out some kind of strange tablet, colored in greens, whites and blacks as it shined in the moon's light. "This tablet was something that could recognize creatures that haven't been properly catalogued within its database. I've never had much of a use for it, especially since we Ectonurites can't go out in the day anyhow, but maybe this'll be of use to you."

'Like I'm gonna ever find a use for some kind of odd space-age iPad.' Leon thought, seeming underwhelmed by the device itself. He took it anyways, and placed it in his bag.

"Maybe it's a good thing you're going to Appleloosa, I've actually been meaning to bail one of my friends out of their local jail--"

"I don't do jailbreaks, end of story." Leon stated, cutting the ghostly girl off.

"No no, I'm not asking you to break him out, I just want you to figure out what's keeping him out there, especially since it means he could die at any given moment," Leon looked at her, seeming intrigued, but also curious. "Our elder, Za'Fryyt, he's worried about if he's gone astray. Usually, Ectonurites who go astray will end up either falling to the temptations of a greater evil, or become some kind of Nomad, which for us Ectonurites, it's a fate worse than death."

Leon felt pretty bad for Gh'Aloe, especially since she was too scared to move or run from the two creatures fighting each other. Then, Leon got an idea as he fished out the empty glass bottle he had.

"Here's an idea. You ghost people can't survive in the sun, you need to head to Appleloosa anyhow to get your buddy back, and I'm heading there anyway to find a way home, or to learn more about the watch on my wrist. Here's what I propose," He points the entryway of the bottle towards Gh'Aloe, earning a confused expression from the ghost lady. "What if you fit yourself into this bottle, and I can keep you shrouded in my rucksack? I can let you out whenever you feel like you need to stretch, and in return, we can both figure out a solution to both of our problems once we get to Appleloosa, that's a fair trade, isn't it?"

"Well, I don't know..." Gh'Aloe seemed very uncertain about the idea. "Are you sure you wouldn't try to trap me, or sell me for a quick bit?"

"No, god no! What do I look like, a slaver?" Leon sighed as he set the bottle down. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you, trap you, or sell you for money. As far as I'm concerned, we're both going the same route to the same place, only you've got the repercussion of not being able to move any further once the sun comes out. This was the only idea I had."

"Well... technically, there is another option, but I don't think you'd like it," Leon raised his brow and seemed curious, but also cautious. "As an Ectonurite, I can possess many living things... I was thinking that, maybe, if you were okay with it, I could hide inside your body."

"That's a definite nope from me," Leon stated without hesitation. "Transforming into some crazy monsters with crazier powers is already a bit much for me as it is." Leon shuddered at the idea of letting some living thing inside his body. He never watched a lot of horror movies, or stuff with fictional creatures like ghosts and such, but he understood the basic gist of possession, and wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of sharing his body with another entity.

"I suppose that's fair, though you do seem to move like you have experience with changing shape," Gh'Aloe remarked, examining the glass bottle. "I thought you'd be more comfortable with sharing your body."

"Looks can be very deceiving, my spooky friend," Leon walked over to the tree and sat down beside it, taking a deep breath as he yawned. "Besides, we have until tomorrow morning to make a decision, so we can just relax and sleep through the night, for now."

Gh'Aloe watched as the human reclined and closed his eyes, trying to gain a bit of sleep before moving on tomorrow. She looked back at the empty glass bottle and decided to lay it next to the human as she phased into the tree itself, in an attempt to shield herself from the sun's rays tomorrow morning.

Everything seemed so quiet. Leon sat up, noticing that he wasn't in the location he was just in last, but also noticed trace amounts of things floating around him. Looking at them made his eyes hurt, so he just tried to not fixate on them, thought he recognized what they were.

Papers, huge stacks of them, each stack being bigger and thicker than the last. He genuinely felt ill for a time, and eventually ran through a thick wooden door, fumbling forwards as he was now looking up at a robed figure.

"Uh... hi?" Leon introduced, uncertain of what was happening.

"Sit down, Derrickson," The figure snapped a couple fingers and summoned a barstool with a cushiony pillow on top. The figure lounged in a big brown recliner, holding a glass filled with ice, and some kind of orange-violet swirled fluid inside. "We need to have a chat."

Leon got up and recognized the room. It was his boss's office, decked out in numerous cases of war memorabilia, old weapons from wars long in the distant past, and an Urn sitting in the window behind his chair, only it was decorated in a plethora of colors, such as yellows, golds, bronze, oranges and reds, with a pitch black sun smack dab in the center.

Leon sat down and looked at the robed figure. "What's the word, boss?" Leon asked, seeming nervous as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You're late. The storm was terrible, I know, but you made a commitment to the company, declaring that you'd be in every day of your life, and where were you then?" Leon was about to say something, until the robed figure spoke over him. "Galivanting through the damn woods like a smoked-out hippy, fighting monsters and utilizing power that isn't yours to use! Not even to mention, I get a call from Jameson that you were found mangled beyond compare and fried to a crisp!" Leon had no idea what the hell was happening, but he just shrugged his shoulders. "If there's something you're trying to say, then communicate with me here, boy! Everyone's late and everyone has their reasons, and I've let numerous people keep their jobs because of that, but this is... well, it's nonsensical, I can't take this as the truth!"

"S-Sir, if you'll just let me explain--"

The robed figure removed the robe, showing a man with dark hair in a short buzzcut, a curly moustache and fairly pale skin, dressed in a deep red business suit with a black dress shirt and white tie underneath it. He looked displeased, but also very concerned. He held a hand up, and Leon stopped talking, his words falling short.

"I'm sorry, son, but that storm must've fried your memory something fierce, and while I'd like for you to come back to work, I can't. I'm afraid to say this, but it's with a heavy heart, I'll have to let you go." The man said, sounding choked up.

Leon was in disbelief. He felt as if the world around him was shattering, fracturing as large white cracks formed all over the walls. The boss pressed something underneath his desk, and he soon vanished, like dust in the wind. Leon reached out, but something kept him glued to his seat. Leon saw that the stool he was on, had grown out some weird wooden tendrils, grasping onto his thighs as he tried to wiggle free, but to no avail.

The room began to break off, showing a pale white void waiting for him as it pulled him in, Leon could only hear his own screams echo out, unable to do anything to save himself, only for a huge yellow eye to open in front of him, looking down at the screaming man as his senses became numb.

[Barren Crossroads Stop; XXXX; 09:25 AM]

Leon's body shook as he snapped awake, his face drenched in sweat as he noticed the morning sun slowly creeping out, the cool air sending some cold comfort to his face as he tried to get air back in his lungs. Upon getting up, and cracking a few limbs as he did so, he noticed Gh'Aloe, resting beside the empty bottle as both of them rested within the shade provided by the tree.

Leon reached into his bag and fished out another apple, munching into it as he looked around. Leon decided to really take a bit of time to think about his situation. He was an average worker who gave it his best at work, even on horrible days. A storm rolls through and it's supposedly very dangerous. He goes through with some stupid prayer thing, sounding like an idiot who goes to church for the first time. The storm begins to rip his home asunder, forcing him to retreat into his storm shelter. Just sounds like a regular month for those who work in an office, only more depressing.

He woke up in a forest, in a very huge part of a world he has no recollection of. He was kidnapped by a tall orc-goblin-like princess, and discovered that he could transform into a bunch of crazy ass monsters. He's seen and praised as a hero for liberating a village, and is now practically on his own, waiting for the ghost girl to awaken so they can get to the same location, which is apparently very far away. Leon instinctually pinched himself hard, numerous times, just to figure out if he was in a dream. An hour of waiting later, his arm was sore from the various pinchings he inflicted upon himself, which spoke the unbelievable truth to him.

This wasn't a dream, and if he messes up, it could cost him his very life before he can ever find a way back home.

Realizing the gravity of his situation, Leon's current amount of supplies wasn't gonna last him on such a long trip, and knew that he had to find another way, to Appleloosa, and then find a way back home.

'First off, I have a food situation,' Leon looked into his bag, noting the few apples he already had left. 'I need to manage my stuff closely, and maybe not tuck everything into one section. Water situation seems fine, and--'

A loud snapping sound echoed throughout the area. Leon snapped out of his train of thought and looked up, unsure of where the sound originated from. The snapping rang out again, and Leon still couldn't discern where it was coming from, as if it was echoing around him. Before Leon could come up with a plan, he was suddenly struck in the back by something. It felt hot, blistering hot, but it also felt cold, freezing even. A shiver was sent up his spine as his body stung from the blow, and he crashed into the nearby rocky wall.

"Well, this is a surprise. You definitely ain't one of those mini Arimaspi look-alikes I've heard about," A male voice echoed out, walking towards Leon's injured body. "But, one strange creature is just as good as another."

Leon looked up and could only feel a burning sense of confusion as he looked up at the thing that stood over him. It was on all fours, very equine-like in its body type, thin, but also seemed to pack some form of muscle behind the lean appearance. It had dark red-orange fur, almost like a caramelized Scarlet shade. Their ears were very round, but seemed to also be quite pointy, much like the horn that jutted out from its forehead. Their eyes were a very washed out purple color, though their pupils seemed to be slit. They wore a dusty fedora upon their heads, a dirty and ragged jet-black mane washes down over their necks, all while their tail is braided into numerous bulbs, each one held together by a set of golden rings.

Leon didn't waste any time with messing around, because he had something to do, and he wasn't gonna let some talking horse with a fancy horn just stop him here. He quickly moved his right arm a certain way, and managed to smack the pony hard enough to stagger them, though his fist did hurt a fair bit after that. Leon got the watch's core to go up and pressed it down, hoping for a transformation to even the odds. He was enveloped in another flash of light, blinding and confusing the pony that had attacked.

Leon couldn't breathe. Leon opened his mouth, only for a viscous blackened fluid to gush out of him, raining down onto his body as it began to spread, hardening as it bonded onto and seeped through his skin. His nails grew out with this fluid, feeling it harden and shape itself, molding into block-like layers around his fingers, even on his toes. Leon's face began to shape itself into a squarer proportion, feeling the fluid spread over, spread within and harden, toughening up his body as his body was rounded out in most places. The blackened substance cracked and revealed three glowing green eyes as the blackened material was now glossy, shining like glass. The watch's emblem was neatly placed over the navel area of the creature's mid-section, where a bright pair of white pants had grown over.

The flash of light died down, revealing a thin, yet towering creature made of a glossy black rock. The creature had very huge forearms, but it was so incredibly slim. The pony was definitely confused, but didn't back down. It began to make its horn spark and glow, all while staring down the towering beast.

"Now ah know you shouldn't've done that, but it's gonna be a real celebration when I wrangle you in and harvest some of that rock on you," The pony spat on the ground as a smirk formed on their face. "Them fancy rocks are bound to be worth thousands ah bits per piece, I reckon."

The strange rocky beast let out a series of groans and almost mechanical whirs and beeps, swinging its arms up, forming them into cannons. Before the pony could do anything, several blistering hot balls of light erupted from the monster's cannons, only for the pony to duck out of the way, letting the attack blow out a good chunk of the rocky wall behind it, letting many small bits of dirt, rock and sediment fly out in every direction.

The pony looked back at the creature, sneering at the monster's lack thereof any kind of expression, and shot out a blast of magic, thinking the same trick could work twice and catch it off guard. However, what the pony and the monster didn't expect was for the attack to do the opposite. The monster felt the attack connect and seemed to be bracing itself for the end, until it suddenly felt itself becoming stronger. Its body shined and glowed in an array of purple lights, and without warning, it fired another ball of light, this one much bigger than the last.

The pony quickly moved out of the way, letting the huge ball of light fly past him as it crashed into a huge grassy field full of hills, exploding in a vibrant display of light. Before the pony could even look away from the display, he felt a rocky set of knuckles crash into his face, knocking the pony out almost instantaneously. The rocky monster stood over the unconscious pony, lifting it up as it placed it right next to the sleeping Gh'Aloe, who was slowly waking up due to all of the commotion.

"Hmn... I haven't rested that well since the last Blood Moon," Gh'Aloe remarked, still seeming very tired and sleepy. She looked around, noticing the newly amounted carnage that had just occurred during her slumber. She noticed the rocky monster standing over her, looking down at the new pony that was pretty roughed up. "Dare I ask what happened?"

"Nothing you needn't worry about." The rocky monster's voice was very tough, gritty, unwelcoming, but it also seemed very delicate, it also seemed as if some kind of accent was trying to bleed through. "But, on related note," The rocky monster pointed towards the empty glass bottle. "You make decision yet?"

"Uh, yeah. I think it'll be good to move at a faster pace if someone were to carry me and keep the sun off me, so long as it's fine with you." Gh'Aloe stated.

"Tá." The monster stated, nodding its head yes. "Although, not sure what to call this one. Very heavy creature, made of heavy stuff."

"Why not wait a little while, see if anything comes to you in the meantime," Gh'Aloe got up and put the bottle in the creature's hands. "For now, we can just call it Golem. After all, it is a sentient compilation of rocks, materials and such. It must be able to do something."

The creature thought about it for a small time, an ultimately decided to roll with it. "Golem... It shall suffice, for now." The golem stated.

Gh'Aloe maneuvered her ghostly body through the bottle, filling it with an ethereal mist, comprised of one glowing bright pink eye. In a flash of red light, Leon was returned to his normal form as he put the cork on the bottle and carefully placed it into his bag. He slung it over his shoulder as he looked at the pony one last time, seeing that they were still unconscious. Leon pulled a couple bottles of water out and set them by the pony's side, as well as a couple apples and a pear.

'Not sure what he wanted, but he was looking for something else... an Arimaspi, I think he called it?' Leon wondered about that, because this world had some very strange creatures already, at least from what he's seen. The human just sighed and pushed the thought to the side, deeming it not important at this time. 'Whatever, not like I plan to find out what he was talking about. I can only hope that I didn't kill him, I hit him pretty hard.'

Leon walked down the road, rucksack slung over his back as he pulled out the black-paged book and pencil, beginning to write.

"Leon's Log; No. #1:

'Where in god's name am I' I once asked myself. I'll continue to keep asking this question for a while, because while I have a name of where I am, some place called 'Equestria', I don't how I got here, why I'm here, or what's going on. I had work in a couple hours yesterday, but I don't think I'm gonna make it... I just wish this weird watch on my wrist had some kind of way to explain everything to me right now, but I guess transforming into a bunch of strange creatures is a fair consolation prize, I suppose. I'm worried, but I now have a traveling companion, a ghostly girl by the name of Gh'Aloe. I truly believe it will be a testament of my luck if I actually make it home unscathed, but I'll have to make it to Appleloosa first.

…I'm going to die out here, aren't I? Oh well, not like things could get any worse, I think I already lost my job and my home is probably in shambles, it can't possibly get worse than this."

Leon closed the book as he tucked it back into the bag, taking in the morning sun as he walked along a nice paved dirt path, following the map's charted course to Appleloosa. This was going to be a long walk.

Author's Note

I'm legit loving these new alien concepts I'm coming up with.

Bramblebeet would probably be the only alien that takes direct inspiration from another character, mainly Charmy the Bee from the Sonic series, in terms of design and proportions, though I do love experimenting with more unique super power combinations.

This rocky alien is essentially one with its own mysteries, such as its origins, its powers, how it actually functions as a living being compared to most others. Golem is it's temporary name, for now.

Plus, gotta love dropping pieces of lore about this world, re-thinking and re-structuring everything. Almost makes me wish I rebooted this story sooner, but I still find a lot of joy in looking back at my older stuff. It shows how much I've improved, to some extent.