That Was Just Your Life

Chapter Two

When Dmitri woke up he felt a stabbing pain in his stomach. He looked down to be greeted by a very large piece of metal embedded in his stomach. He attempted to move but found it caused way to much pain more than even he, a Spetsnaz operative who had been dragged by a truck while hanging on to a rope tied to it, could handle. Instead he looks through the cracked windshield at his surroundings.

Dmitri saw that he had smashed through the windshield of the GAZ. He appeared to be in a heavily forested area, however he could not be sure due to the raging blizzard outside. Dmitri hears someone shuffling within the GAZ as he sees Nitro's face through his orange tinted goggles.

"Shit, what happened?" Moans Nitro. "Everyone alright?" He asks as he looks to the passenger seat. Dmitri is startled when Nitro shouts "SHIT!" and practically pounces onto him. "Crap. Dmitri, are you alright?" Asks Nitro in a worried tone as he puts his fingers up to Dmitri's jugular checking for a pulse.

"I've had worse." Dmitri says as he immediately regrets it as a sharp pain pulses through his stomach.

"Agh, what's wrong?" Says Alric as he looks in through the space between the two seats. "Scheiße! Dmitri are you okay?". Dmitri raises a shaking arm and lifts up his thumb before dropping his arm down in a grunt of pain.

"Nitro, get the med kit in the back." Commands Alric as he jumps out and runs up to Dmitri side of the GAZ. He tests him for any other injuries. When Nitro got back to Alric with the kit Alric already knew what he had to do. "Alright Nitro get ready with the gauze, when I pull the shard out you put the gauze in the wound okay?" Says Alric.

"Got it." Replies Nitro.

"Hold on Alric I might need some vodka for this." Says Dmitri slowly so he doesn't hurt himself further. Alric nods and goes into the back of the GAZ and pulls out a bottle of Stolichnaya brand Vodka. He hands it to Dmitri who chugs down a quarter of it. "Alright let's get this over with." Says Dmitri with a grimace, feeling a slight buzz. "One, two, three!" Says Alric as he pulls out the shard of metal. Blood spurts on the window before Nitro puts the gauze in the deep cut. Dmitri practically shouts in pain as Alric stitches the wound together.

*The Edge of the Everfree Forest*

"Hey Scootaloo, are you sure it's a good idea going into the EverFree during a blizzard?" Asks Sweetie Bell while the blizzard violently flings snow around.

"Sweetie Bell, do you want to go to Zecora's or no?" Asks Scootaloo in an irritated voice.

"AppleJack ain't gonna like me sneaking out. When she hears ah'll be in so much trouble." Says Applebloom in a nervous voice.

"Well guys let's go fast before the storm gets any worse I heard the pegasi were going to make it bigger than it was planned." Scootaloo says trying to convince them.

"Doesn't that mean that we shouldn't go out?" Sweetiebell says nervously.

"Yeah, ah don't want to get in trouble either."

"But in the end we could have our cutiemarks. Or, are you guys... Chickens?" says Scootaloo with a grin.

"No way." Applebloom and Sweetiebell say almost in sync.

"Well let's get going then!" says Scootaloo.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ADVENTURERS!" they all shout before they rush off into the forest, adorned with winter jackets, scarves, and such attire.

*Library*

"Twilight are you okay?" Says Spike in a frantic voice as he rustles Twilight awake. "What, what happened?" says Twilight in a wavering voice. "After that crystal thingy lit up you passed out." says Spike. "Oh no!" Twilight said as she jumped up and ran to where the crystal had sat in before. "Where did it go Spike?!" asks Twilight afraid of what Princess Celestia would say.

"I don't know, after the light blinded me the crystal just disappeared." says Spike.

"As long as we're okay." Twilight says, relieved that no one was hurt, although devastated with the destroyed equipment. "But, what are we going to do with this mess?"

"Don't worry Twilight. You need some rest. I'll handle this." Spike says in a caring tone.

"Thank you, Spike." Twilight nodded and climbs up the stairs. When Twilight made it up the stairs, she looked at the clock on her wall. Wow, almost two o'clock already? Spike is right, I should really get some rest. Twilight lays in her comfortably warm bed and pulls the sheets up to cover herself. She closes her eyes as the day's events catch up with her, she feels her aching legs relax. Soon she falls into a deep sleep....

Where am I? Twilight wonders when she 'wakes'. She looked around and saw that she appeared to be in the Everfree forest. I must be dreaming, why would I be in the forest if I was awake? She thinks. Twilight wandered around until she heard deep voices near her. Somepony else in the forest? What are they doing here? Twilight ponders as she walks towards the general direction of the voices.

Suddenly, a pained scream rings out from a direction in front of her. She runs towards it thinking whoever she heard must have gotten hurt. When she manages to get through a batch of bushes blocking her way she sees a huge metal contraption with what appeared to be strange wheels under it. Through the slightly tinted windows she could see several ape looking things moving inside of it. One of them was stitching the one who was laying down who's teeth were bared.

Twilight was given a shock when she saw that it had sharp looking canines. There was one more but it appeared to just be watching. Her instinct kicked in when one of them looked around her approximate location through the glass. She ran as quick as she could away from the metal object, with not a care to where she was heading as long as it was away from the creatures.

Twilight was nearing the edge of the forest when she heard several familiar voices scream out "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ADVENTURERS!". Twilight then woke up shivering and sweating profusely in her bed.

"Oh no I've got to tell the girls, the crusaders are in trouble." Twilight says to herself as she runs downstairs. "SPIIIIKE! I'm going to get the girls!" she yells as she runs out the door to the library.

"What?!" Spike yells as he drops his broom and runs up the stairs from the basement. He was greeted with a door just closing.

*The Carousel Boutique*

"RARITY!!!!" Somepony yells, banging on the door.

"Mmmm. What could possibly be the trouble at such an hour?" Rarity says, just waking up. She trots down the stairs in her suede robe opening the door with her magic. "Oh! Twilight, what are-"

"Rarity! The girls! The Everfree!" Twilight pants as she is pulled into the Boutique by Rarity, who has heard none of Twilight's warnings.

"Come inside, darling, it is absolutely dreadful outside! Would you like some tea?" Rarity asks, completely oblivious to what Twilight was saying.

"What? Uhh... Okay." Twilight responds, and then catches her breath.

Rarity goes into the kitchen and puts a kettle on the stove. She returns a few minutes later levetating a tray with some teacups atop. "Here you go, darling." Rarity gives Twilight her cup of tea and they both sit on the couch.

"Now, what seems to be the problem. If it caused you to come at an hour like such, it must be ab-"

"The girls are in the Everfree." Twilight says calmly sipping her tea.

"-lutely horrible.... WHAT!?!?!" Rarity screams dropping her tea and the tray onto the carpet. "Oh no! This is horrible! Why would they go out in dreadful weather like this? And into the Everfree out of all the places! What are we to do? Out of all the worst possible things, this is The. Worst. Possible. Thing! When I find Sweetie! She is in such trouble!"

"RARITY!" Twilight yells at Rarity, knocking her out of her fit. "We need to stay calm and-"

"Stay CALM?! Twilight! The girls are somewhere in the Everfree Forest, cold and helpless, with Celestia knows what around them!" Rarity over exaggerates.

"I know that Rarity. But how will we save them if we can't think of a plan?" Twilight reasons.

"You're right, Twilight. We need to get the others." Rarity says defeated. She puts on her coat and her scarf along with the rest of her winter gear. Rarity gets some winter gear for Twilight, who almost refused were it not for the below freezing temperatures.

"Who should we get first?" Rarity asks as they walk out of the door.

"Well, Pinkie is the closest so we'll stop by Sugarcube Corner and get her."

"Hiya girls!" Pinkie greets loudly, jumping out of a pile of snow.

"AHH!" Twilight screams with Pinkie Pie giggling behind her. "Pinkie! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Twilight says, recovering from her scare.

"So! What are we doing now? Are we going to have a nighttime snowball fight? Or... Sledding!" Pinkie rambles on.

"The girls are in the Everfree Forest Pinkie. We need to save them." Twilight says trying to explain to Pinkie.

"Oh no! We need to save them!" Pinkie says.

"Well now that we have Pinkie. *Shiver* I guess we should get Rainbow Dash or Applejack." Twilight says, checking Pinkie off of her list.

"That's if we could wake Rainbow up. She would be out like a light in this storm." Rarity says.

"True, but she is much closer than Applejack or Fluttershy. We'll get Fluttershy last because she is the closest to the Everfree." Twilight ponders. "I say we get Rainbow Dash."

The trio of ponies trudge through the snow to the field where Rainbow Dash's house lies above. Twilight uses her magic to light a large portion of Rainbow's house.

"Rainbow Dash! Are you awake?" Twilight yells up to the cloud house, which isn't leaking its usual liquid rainbow due to the planned blizzard.

"I am now!" Rainbow Dash yells back to Twilight, annoyed because she wanted to sleep.

"Come down here! The girls are in the Everfree Forest and we need to save them!" Twilight yells to Rainbow who peaks her head out of her door.

"Why are those numbskulls going into the Everfree? There is a blizzard out!" Rainbow Dash comes out with only her Wonderbolt themed scarf.

"Aren't you cold, darling?" Rarity worries for Rainbow Dash.

"Nah, I can keep myself warm by flying circles around you slowpokes." Rainbow brags as she flies into the air.

"We need to go get Applejack now. At least we aren't too far." Twilight says. The four ponies walk to the the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. They head off to the house nearby.

Twilight knocks on the door and almost immediately hears Winona barking from inside. Not too long after, Big Macintosh opens the door revealing Applejack behind him.

"Who is it?" Applejack asks.

"Howdy" Big Mac says, opening the door fully. "Come on in."

"Girls! It's about time you've got here!" Applejack exclaims as the door closes, relieved that she could get help finding her sister. "Applebloom is missing! She wasn't in bed when I checked."

"Her, Sweetiebell, and Scootaloo are in the Everfree Forest." Twilight says.

"WHAT!? Why is she there?" Applejack yells.

"Quit yer racket!" Granny Smith yells from upstairs.

"Sorry, Granny!" Applejack apologizes. "We need to go. Big Mac, you need to stay here 'n make sure that the house don't cave in. Wait, how do you know that the girls are in the Everfree, Twi?"

"Oh yes, you never did explain how you knew." Rarity realizes.

"I'll explain when we get Fluttershy. But we need to hurry! They might be in danger." Twilight rushed the girls out into the cold. Twilight magics up her checklist and checks Applejack's name off of it.

"Hey Rainbow, lookie here!" Pinkie warns as she throws a snowball at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash ducks due to her quick reflexes and the snowball flies into Twilight.

"Agh. Pinkie, this is serious! We can't be playing around while the girls are in trouble." Twilight says agitated.

"Sorry Twilight, but you need to loosen up a bit. I doubt that the authors would let anything happen to the girls." Pinkie assures as she resumes hopping down the path to Fluttershy's house.

"What? Author? What are you talking about Pinkie?" Twilight says confused with her antics.

"Pinkie, you're so random." Rainbow Dash giggles as she flies by.

When the ponies arrived at Fluttershy's humble domain they hear the trees of the Everfree groan and creak from the winds.

"I just wish that we didn't have to go into that horrendous forest." Rarity complains as she gets shivers down her spine.

Twilight knocks on the door to the cottage. "Fluttershy? It's an emergency, are you awake?" A minute later she knocks again. The door creaks open to reveal a meek pegasus.

"Oh goodness Twilight. What are you doing outside in this blizzard? Please come in... If you want to that is." Fluttershy opens the door and lets them into her house.

"Thank you Fluttershy. Sweetiebell, Scootaloo, and Applebloom have ventured into the Everfree Forest, no doubt trying to get their cutiemarks. After I was experimenting with that crystal Princess Celestia had given me Something went wrong. It dissappeared in a flash of light, from what Spike has told me, and I was knocked unconscious. Spike woke me up and told me to go back to bed and that he'll clean it up. When I fell asleep I had a dream that I was in the Everfree and I heard someponies deeper in. I wanted to go and see if I could help them because it sounded like they needed help, but when I got there I saw a huge metal contraption with wheels."

"Like a carriage?" Applejack asks.

"Yes, now that I think about it. But there were these weird hairless monkeys in it trying to do something. One of them looked up at me and I ran away. I heard someponies yell in the distance which sounded like the Cutiemark Crusaders. After I heard that I woke up and ran out of the door. The rest is history." Twilight finished explaining their predicament.

"So it was a form of a dream scry?" Rarity asks.

"I can only think so, yes. It must have been related to the crystal." Twilight answers.

"And now we're going to go into the Everfree after them?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Yes. Is everypony ready?" Twilight gets nods in return. They set off outside and into the unknown dangers that would be the Everfree Forest.