Ripper blinked furiously as the faint moonlight poured into the cavern. "Makes me wonder why they put my chamber outside..." he muttered. The outline of a cyan Pegasus entered the chamber. Ripper's blurry vision slightly refocused upon the shape to show him his savior: Rainbow Dash.

"I was beginning to doubt whether you would come or not."

Rainbow Dash took a few steps forward inside the dark chamber. For the first time she noticed a burnt out candle lying in the middle of the circular chamber. Directly behind it stood Ripper. Black as shadows, large, and other than that, no other distinguishing features could be seen. Except for his shining green eyes that pierced through the darkness like the light.

"I wasn't willing to let this mystery slip through my hooves. Besides, I made a promise to you didn't I?"

Ripper closed his eyes momentarily, when he opened them they were once again silver, "Not that I recall, but thanks."
Rainbow Dash and Ripper stood a few feet away from each other. Separated only by the light and dark. The moon shining above Dash, and the trees rustling behind her. The cold winds delicately licking at her rainbow-colored mane.

"So why aren't you coming out? You're free now" she stated.

Ripper hesitated, nearly flinching at the concept of freedom. "Because I can't. Not until the moonlight passes. Do you really think that living in a prison like this for as long as I did wouldn't cause some permanent problems for me? If I step into any form of Light, I'll burn like a pile of hay in a fire. Hay that's doused with flammable stuff."

Rainbow Dash looked at him dubiously, "Well at least this explains why you're as black as a Changeling..." As soon as she uttered the phrase Changeling did Ripper's head shoot straight up.

"...Did you say Changeling?" He questioned.

Rainbow Dash gulped and gave him a slow nod, "Yeah, why?"

Ripper narrowed his eyes. "No reason...It looks as if the moon is passing. We best get moving."

Rainbow Dash backed up and moved to the side as Ripper exited the cavern. Despite not being in the prison anymore,

Ripper did not change at all. He was still black. And he was still relatively formless.

He stepped out and took a deep breath. And just barely under his breath did he whisper "i domi adsum." Ripper looked around a little bit. So much had changed...Or at least as much as he could see at the moment. The forest, even the sky seemed so...So different. So unreal, so unbelievable. If it was not for his endless suffering in the prison then he would believe that this was a dream, but, alas, it was not. He was free. At long last, he was free.

"Are you ready to leave yet?" Asked Rainbow Dash. She backed up and spread her wings, but felt the touch of a hoof on her shoulder.

"No." Said Ripper flatly. "No flying. Not yet. Not until we're far away enough from this Faust-forsaken place."
Rainbow Dash grudgingly lowered her wings.

"So how long were you in there?" She asked.

"Don't remember. It's been a really long time. The last thing that I can completely recall is the candle. It was important somehow..."

Rainbow Dash examined him from the corner of her eye. He was tall, taller than her even. His form was practically invisible as he seemed to be made of shadows. His large green eyes sometimes shifted between green and silver at times. The only thing that seemed odd about him was the strange black aura that surrounded him. If not for the faint moonlight she doubted that she may have noticed it.

Ripper paused as they left the forest. He was silent, but the only thing that was different about him was his posture and his eyes which had widened considerably.

"...Where are we?"

Rainbow Dash pulled her map out of her pack and spread it open.

"Um...I think...We're in Fillydelphia. Or close to it anyways."
Ripper was still silent, but he sat down on the grass and looked out at the city.

"It's so beautiful...It's been so long since I've last seen civilization. Or ponies. I thought that they just remained in my memories..."

The black aura around Ripper materialized into the form of a brown cloak around around. It neatly covered his his face and generally his entire form. When Rainbow Dash peeked under the hood she didn't see anything. Not even his bright eyes.

"Lets go. Into the the town I mean. I'd like to look around a bit."
Rainbow Dash hesitated. She wasn't sure on whether it would be a good idea. At first she wanted to get to Ponyville as soon as possible, she decided that maybe it would be a good idea for Ripper to see the world. If only a bit.

"Sure. Let's go." She said.

Ripper wandered around the city for a bit. It was a mixture of both frightening and interesting to see the world and how much it changed. Especially Equestria. Though he was already used to seeing such big cities (Although Fillydelphia was small back when he was young), it was still exciting to see such a city like this. Ripper paused. A faint smile spread across his face. An old friend of his was in town. No matter how much time would pass, Ripper would ALWAYS recognize their presence. And now it was time to pay them a visit...

"So what do you thi-"

Rainbow Dash stopped mid-sentence as she turned around and saw that Ripper wasn't there.
She paled as she realized what just happened. She was led here. And now Ripper was gone. And she doubted that even Celestia would know what could happen with him on the loose. But whatever would happen she doubted that it would be good.

Discord paused as he felt the chaotic presence get closer and closer. He paled as he recognized the feeling. "Oh dear...That's not good at all."

He felt a hoof touch his shoulder. The feeling was not as...Cold as last time, but it carried more than enough power to stop him from escaping.

"Why hello there my old friend. What brings you to this quaint neighborhood?"
Not for the first time since his recovery did Discord feel afraid. But this time, he was. He really, really was.

"...Hello, Dusk."

Author's Note

Ah, my second fanfic. Not as good of a beginning as I hoped for it to be, but writing after midnight and finishing up a story in an hour won't result in a masterpiece...

I'll be releasing an alternate fanfic that follows the story of Ripper back when he was young. Keep an eye on both as they'll make a huge difference in the sequel.