Fall of Two Worlds: Dark Days

"What do you suppose that means?" Applejack asked.

"The Timberpony mentioned something like this." Nick added.

"But in this state, with two?" Steven replied. The group had been wondering toward the edge of the Everfree Central, thus closer to the Sky Dweller kingdom and had walked upon the rotting body of a five headed Hydra and the torn apart bodies of two ponies in golden armour. One had no skull, just fragements of some crushed bone laying around, and the other body was in full golden armour.

"Sky Dwellers." Rainbow Dash exclaimed, saying what everypony thought.

"Shit." Nick said. "What does that mean for Haze." He asked. Rainbow Dash stared at the bodies, flies were buzzing over the three corpses and were feasting on the bits of flesh still there.

"That he is wounded, lost and now alone and we have to find him." Rainbow Dash replied finally.

"What off the peace agreement with the Sky Dwellers?" Steven asked.

"Without belief from us that the Changelings are their own doing and not Celestia's we need proof, and that, my serpent, is our proof. Dead." Rarity replied, pointing a hoof at one dead pony.

"Well we still have to find Haze first, then we need to go back, we only have supplies for one." Twilight said walking down a grass pathway.

"Where are you going?" Nick called out.

"Our best beat is too follow the Hydra's path. Let's go." Twilight replied, everypony nodded to each other and the group head off, away from their original target and deeper into the Everfree Central.

The group walked for miles down the track of the Hydra but found no Haze, nor any end to the pathway. Rainbow Dash was near the front following closely to Twilight and Steven. She kept glancing at Heart Breaker but he was avoiding her gaze. Rarity noticed this and decided to intercept her friend.

"Didn't know you liked Heart Breaker as well." Rarity said, catching Rainbow offguard.

"What do you mean, as well? Actually nevermind, I haven't got the eye for Heart Breaker, just trying to figure him out." Rainbow replied.

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, confused.

"Well, he seems very worried that Haze isn't the only reason the portal hasn't fully closed and I have seen him look at Bright Haze. He seems, what is it Haze says, fucked up, about the portal." Rainbow Dash replied, Bright Haze the human had always sworn, mainly out of habit Rainbow guessed, but ponies had been picking it up, not recently but before. Rainbow found herself doing it more and more, pretending like Haze never explained to her how swearing was bad and he knew he shouldn't do it. But Rainbow still did it, covering up that fact, but still doing it. Haze never explained swears to Rarity, and for good reason, so the white unicorn just nodded at the strange term and began to think on what she was going to say next.

"So." Rarity said after a long pause. "Do you think Heart Breaker is, you know, like Haze?" She asked.

"I don't know, there is no way he could have gotten here from Earth without pony magic and he doesn't have any wild magic or whatever reason to of been brought here by pony if indeed he is human. I have asked him before but was interrupted by that Timberpony fellow." Rainbow Dash replied.

"He is almost as mysterious as those Bloody Skulls group. You know, I have been looking into them, when we had spare time during Haze's sleep, and discovered they have been everywhere, everytime causing some war and leaving hundreds dead, they didn't seem that brutal in the Changeling war as they do normally." Rarity said, changing the subject.

"I know. Something is going on in Equestria but I don't know what, things have been changing since Discord's defeat. Its meant to be late winter now and it's sunnier than summertime. The Everfree is getting stronger Rarity, I can tell, if it's able to corrupt ponies like Ray back there. And spawn a Hydra so bloodthirsty for pony it'll attack two armed Sky Dwellers." Rainbow replied. She didn't mention the fact it had been a strange voice in her head that told her to shoot the Timberpony, and she had, without thought or delay.

"But Discord's death couldn't have caused this right? This is more chaos than when he was alive and imprisoned. You don't think he latched onto Bright Haze somehow do you?" Rarity asked.

"No but there is definitely something going on and I bet it relates to Discord or Haze. Just need to find out what." Rainbow said. Applejack trotted forward to catch the conversation.

"Maybe Discord ain't dead, he was a god weren't he?" She said. Rarity nodded but Rainbow was still unsure.

"I really don't know what to think AJ. We got the Sky Dweller and Changeling war to face, Equestria can't be dealing with Discord returning too, the whole world would go to shit."

"How are we going to sort this Sky Dweller issue anyway?" Rarity asked.

"Well without proof that the Changelings attacked that Sky Dweller outpost without Celestia's or Luna's doing then they sure as sugar ain't gonna believe a group of ponies, knives and serpents that they are the true enemy, not us. So we dont have much choice in the matter." AJ replied.

"What choices are there?" Rainbow asked.

"Find some proof or face the threat of war. We would lose in war and have no proof. As soon as we get back, Canterlot better be ready for a bombardment. It'll be a long one." Applejack said, completely honest. They three sunk their heads down and were quiet for quite a while afterwards.

"Hey everypony! Come quick! I found a hoof trail and a lot of blood!" Twilight suddenly shouted, the ponies being began to gallop forward and saw what Twilight meant, there were broken twigs and tree branches all over the dirt ground. More bone fragments lay about along with armour parts of that of a Sky Dweller, an crossbow bolt head lay on the ground and Rarity picked it up with magic.

"Same one as the ones which penertrated Haze." She said. There were hoof prints in the ground along with a few blood stains heading off east.

"East we go then." Rainbow Dash said before anypony could say anything. The cyan Pegasus stepped forward and began to walk into the darkness. Soon, everypony began to follow, they were getting close to Haze, Rainbow could fell it.