Tainted

by Dinius

Rating: teen
Tags: Sex, Tragedy, Gore, Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Original Character, Adventure
Length: 11588

It's spreading...

The scenery of nature is truly magical. The wildlife, the forest, the vegetation and the ground only touched by nature itself. Harmony...
Harmony?... Well, the residents of this world are thinking a bit different about this place.
What's sure, one thing isn't the same. A creature, not created for this world, but finds himself quite familiar in this environment. Walking on his journey to find his way back home.
Carrying in his hand something, neither his nor this world ever saw before.

Published 2012-01-28 08:10:27 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-13 13:38:29 UTC

Chapter I - "This stuff will rip you from the universe..."

Sorry for the double-post. I had to revoke it.
Quite some editing were made.

As always, enjoy.

Tainted

by Dinius

Chapter I - "This stuff will rip you from the universe..."

I yawned with a great stretch.

'God... I will never do a 24-hour drinking marathon again... True, only my head is aching... I don't have that cold feeling in my stomach at least... I go back to sleep for a few hours...

Oh... I slept in my clothes and shoes again... Balls to it!

For the first time in months, I finally feel rested!

The feeling of the warm sun shining at my back, the sound of birds and the wind among the trees, the touch of grass between my fingers makes me sleepy again,' my thoughts slowed. 'I just don't want,' I mentally hesitated, 'to wake' and finally realization hit me, 'up?'

"Wait a minute... WHAT THE FU-" My train of though was interrupted as my head smashed against something.

“FFFFFFFFUUUUUUGHH" I cried out.

I was lying in the grass just beside a huge tree. I woke up so suddenly that I wasn't even noticed the tree branch above me.

When my head stopped spinning, and the pain was fairly gone I pulled myself together and stood up... carefully. I scratched the back of my head and realised it was bleeding. Quickly unfolded my long black hair and tried to palpate the scar. It wasn't a great wound, so I put my hand on it for a minute to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, I looked at the ground for my glasses.

'Where the heck... Eureka!'

It was in the large grass, near where my head was. I put it on and looked around. My jaw dropped as I watched the familiar -yet vaguely alien- scenery.

'How the hell did I ended up in the MIDDLE OF THE FOREST?!... I would have noticed an hour long walk from the city.'

"Huh?" I noted that I was in a different outfit than the one I wore yesterday. I looked at my wristwatch. "8:15 A.M... Wait a minute! The sun is in the middle of the sky!" I looked up towards the sun, then back at my watch."Oh, it stopped working. Well fuck, this is dandy!"

I opened the strap of my watch and pulled it off from my hand. I put it next to my ear. Much to my chagrin couldn't hear it ticking. I started to examine the exterior. It was a stainless-steel Citizen watch that my father gave me a while ago. I loved it. It was an elegant, high-class watch.

'Not a single scratch...Must be something inside then.' I thought as my fingers slide down my goatee. As I was about to put it away in my pocket, I noticed something. It wasn't anything huge, but made me think. I watched the front of the wristwatch again, then turned it.

"Made In ... Hmm, odd." I shrugged my shoulders and slipped the watch into my right pocket.

'So, my watch is dead’ I thew up my hands in exasperation. ‘Great!' While I tried to think, I noticed the huge mountains to the right from me. It was the type of picturesque landscape you really only see in pictures or paintings. They were exceptionally tall. If I had to guess I’d say it was about a mile or two high. I just stood there in awe of the sight.

"I think I'm not 'home' anymore." I twitched. My left hand shook as I slid it into my pocket on a quest to find something near and dear to me. However, all I could find was air. "No... Where is my phone?" After that, I realised that something else was missing. "Hey, where the bloody hell is my backpack?" I asked myself.

'It cannot be. I couldn't possibly left both of them at the bar by accident. Had I been abducted? Think damn it, think! No that can't be the case. I distinctly remembered that I had opened the front gate last night, walked in my house, and my backpack was most certainly with me. There wasn't any sign of burglary if I recall correctly. Cookie,’ my dog ’,was there to greeting me. She didn't appear nervous and wasn't barking and I’m pretty sure I slept in my bed.' I couldn't remember anything else after that. Without my phone, I wasn't sure what day it was. I was practically useless.

"Fuck! Why can't I remember?" By that point I was getting very nervous and my head began to throb in pain. Lot of different things rushed across my mind. Mostly, speculations of what had happened. My smile was gone long ago and could feel cold sweat dripping down from my forehead.

"Okay...Pull yourself together... deep breaths... deep breaths... balls to it! HEELLOOOOOOO!SOMEBODYYYYY?! ANYBODYYYY!?" I've waited about a full minute for some reply, but nothing.

"Okay, one more time” I inhaled as much air as my lungs could manage.
“HEELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo!! God, my throat,” I coughed.

I've give it my best shot this time, then waited. I waited two minutes and still nothing. I couldn't hear anything, just the sound of the wind as it dances between the leaves.

'Okay, chill, chill! Calm down.' I thought to myself as I paced about a tree. I honestly didn’t believe myself, but it was comforting to try to lie in the very least.

After my legs began to tire of pointless pacing I sat down back at square one.

'Dammit, now what?' My eyes glazed over as I leered at a nearby bush, deep in thought. A strong breeze began to shift the leaves, in between the branch’s of the bush I saw the trunk of a tree. There was a familiar object that caught my attention right quick.

'Wait a second. Could it possibly be what I think it is?' I stood up and walked towards the bush. I reached under the bush and pulled out my grey backpack.

"THERE IS A GOD!" I cried to the highest halls of heaven. I hugged it, opened it and started the search right away. I put my hand in it, then immediately come across something weird. The touch of this thing was strange and fragile, so I pulled it out really carefully.

"It's a... A pergament?" It was very old, but not made out from animal skin like most of it in the old times. I could even see the fibre of this material. This was a paper scroll wrapped around with a black string.

‘Why is this here? I don't remember this thing either. Who gave this to me and... why is it so heavy?’ I looked at it with a curious expression and started to slowly unravel it. As I finally undid the knot on the string the scroll rolled itself open and something black fell out and onto the ground.

It was some sort of rock. No, scratch that, it was more like coal. Pure black, flat bottom and a round top. As I picked it up to examine it, I saw that it was a brilliantly polished gemstone. Like some sort of diamond or sapphire; on this had a perfectly flat bottom and a perfectly round top. It was more like a square-shaped object than just a semicircle; it had some smaller cracks on every side. I couldn't tell how long I stared at the stone.

'I never seen anything like this. Oh yeah I forgot about the scroll.' I snapped back to reality and slipped the gem into my left pocket. I opened the scroll again and tried to read it right away.

There was nothing to read. Frowning, I turned it upside down.

"...What the hell? I can't read this." It was a mish-mash of symbols and formations that I couldn't even begin to understand in the least bit. Probably no one either in this modern world read this except if he or she's working in a museum or studying the ancient culture of the people who made this or something to that effect. I collected my thoughts of every writing in languages I might have seen on the internet or studied it once.

'Rune and Script writing, no; Japanese writing, no; Chinese, no; Greek, no; Hindi, no, ancient Egyptian, no; Hebrew, no; Arabic, no.' Try as I might I couldn't find a single similarity between any of those writings and this one. It was like it wasn’t even a language at all and was just a series of mad scribbles.

'I can't even read the name - or perhaps monogram - at the bottom.'

No matter how hard I tried or which angle I looked at it, I couldn't read out a single word from the paper. I rolled up the scroll and put it on the ground, giving up entirely.

"Well that was helpful! I was so looking forward to get drafted into some new fucked-up, survival reality show. Come see the man lost in the middle of fuck-all, nowhere!" I mused. “So, where is my phone?" I put my hand in the backpack again. Inside I found my black wind jacket.

'Great. It's a bit cold actually.' I got excited while I put on my jacket. 'Well that's something after all. Let see what I’ve got in my pockets.' As I searched the pockets of the jacket, I found my Zippo lighter, my mp3 player with the ear-buds, and finally my cigarette maker. Then realized how badly I needed a smoke.

'No wonder I'm not calm! I hope my cigarette tobacco, and the cigarette-case with the filters are here as well.' As I reached to the lower part of the backpack as a smile crept its way onto my face.

"YES!" I cheered wit a fist pump. I had found them. My hands were shaking as I tried to make a cig’. I put some tobacco in the cigarette maker, put the tube with the filter at the end, and pulled it to make myself a cigarette. I sat down on the grass and lit it.

*Click*

Inhaled huge doses of smoke until I got calmed after three or four puffs. "Finally," I sighed. I started to feel the hit from the chemicals in the smoke as they worked their way in my system, but it stopped after a few seconds, and I finally felt calm and collected again.

I put the cig’ between my lips and kneeled beside the backpack again. There was a spare white/red T-shirt inside the pack now with my black sport gloves and sport mask.

'Why are these here?... I don't usually bring these when I go drinking.' I set everything on the ground. 'Okay, well that’s settled. Now what's in this pocket?' I unzipped the smaller pocket and started to searching through it.

First, I pulled out my army-knife. I was a bit surprised because I always wear it on my belt whenever I go somewhere. I pulled the knife from the leather case and checked the blade.

"Perfectly sharp as always," I mumbled as I strapped the case on my belt. “Not a single step without you." I chuckled before putting it right back in the case.

Second, I pulled out a flat flask and immediately felt, that there's something still inside. I opened it and gave it a whiff.

"BUUUH! Its look like I still got some Pálinka left. Well we only live once... Egészség!" With that last word, I took a swig from my flask. "Burr... That's hit the spot. Truly, a medicine for everything." The fiery liquid flowed down to my stomach and slowly started to burn out. "Always a lifesaver," I muttered as I put the flask back in my bag.

Thirdly, I found my "medicine pouch" with painkillers, sleeping-peels and a small, still untouched plastic bag inside it. The bag was about the size of a coin. I opened the bag carefully and smelled it.

"Yep, still the finest," I nickered.

I smoked a “lucky strike” once in a blue moon to help me relax, or just chill and think if I don’t have anything important to do. I've always been a very philosophical person so I can think about seemingly anything for everything and thus can keep myself occupied for hours on end. I bought this particular brand at the bar, from a friend yesterday.

"This stuff will rip you from the universe," I chuckled as a friend’s words came into my mind.

Lastly, I pulled out my wallet. Inside it was all the coins I had left from last night, my ID card and my tram pass. I quickly counted the money.

"Well,” I said as my mental gears began to process, “ from this meager amount I could at least buy a Twix bar from a vending machine!" I looked around."Now if only I found one, of course," I sighed and put the money and my wristwatch ,which I got out from my pocket, back in my wallet. I adjusted my silver ring, searched the backpack once again and sit back down.

'I better make more cigarettes.'

"Well, my mobile phone isn't here... Shit! Though, I got some stuff with me at least. But I could have called the emergency or watched the GPS to see where the fuck I am."

'Wait a sec.' With that an idea flashed in my mind. 'Let see... this deciduous forest and the mountains are strangely familiar, dough the forest is really dense. Huh, not much sunlight gets to the ground from here. I guess I'm still on the northern half of the globe at least, that’s comforting. Probably still in Europe or somewhere in North-America or, maybe, Russia.’ I looked up. 'The sun now already moved from the middle of the sky, so I guess it's one or perhaps two pm, and it's right in front of me so that way is south. From a little left from the sun.' I pointed my hand in the direction of south. Then I turned around. 'So this way is north...Great! I'm going this way which will lead me deeper into these damned woods.'

Of course, I didn't have a single clue which direction would be perfect for me. I could have tossed the coin up and let that decide. But something inside told me that going north will be my best choice.

"Bear Grylls would be so proud," I snickered.

I made two days worth of cigarettes, put them in the case and slid it in my pocket with the lighter. After that I put everything back inside the backpack, put the wallet in my back-pocket, stood up, smoked one last from the cig and flipped it in a small pool of water.

"Alright, it's time to head home." With that I put the bag on my back and started to head northward while whistling The Lord of the Rings tunes. I looked back at the sun every minute or so to be sure that I'm still going in the right direction, and while I'm here, looking around in the forest for this beautiful scenery. After half an hour, I find a stream flowing north as well.

'Great, I will follow the creek...There has to be a small settlement downward. I need to find a phone there first. Then I’ll’ve to tell my neighbours to feed Cookie and phone my workplace and parents that I'm still alive.' I started to follow the creek and slide my hands in my pockets.

Then I suddenly stopped. I started to move my left hand out from my pocket holding something that started to heat up. It was the black gem. I looked at it with an amazed face. I couldn't take my eyes from it... It bewitched me. I haven't noticed, but it started to heat up rapidly in my hand.

"SHIT!" I yanked my hand by reflex when I noticed that it was starting to burn my palm. I could still feel the pain, because it was still in my palm. I have lost control of my left hand, and it grasped the gem with full force.

"aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" I screamed. The pain was unbearable and the shout was loud as the stone started to glow. I couldn't decide that it was because of the heat or something else. I could felt that I am going to pass out from the pain and started to strike my left hand to a nearby tree in an attempt to make it drop the gem. But after two full force swings I kneeled down and fell to the ground unconscious while the gem still glowing in my hand.

*Crack*

A white flash, then blackness...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile in the nearby settlement downriver...

"Brrrr," somepony whispered as they shivered. There was a sudden chill in a library, a library located within a huge tree.

"Hm? Did you say something Twilight?" asked a small purple coloured dragon with green spikes a bit surprised.

"Oh it's nothing, Spike." 'Hmm...What was that strange feeling?' Twilight thought.

"Could you close the window for me, while I double-check the checklist?" asked a lavender unicorn pony with a dark indigo mane.

"Sure Twilight and don't worry I already checked it. We got everything ready for the picnic. See?" said Spike while holding a saddlebag and a big basket.

"Great. One step ahead of me, I see. You're surely my number one assistant." She moved to Spike and gave a small pat on his head.

"Aww, come on Twilight. It's not a big deal at all. So are we ready to go or not?" Spike asked as he began to excitedly jump up n' down with a wide smile on his face.

"One moment, spike,” she giggled “Let me see it one last time, and we're ready."

They checked every basket, and Twilight put them on her back using her magic.

"We're ready. Let's go!" Twilight declared.

"Finally!" Spike eagerly replied as he opened the door for his friend.

"Whoa!" They both said this simultaneously surprised, as they saw three ponies running and two flying for the library at full speed.

"INCOMIIIIING!" shouted a cyan pegasus with a polychromatic mane not unlike a rainbow, but it was a bit too late.

*CRASH* *BANG*

Everypony was on the ground, buried under a huge pile of books. A few seconds later, after Twilight finally got one of the books dislodged from her mouth, she spoke, or perhaps, shouted, "Girls, what the hay are you all doing? Why the rush? We were supposed to meet up under the huge tree by the lake!"

"Twilight! You're saying you didn't feel that...that thing?" asked a white unicorn with an indigo mane, a lighter hue then Twilight's, with a bit more drama and inflection then was necessary.

"Thing? What thing, Rarity?" As Twilight looked at the group she could see that they all looked worried and two of them were shaking like jelly during an earthquake.

"What's with Fluttershy and Pinkie?" asked Twilight an orange pony with a blonde mane, while pointing to a yellow pegasus with pink mane and a pink pony with a similar coloured mane, respectively.

"Well...Ya see sugarcube.” started the orange pony with a southern accent. ”We all felt this strange, creepy feelin' when we got to the lake. We got worried and got 'ere as fast as we could, to see that maybe you can explain this. Fluttershy,” the earth pony said, pointing to the yellow pegasus, “got so scared that she can't stop shakin' and Pinkie,” her shrugged at the pink earth pony, “well..."

"Twichy-Twichy-Twichy-Twichy-Twich" stammered Pinkie Pie with a surprised look on her face. The way she said it resembled some sort of chant.

"Oh brother..." Twilight facehoofed "...Spike would you... What's the matter Spike?"

"L-letter... f-from the ..."

*BUUUUURP*

Green, lurid flames came out from Spike's mouth and turned into a scroll.

"A letter from Princess Celestia!" said Twilight with a smile on her face.

"Open it, Twilight! Maybe the Princess know what was that feeling." said Rainbow Dash, while flying around in the room excitedly.

Everypony gathered around Twilight and started to read the letter.

To my most faithful student Twilight Sparkle and her dearest friends,

Everypony looked at each other confused, then continued to read the letter.

As you no doubt felt, there has been huge magical outburst in the northern part of The Everfree Forest. It’s origins or causes are currently unknown. My sister and I could even felt it here, in Canterlot. Princess Luna suggested that we should go and investigate it ourselves without delay, but we are in the middle of some political discussion with our neighbouring states. So I reget to inform you that I'm asking you, Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements Of Harmony, to go into the Everfree forest and investigate what could have possibly caused this huge magical phenomenon. Furthermore, I request that you report back to us when you find something at your earliest convenience. I apologize for the brevity and vagueness of this letter, but everypony is waiting for me in the throne room.

Good luck, my little ponies.

Everypony was silent for a small time, then a hyperactive pony shouted, "A TRIP, YIPEE! I’ll go get my balloons." The pink party pony vanished in a cloud of Pinkie shaped just.

"Pinkie! No, we have to-" protested Twilight. She quickly realised her efforts would be in vain.

"Another epic quest! Awesome," Rainbow Dash practically cheered, having gone from nervousness to excitement in ten seconds flat.

"Girls?" Nopony even heard Twilight. All of them were talking excitedly about the trip and this magical phenomenon.

"Girls!"

"I'll go get apples and some apple juice to the trip." said Applejack with a smile, while trotting out from the library with the others.

She sighed,"Just be at the bridge in half an hour! Okay girls?"

Everypony voiced their agreement at once.

Twilight turned around and looked at the mess in the library. "Spike! Could you clean up the library, while I go with the girls to check things out?"

"Sure Twilight." said the little dragon with a sad tone.

"Oh, don't worry. We will be back by sunset, and I'm sure we can do the picnic tomorrow afternoon."

"Really?" queried Spike with a huge smile on his face.

"Yep," Twilight nodded. "Now it's time to prepare for the trip."

Six packing montage later...
At the bridge.

"Okay...Are you ready girls?"

Everypony replied with some form of confident nod.

"Alright! Then let's move...Wait...Where's Fluttershy?

They heard Fluttershy and three other voices, coming across the bridge.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MAGICAL DETECTIVES! shouted a yellow earth, pony, a white unicorn and an orange pegasus, all fillies, together with huge smiles plastered on each of their faces.

"Oh no girls. I'm afraid it's too dangerous for you little fillies to come with us in the Everfree Forest," quietly replied Fluttershy with a slightly smile. "Besides, princess Celestia asked us to go there and..."

If Fluttershy was about to say something her words were cut off as she looked at the five ponies waiting for her, wearing angry looks.

"Oh... Hi girls, sorry for the wait, but... I come across with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle on the way here and..."

"CAN WE COME TOO?" asked the three fillies in unison, interrupting Fluttershy from her talk.

"NO!" said Applejack instantly with a loud and angry voice.

"B-but whyyyyyyyy?" they asked with puppy dog eyes. Nopony was moved by their sad display.

"Because this trip might be dangerous." said Twilight while try to calm down Applejack. "We are going in the Everfree Forest because Princess Celestia gave us a task to check on something. It's definitely not a place for anypony right now. Especially not, for little fillies. "

"Aww, okay," replied Apple Bloom in a heartbreaking tone as she pawed ground. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at her surprised. Evidently they didn’t expect Apple Bloom to give up so easily.

"Thank you, I hoped that you would understand. I will make it up for you tomorrow on the picnic. I promise," Twilight coed with a motherly smile before turning around. "Now, let's move girls!” With that the six mares started to gallop towards the forest.

"What's the matter Apple Bloom?" asked Scootaloo "You usually don't give up this easily."

"Don't worry girls. I have a plan," Apple Bloom replied with a devilish grin.

"Follow them?" asked Sweetie Belle with a knowing smile.

"Exactly."

Huge help and edited by Crushric

Please leave a comment, tell your thoughts about it and/or do a review and a rating.
Questions and criticism are welcomed.
(Morale Booster :) )

MLP:FIM is owned by Hasbro and DHX Media Vancouver!

Chapter II - Reise, Reise...

Chapter II - Reise, Reise...

I was floating in complete emptiness. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't even decide which way was up or which way was down. All I could hear and feel was the beat of my own heart. Then there was a cold unlike any I have ever felt before; it was as if all pretenses of heat had been destroyed and the surrounding blackness was simply the manifestation of what remained. Utter nothingness.

'Cold. So very cold.' My mind was incapable of wrapping itself around anything except.

The cold slowly penetrated my body. It crawled inside me from every direction as if thousands of spawning spiders were testing their eight new legs under my flesh. They crawled in through my ears, nose, mouth, eyes and my very skin. They creeped up through the blood in my veins, with clear intent to savor my heart and brain.

As I realized that, I started to move. I tried to shout, but no voice come out from my mouth. I did not felt panic so much as I felt raw fear. It was unlike any fear that I had ever experienced before, it was not the fear of caution telling you something was a bad idea, no; this was true fear. I wanted to run, to hide, to cower underneath my very being just to escape the nothingness before me just so long as the darkness couldn’t find me.

This hollow emptiness I feared more than death, I gladly would have allowed the reaper to harvest my soul if it would’ve guaranteed by escape from this infinite nothingness. My were wrecked with a hitherto unknown pain. Every time I even tried my arm, it was seized with a the feeling of being stabbed, shot, and stung by a thousands wasp all at once.

'Fuck! Come on! It's time to get out from here!' I screamed in my head. My actions were to no avail, the more I moved the more the pain butchered my muscles. With a final cry of hopeless despair I somehow freed myself. I did not land on anything, instead I fell into the void beneath me.

With a loud impact, I hit a wooden floor with more force than a human should be able to survive. I landed on my stomach, the wind was instantly knocked out of me as I struggled to catch my breath. The cold was gone in an instant, but the pain was still ravaging my body. At least I was no longer floating in the void that I now called home.

The world around suddenly began to spin as feeling of intense vertigo came to dominate my stomach, serving only to add to my unimaginable pain. As my eyes slowly began to adjust to the pitch blackness I began to see something. I was standing in some sort of hallway, the walls of which were painted a faded ivory color, the floor was too dark to properly make out. At the end of the corridor was a small moving light, a beam of it was pulsating not unlike a pulsar star or a lighthouse. It looked like it was miles away but its warmth felt near.

I slowly staggered to my feet as I tried tried to keep my stomach’s protests silent; I leaned against the wall as I tried to wait out the sickness. In perhaps a few minute’s time my vertigo began to subside, my stomach began to quiet itself in much the same way. I took a step toward the light and immediately felt it again.

Fear. That same unrelenting fear that had consumed my very being only moments ago had bubbled back into my mind. The difference was, that this time I could fer a direction from which it emanated. I could feel its insidious tentacles violate my very soul.

I raised my head from the wall and saw the other end of the corridor being devoured by darkness. There came a terrible sound from the new shroud of shadows.

Drag. Thump! Drag. Thump! Drag. Thump!

The sound rapidly morphed into a distant and menacing giggle. It was like Lucifer’s daughter was toying with me. The giggle rapidly devolved into a series of hoof beats and low growls. A feeling of dread washed over as each growl. I saw spots flash in my vision as it growled, either my blood was having a field day in my ocular veins or the thing was growling at a very low hertz rate. I tried to make out the being making the sound but it was to no use, the only think I learned was that the sound was definitely getting closer to me.

"Shit!" I hissed at myself. I turned from the encroaching veil of nothingness and ran to were the ‘light’ yet remained. All the while I could hear my new ‘playmate’ somehow getting closer to me but without picking up its pace. It was almost as if I was running on a treadmill.

As the ‘light’ around me began to be shredded by the darkness something blindsided me. All I saw was a humanoid abomination composed of swirling shadows, on what would have been the left side of its face a single eye glowed a deep blood-like crimson, its body was surrounded shimmering aura that radiated malice. As my eyes met its lone eye I saw only hatred, malice, avarice, and determination; its eye bored directly through and and into my very soul.

With renewed vigor I tore myself from its vision and ran even harder, the pain that was already insufferable easily tripled. Suddenly the hallway ended at a small table. On the table was a small light candle. Next to the candle was a shiny metal object that reflected the glow of the candle into my eyes.

'My knife!' I cheered in my head. Somehow the thought echoed its way into the reality around me. I was overcome with a sense of confidence owning to my new found ability to defend myself. I spun around to face the blackness with my knife at the ready. It had somehow fallen far behind me. My heart almost failed to beat as I saw it speeding at me with impossible speed.

20 feet...

My head began to surge with pain but I held my ground. I could hear its loud and ragged breathing as it neared me. My muscles tensed in response. I doubted I could truly defeat a creature such as it, but I could be rather resourceful when backed into a corner. I was praying for a sudden dues ex machina to suddenly pop into my head.

10 feet...

Something suddenly felt very wrong, aside from he whole everything. My vision suddenly became hazy and my movements and perception seemed to slow as if my mind was suddenly encased in molasses. It was like swimming up strongest currents of the grandest river imaginable. Some malevolent force began to tighten itself around my muscles, its tendrils were not unlike the fear the had gripped me only so shortly ago.

5 feet...

'Steady.' I posited my arm to jab at the thing it what I assumed would be its heart when it reached me as thought I were a Spartan phalanx. I could feel the icy tinge of despair and hopelessness crawl up my spine as the nothingness washed over the last vestiges of light before me.

1 foot...

The entity reached me, a malicious hand shot up in the blink of an eye towards me with dire intent. My mind reverted back to its most primeval instincts of fight or flight; I had already fled, all I could do was fight. I didn’t need anybody to tell that that it was kill or be killed in those fleeting moments.

The seconds passed by like hours as its hand grabbed my shoulder, in response I thrust my dagger up and as deep into its heart as my body could manage. With the combined force of my thrust and its ungodly speed my blade sank through it like a scalding hot knife through butter. It released a piercing shriek that momentarily left me deaf and disoriented. The thing looked down to the knife, then with painful slowness it looked back at me with a smile that was too large for a human being. It slowly grabbed the knife, and my wrist, and pulled the blade out as it licked its lip with another shadow.

'He-he great stab, its such a shame I don't have a heart.' said the creature with a high pitched daemonic growl, its lips didn’t move from the unnatural smile it wore. The voice was unlike anything I had ever heard before. It was vaguely feminine, but sounded like a choir of evil monks was reiterating every one of its words as it spoke. My mind failed to properly cogitate what had just happened.

"I like this game." spoke the thing with a childlike chorus. My spine tingled in fear with every one of its word. “Well, perhaps I should amend myself?” it asked. I had no response other then to gape in terror. It brought its face to within inches of mine and said, “My words fly up, my thoughts,” it giggled, “remain below: Words without thoughts never go to heaven!”

We stared at each other for a few seconds, our eyes were locked and I couldn’t bring myself to look away. I simply did nothing, my fight or flight instincts were drawing a blank as my mind threatened to simply shut down from terror. I looked down at my blade and saw something I yet further could comprehend, I blinked hard to double check. The entity before me did not posses hands; rather it had stumps, but as I looked at it something clicked inside me; the being before had hooves. Its hoof suddenly jerked forth and up, taking my blade with it. It raised the blade and somehow spun it around so that the knife was pointed towards me as if I was a sacrificial lamb, its expression reflected its intents as clear as a summer’s sky to me. In a start of action I raised my left hand in a defensive gesture towards it but the move was all for not; it stabbed the blade down, piercing straight through my hand in the process.

"AAAAAGH!" I howled in bloody murder. The pain was intense, and it burned like a swarm of molten bees. The impact of the blow combined with my wound collapsed me to my knees.

"Hmmm, most interesting. It would appears that your reflexes have increased dramatically since our last encounter, wouldn’t you agree?"

"Wha-a-?" I stammered. My response was cut critically short as its hoof coiled itself around my throat, extending far further than it should have been able to. It lifted me by my neck and pressed me against the ivory wall. It moved with impossible grace and fought with impossible strength it relation to what its physical body should have allowed. I should have realized that to continue struggling was an exercise in futility, but something inside me refused to let me give up. The only winning move would have not been to play, but that option had long been discarded.

"Now let's talk a little, shall we?"

"B-Bite me!" I spat. Its grip around me intensified as I heard an audible crack of bone, the bone was no doubt my own. I shriek in pain. I think I can honestly say that I’m not the most sociable character when it comes to dealing with supernatural entities. It began to methodically twist the blade in my hand. Someone once told me that when you’ve dug your own grave you might as well dig to China, and I was taking that lesson to heart.

"Try again."

I panted as I tried to hold back the urge to bawl from the pain in my palm. “Y-you want to talk? Fine!” I rasped. “Who or what in the nine hells are you? Have we met?!" I demanded as I stared into its crimson eye. The more I looked into its eyes the more a scream tried to work its way up my throat like vomit.

"You forgot?" it queried in an almost mocking tone. It’s expression changed to one of murderous curiosity; like when a twisted child murders a cat with a lawnmower just to see what made the cat ‘tick’ on the inside. I kept silent as I tried to remember something, anything, about this thing, but nothing came up. Its eye somehow changed as a black pupil became visible in the entity’s eye, I looked into the pupil and was rewarded with a vision of infinite blackness the likes of which contained veritable malice and limitless malevolent intent.

"Hehe, it looks like you’ve really forgotten... This will make the surprise even more rewarding for both of us!" cheered the being as a black serpent’s tongue licked the edges of its lips

"Fuck you!" I barked. It gave me a disappointed look as it twisted the knife in my hand once again. I grunted as tears began to well up in my eyes while I repressed a wail of suffering. “F-fine! What is it you’re planning? I’ll play along,” I groaned in a defeated tone.

"Don't worry, I'm fairly certain you’ll remember by yourself in due time," dismissed the creature with a sing-song. "What is of importance to the matter at hand is I’ve found one who may ameliorate my condition in yourself."

"No!" I challenged.

"Forgive me for stating the obvious but you’re not in a condition to be bargaining. A vaguely vicarious, veritably symbiotic synergy -" It was interrupted by a loud thud. It began to frantically search with its eyes as the being’s expression changed to one of panic.

"What’s going one!?” I demanded in a choked tone. Its grip uncoiled from around my hand as I felt to the ground, coughing, on all fours. It didn’t even bother answering me, or look at me for that matter. As soon as I was on the ground it dematerialized into an immaterial cloud of swirling shadows as I felt a familiar feeling crawl up my spine.

'Shit! Not this again!' The sickly coils of fear, cold and pain returned to every part of my body in full force. It was like the Soviet counterattack after Operation Barbarossa on a bodily scale. I tried to grab at the cloud in the vain hope of it being my salvation, but my hands completely phased through it. My only accomplishment was that the cloud began to seem into my flesh like an osmosis of syringes. I roared in agony as the prickles of the cloud’s needle-like pain crawled up my veins. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT! GET OUUUT!"

----------------------

I gasped as my head shot up. I was back outside, laying on my back, in the real world. My body was drenched in an icy sweat. I heard a rustling sound in the nearby bushes, but judging by the decibels of the sounds it was rapidly heading away from me. My vision was shrouded by black splotches in my vision, I sat and rubbed my eyes until I could see properly once more.

My thoughts were obsessed on the prospect of finding water, I was thirstier than I had ever been before in my life. My muscles ached and refused to yield to my commands to move. Slowly, my muscles began to flood with themselves with my commands, but my legs didn’t seem to want to obey. I realized that I could hear the babble of a small brook somewhere behind the nearby foliage.

I slowly dragged myself over the grass beneath me and through the small thicket. The brook was shallow, but looked free of any waste that could make the water hazardous. The taste was truly magical to my water starved person. While the water had a vaguely muddy aftertaste, I could really complain being that it was clean and actually there. Judging by the proximity of myself and the stream to the mountains I have been been the first significant creature the water’s encountered. As the liquid reinvigorated me I could feel my muscles more easily responding to my commands.

'By the graces of Saint Anthony this is refreshing!' The steam was surprisingly cool compared to the ambient temperature outside; I took slow and careful sips to avoid brain-freeze. After I was assured in my quenched thirst I took a moment to look at my reflection in the babbling brook. My eye suddenly felt really heavy, as though I could just fall asleep here where I laid.

'What's with my glasses?' I pondered. I finally took note that my vision was somewhat blurry as the result of a cracked lens and not dehydration. I slowly raised myself to my feet, I felt the mildly sting left half of my face and raised a hand to rub it; it was covered in scratches and small cuts from my expedition through the brush. I blinked as it dawned on me that I was seeing as clear as polished crystal without my glasses, I was stunned to say the least. I began to look at various objects at varying distances, all of which came in perfectly in focus. I took a hand and covered my right eyes as I tested my left eye by itself then repeated with the left eye. I was beyond words, my vision was easily 20/20. I couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind it, I looked back at the creek and checked my eyes out in the assumption that I might somehow be wearing contacts; I was not wearing anything on my eyes.

"How the hell?" I mumbled in sheer bemusement. I tried to think how this could have come to pass but I couldn’t, and I get a headache for trying as much. I looked again at my reflection in the water to see if there was anything else in my eyes or anything to that effect. My right eye looked perfectly normal, it was the same dark-brown color as always. My left eye, however, was a different story. It was slightly swollen and reddened to an insane degree.

'What the hell happened to you, man?'

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as my left arm, and more specifically my left palm ,began to burn profusely. I suppressed a screech as I grabbed hold of my left wrist with my free hand. As the flaming pain subsided I looked at my stinging palm, it was a black gem. My jaw fell open as I tried to think, but to many things that were beyond explaining that I almost gave up on the spot trying to understand it. The onyx-black gem completely pierced my palm. I turned my hand to view the other side and the gem was clearly visible. I cautiously moved the fingers on my left hand and there was no hesitation on their parts. To my horror I could clearly see my bones moving within the gem as though it was a casing of gelatin and not a gemstone. It reminded me of a medical video I once saw there a man had his wrist and the back top of his hand cut open to reveal the bones as he moved his fingers.

The words, “This can’t be real,” fell from my mouth.

A strange and viscous black puss-like fluid began to ooze from the edges of the gem where the crystal met flesh.

'Shit! This is so gonna infected if it isn't’ already!' I pulled out my flask, the painkillers, the black sport gloves and the spare T-shirt out of my backpack in an attempt to find something I could use to cover the gaping ‘wound.’ I pulled out a shirt, one that was very near and dear to me. 'A shirt, and one of my favorites no less. How did - never mind, I guess I’ve no choice.' The heart wrenching sound of tearing fabrics assaulted my ears. I allowed a lonely tear for my shirt to be shed and continued the process.

I washed my hand and my face in the stream before opened the flask and poured a few drops of "remedy" on the scar. I grit my teeth as the ichor stung, but the alcohol would be a suitable impromptu antibiotic. I grunted as I pulled my tore shirt out and wrapped by hand with it as a makeshift tourniquet, then down an unhealthy dosage of painkillers. When the deed was finished I placed everything back in my pack, pulled the pairs gloves snugly over my hands, and finally took out the case and lighter from my pocket and ignited a cigarette.

*Click*

The calming effects of the tobacco easily calmed my shot nerves.

'How did this thing my hand? I should probably see a doctor about this and fast' I mused. I started prodding the gem through my gloves. 'Although, it doesn't hurt-' My thoughts were interrupted the the crunching sound of fallen leafs. “Huh?" I could tell the the crunching sound wasn't that far off, but I failed to spy anything that might have caused the sound.

"Hello?" I asked the air. There was no answer. 'Hmm, must be some sort of wild animal or something. I guess it just wants a drink.' I stood up, replaced the pack on my back where it belonged, and continued my journey. 'I’ll let the little creature get a drink without having to deal with big scary old me.'

I walked in a seemingly random, that being wherever the creek lead downstream, for what might have amounted to an hour. I got a paranoid feeling from time to time that something was observing me with almost predatory intent. Sometimes looked down at my hand, wondering as to how I’d explain this, or how ever would the doctor get this gem cut out without destroying my hand; Or pondering as to how my new found keen-eyed nature. When it came to the matters of my awesome vision I really didn’t care, I was just happy.

‘No need for laser eye surgery, at least.’

I was followed the creek until it started to flow inside a large cavern of some description. As I approached the cave I examined its outsides.

“Hmm...” I sounded as I began to consider my options. The side of the cliff was far too steep to climb up safely. Without a rope it would probably be suicide. I entered the antechamber-like entrance to the cave. To my relief, as my eyes began to adjust, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. It was distant, I wasn’t quite sure how far it would be but it wouldn’t be a quick trip. I momentarily mused by comparing this light to the pearly gates.

I looked up the the sky, judging by the position of the sun there couldn’t have been that much more daylight. 'Okay, so it’s probably an hour to two, maybe less, before twilight. I’ll be the duke of Burgundy before I allow myself to spend the night out here.' The sun was definitely approaching the horizon at an alarming rate, and most curiously the moon already seemed to be up.

"Both walking on its own path, the road less traveled" I mused with a smile. "They almost looked like children chasing each other in an eternal game of heavenly tag."

*Click*

I lit a cigarette as I finished my idle musings.

"Huzzah~. I finally found you!”

"KHAA! Huh?" I choked on my cigarette. I wasn’t sure if I had even heard those words, but I at least felt something. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere above me. With that thought in my mind I darted my eyes to the sky before examining the steep hillside; I saw nothing out of the ordinary.

'Hmm, this is a most curious development. Am I imagining things now? Somehow that wouldn’t surprise me.' I continued to smoke my cig, occasionally I would cast a paranoid glance around perchance to see who/whatever had spoken to me. In the end I gave up and flicked my burned cigarette into the small stream of water. I stole one last glance at the moon. 'It looks ludicrously close to Terra Firma.' I mused as I entered the cave.

After a few minutes of slow travel my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I felt more confident that I wouldn’t run into the forest’s nasties and after that my stride quickened in kind. The only sound, other than my footsteps, was the calm babble of the brook. In a moment of paranoia I took out my lighter and lite it so that I could better see my surroundings.

To my surprise I appeared to be in some large sort of room. I slowly scouted out the room with my eyes for what it was worth - that worth being little. I did, however, see a sizable group of bats hanging from the ceiling, a few of them were even making their echolocation sounds; judging by the dearth of guano on the floor they must not have resided in the cave for very long. I slowly trudged thorough the dark cave, with the occasional flashback to that nightmare thing I had only so recently. At the end of that section of the cave was something that looked eerily out of place.

'What on god’s green Earth?' It was a large blue square shaped object. On one side of it was an inscription in English. 'A public police call box? The hell’s going on here?' I cautiously made my way towards it. 'What the hell is this thing doing here? This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.' I moved to open the door, but to my chagrin I found it locked.

"'Free for use of public... Yeah right." I grumbled. In reality I wasn’t that surprised that it was locked, it looked rather aged and haggard. It likely hadn’t seen use in years, and the cool, damp environment of the cave probably didn’t do it any favors. But there was one question still bugging my mind.

'Who the bloody hell puts a public call box deep in a cave?'

‘Huh? What’s this?’ There was a rugged sheet of paper on a pin under the door knob. I unfolded it and began to read it. Some of the words were rather hard to read, likely written in a hurry, and the fact that my Zippo wasn’t meant to act as a torch wasn’t doing my any favors.

DeAr straNGER,

I’ve gone to Search some spare parts for the ------. it's CurrentLy brOken. i’m not Sure whEn i'll be back.

best of luck, the do----

p.s.: you should probably Get Out - - -- FAST!

"What?” I whispered to no one in particular.

There was the sound of heavy footfalls landing in water coming from somewhere in the darkness. I dropped the paper as my head was assaulted with a migraine, I clutched my head as squeezed as the pain slowly began to dissipate. I turned my head towards my destination at the far side of the cave. There, in the water, was a large being of some sort. Without warning a low pitched growl came from the beast, utterly terrifying the cave bats. The bats practically shrieked as they flew the opposite direction of the creature.

'Well fuck me!' I turned around in an attempt to see how far I could make it before I was caught even though I didn’t know how fast the beast was. 'Shit! I don’t think I can make it out in time, fuck my life!.' My eyes began to frantically search the room in vain hope of finding some alcove or niche were I could cower. 'Balls to it! This’ll have to do.' In a hurry I squeezed myself behind the police box and the wall, then scrunched myself into a squatter position.

I could hear every one of its movements, every step it took was followed the sound of displaced water. I tried to focus on being quiet, going as far as to try to hold my breath, the only result was another onset of that grand old headache it was becoming so fond of me lately. I opened a small pouch on my belt and pulled out my knife, it was likely to be a useless gesture but holding it made me feel more comfortable somehow. I anxiously waited every heart-pounding second for this thing to go on its merry way. If it was curious enough to check behind my call box I would have to be readied to spring into action, predators only go after easy prey and won’t bother going after something if it posses a legitimate threat to it.

It entered my small chamber of the cave. My headache only began to intensify. With my left hand I clutched at my head, with the right I held my blade in a gesture vaguely reminiscent of a sacrificial gesture. I tried to focus on the creature's sounds, but the pain in my head was accompanied by a ringing in my ears, I couldn't hear anything worthwhile. I could feel the hotness of sanguine began to trickle out of my nose. The beast started to slowly plod its way to my location. I tired to stop my breathing when I realized its probable intent, but it was to no avail. As I began to feels the hotness of its breath my grip on my blade when from extremely tight to white-knuckled.

'Move... Move goddammit... There's no one here! Just fucking move!' It started to taste the air around the police box. The event couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, bu they felt like endless eternities; my heart was thumping so hard in my throat that I almost choked on it.

Suddenly, without reason nor explanation, I started to feel the fear mixing in the pit of my stomach with bile and the result was a viscous concoction of anger and malice; yet I also felt my body almost growing cold and distant of myself. I likened it to the feel of a caged cat when in a corner, you fight harden then possible because you know the alternate is death and there’s never any sense to dying alone. Regardless of the rush of adrenaline I remained without motion, a part of me just wanted to rush out there and began to eviscerate it, but the rational part of me overruled my animalistic instincts.

It snorted, and with a growl I felt it turn around and slowly canter away. A pungent feeling hung in the air that almost resonated with fear, but it was not my fear. Somehow my nerves began to loosen themselves as released a breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding. It wandered of it the direct from which I had entered. When the steps grew quiet, I allowed myself a deep breath.

'Thank god or whomever is watching over me!’ I slowly rose to my feet and made my way from my little alcove of salvation. I stole a paranoid glace to check for the beast but to my surprise, and relief, I did not see it. I finished that last ten minutes of my way to the exit in three minutes. I jogged for speed, but maintained a slow enough pace just so that my footsteps wouldn’t give me away.

'This is too much for me!'*Pant*Fuck! My heart is going to implode or I’m going to have a mental breakdown before I ever reach civilisation!'

As I reached the outside I did not stop; rather I kept walking at a steady pace alongside the creek. It dawned on me that I was downright sprinting from the cave, at that point I stopped to catch my breath. As the sun’s warm embrace began to leave me for the other have of the world a thick miasma began to roll out of the now dark forest. "Fucking trees.” I grumbled.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!" My head instinctively darted to in the direction that the sound had originated. I wasn't sure, but is sounded like the screams of females, and more importantly they yelled in a language I understood.

'Holy hell, voices! Wait, why are they screaming? It would be just my luck to run into the real life version of the Texas chainsaw massacre or human centipede country.'

I began a flat out sprint toward the screams. There was a strange white flash above me towards the direction I was heading. There was an ear-splitting roar of some unknown monster; when I hear it I jumped to the ground and went prone in the brush. My nostrils were suddenly assaulted with the stench of addled eggs and burned flesh.

I dared to crawl my way forwards and brushed aside a small branch. Before me I could see some sort of large reptile, it poses leathery bat-like wings and there was black smoke coming from its nostrils. It was perhaps only marginally larger than I. The beast was approaching three small figures, they all stood and didn’t move as they bunched up together.

'What... the... fuck?'

"P-Please!L-Leave us alone!" bawled a voice that was beyond simple terror. Something inside me also clicked; judging by the pitch of their voice they sounded like children.

'Shit! I need to help them, I can’t just sit here and watch! They’re just little girls for Christ's sakes! I need to help them! I need to help them!' As I chanted to myself I felt my heart beating faster as a familiar darkness began to enshroud me. I completely failed to notice that my hands began to violently convulse. My thoughts suddenly took a turn for the grim, and I didn’t even notice the difference. ‘I need to kill them! I have to kill them!'

The rational part of my mind seemed to shut of. The last thing I could rightly recall was my hand suddenly, frantically even, searching something in the backpack.

'Show me what it's like to be set free! Embrace what you are!'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Half an hour earlier
Not far away...

"Okay girls! So far, so good," declared Twilight. "Unfortunately it seems that the forest forks off into a few different directions from here" Everypony cut their chatter, which only seconds ago had been so lively. "While I’m hesitant to do this, I’m afraid we’ll have to split up if we want to cover more ground. Rarity, you and Rainbow Dash’ll go to the right - towards Zecora's hut. See if she has any insights as to the nature and/or origins of that phenomenon! Maybe she heard or saw something we didn’t."

"Alright, dear,” replied Rarity.

"You got it!" saluted Rainbow Dash.

"AJ, you’ll go with me! We’ll take the middle road and see where that leads us."

"Sure thing, Twi'." replied Applejack as she adjusted her cowpony hat.

"Fluttershy! You and Pinkie will go on the left road - towards the ruins of the old castle, any objections?

"O-okay, that’s fine by me," replied Fluttershy in an almost inaudible deadpan.

"Yippee-kay-ay! That place is so much FUN," cheered Pinkie with far to much excitement for one heading into the ruins of an ancient city.

"Just be careful I know I don’t have to say this but I don’t want any of you getting hurt! Keep your eyes and ears open to anything unusual, well, unusual for the Everfree forest. We don't know what we could be dealing with here," Twilight stated as she turning to everypony with an expression that was beyond seriousness. "If we don't find anything we will meet back here in, let’s say, an hour! Alright?"

Everypony nodded in agreement.

"However, if one group finds something, use a signal! Rarity, do you know the Spark spell?" queried Twilight as she turned to Rarity.

"Naturally, darling.’ the fashionista replied.

"Great. You and I will use that spell to signal everpony else if something, good or bad, should happen."

"Pinkie? I'm sure you got the-" Twilight got the answer instantly.

"My party cannon! Never leave without it." With a sound like a paper bag exploding shiny confetti started to rain from the sky as fallout from Pinkie’s ludicrous cannon. "Hihihi.” the pink party pony giggled.

"You and Fluttershy will use that to signal! Just shoot straight up towards the sky."

"Okey-dokey-lokey"

Twilight looked at the rapidly setting sun. "Let's move! It's going to be dark soon." And with that the three group headed for their separate ways.

Behind a tree
Not too far away...

"What are they doing? I can't see ‘em," asked Apple Bloom from the bottom a totem pole composed of three live ponies.

"Shush! They’ll hear us," Sweetie Belle hissed from the middle, standing as we was on Apple Bloom's neck.

"They’re splitting up!" whispered Scootaloo from the top. She stood on Sweetie Belle's neck. "Rarity and Rainbow Dash went right, Pinkie and Fluttershy went left, Twilight and Applejack took the middle road."

"Okay, we go after Twilight and Big Sis!" replied Apple Bloom.

"Roger dodger!" her cohorts responded.

"Now get off - whoa!"

The struggled to without yells as they realized that couldn't keep their balance. The top tier crusaders fell to the ground a bit faster what they have planned.

"Uhh! You alright?" Apple Bloom groaned as she held the back of her head.

"Uhhhhhhh..."

"Hey! They already left. C'mon girls get on the scooter! We got to follow Twilight and Sis!" Apple Bloom jumped to her hooves and picked her fellow miscreants up. The fillies started to chase after Twilight and Applejack.

"Scootaloo hold up!" demanded Sweetie Belle. "This might take a while, you running off won’t help us none!"

"But, they went this way... didn’t they?" The scooter stopped, and they looked around.

As the sun sat behind the mountains the forest got darker and creepier.

"We’d better turn around. It's getting late," offered Sweetie Belle with an expression that barely masked her inner worry.

"Aw, shoot." said Apple Bloom while kicking a rock. "I hoped we could get our cutie marks by searching for-" Apple Bloom was interrupted by a thick rustle from a nearby bush.

They looked towards the side of the road with wide eyes.

"Um, he-hello?" Apple bloom called out.

There was another rustling sound from the nearby thicket.

"Twilight?... Applejack? Is that you?"

More rustling, still no answer. Without warning tow glowing yellow orbs emerged from the weald, and following suite was the head, then the body, of a reptilian creature. For a brief few moments the fillies were petrified and unable to move, and then they yelled.

"HEEEEEEEEEEELP!" the three girls screamed in perfect unison. To the girls’ credit, the ferocity or which they screamed momentarily stunned the reptile. But it did not last long, the beast quickly recomposed itself. As a white flash illuminated the dusky sky the reptilian started to slow approach the fillies; its huge scaled body and wide-spread wings made it look even larger, its forked tongue shot out as if to taste their fear. A trickle of flames began to lick its lips. It hissed as it snapped its jaw at them.

"P-Please...L-Leave us alone!" Apple Bloom begged; her voice quivered as her body did much the same. The three girls held each other as they believed their final moments approached. They waited with bated breath for the death knell to sound. In the dying light, they could saw something else slowly heading their way from behind the reptile.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGHHH" bellowed the new entity in a tone somewhere between a war-cry and a squee of delight.

The reptile turned towards the deep hold and flinched at the sight.

The new creature casually waked towards the larger beast. It struggled to maintain its balance as it stopped flinching. Taking advantage of this opportunity the three fillies quickly dashed behind a fallen tree and intently watch the proceeding battle.

All they could tell was that it stood on two legs and did not look friendly. The being was tall by pony standards, standing at what might have been six feet or double the height of the average mare. From its robust figure it probably weighted somewhere around 200 pounds. Weird clothing covering all of its body. Its outfit was mostly black, a shield symbol decorated the creature’s chest. A bag was swinging between strange stumps at the end of its arm that almost looked like claws.

As the little fillies gaped somepony dared to break the silence between them. "W-What's with its h-head?" asked Sweetie Belle as she stared agape at the being in incomprehension. There was a swirling black mass where the creature's head should have been, two orbs shown through the swirling blackness; one of murderous crimson with a serpent-like slit pupil, and the other a hollow and ghastly white without a pupil, both glowed of their own accord.

On its forehead, blood slowly dripping down from a scar, where was a horn on the left side between its long black and lumpy coat. The horn was oddly shaped, and made of a shiny metal. The creature stopped before the reptile. In the span of a few tense seconds the forest was completely silent, even the wind held its breath. The two beasts locked eyes and regarded one another. The only sound made was a heavy south of hellish breathing originated from the strange being.

Slowly, the creature started to reach down to its waist. It pulled out a sharp metal object from underneath its clothes. It fit into the creatures claws perfectly, as if it was made specifically for it. The object was violently shaking; it drooped the pack on its back and charged the reptile.

The creature reached the reptile at an impossible speed then proceeded to shack at the side of the beast, but the reptile quickly turned its head and snapped up on the being’s upper leg.

The two monsters froze as they realized they had each other in a rather unfavorable position. It was a tie-up for both of them. The shadow creature's upper leg was in the beast's huge mouth and the sharp blade was lost under the reptile's thick skin.

With an ear-slitting snap of bone and a howl from the shadowy creature the reptile frantically started shaking its head, try to tore off the creature's upper leg, but only managed to twist it and break the bone.

The creature pulled out the now glowing knife and stabbed the beast once again, but now on its neck. The beast released the creature, then it gouged the creature's chest. The shadow create pulled its knife out, then took a few cautious steps back as if it hadn't even phased by the attack.

The reptile opened its mouth and spat some vaguely acidic liquid onto the creature's head, but only managed to hit the shadowy mask. The shadows went up in a great conflagration.

The creature began clawing at the shadowy mask, and in the moment the reptile turned around, spread its wings, and took flights as fast as it could away from the creature. As the shadowy mask was tore from the creature it tried to jump after the reptile to grab its leg, but it was to no avail. The injured beast managed to escape, leaving a very pissed off creature to stare at it from the ground.

"GIRLS?!" somepony shouted.

The three fillies jumped in surprise as they turned to face the new interloper.

"SIS? TWILIGHT?" shouted Apple Bloom in a tone somewhere between relief, and sheer panic from being caught. As Applejack and Twilight galloped towards the fallen tree, they did a quick survey before their eyes were accosted by a most ghastly visage.

The three fillies turned around and followed the mares’ gazes, the remaining creature was slowly plodding towards them with grim intent. The broken, and shred, leg that hung useless looked beyond agonizing, but the being didn’t seem to notice. But it approaching them was not was scared them. Was terrified them was the huge, and daemonic smile plastered across a smile far to wide and toothy to ever have good intents.

Huge help and edited by Crushric

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