//------------------------------// // ...But We Will End It! // Story: Equestria: Darkness Rising // by Shocks //------------------------------// The early morning sun shone brightly over the Everfree forest, its rays piercing the thick canopy where they could, offering the flora and fauna an illumination that was none too excessive. All across the forest, the various inhabitants of the un-tame forest woke up to begin their day anew, from the smaller individuals such as rabbits and birds, to its larger, more carnivorous members like the hydra in its bog or the manitcore in its den. Yes, the forest was abuzz with life, the sounds of its creatures creating a chatter throughout its depths. However, this was not the case in one particular section. As the various animals bounded about, a silent warning was sent out across the area. Many of these critters stopped, instincts immediately kicking in at the sudden change. With practiced ease, the smaller animals bounded away, some moving to hide under the thicker foliage while others took to the safety of the blue sky. Even a passing cockatrice decided it was best to scamper away. It did not take any much thought to realize what was approaching. A predator. A creature to be feared. A creature that others hid from. This was a creature that could kill and many shuddered in their respective hiding places. This was the way of the Everfree. The predator hunts. The prey hides. A deathly silence rained as the predator approached the area, its steps echoing around the area. Surprisingly, multiple other footfalls sounded as well. Perhaps a pack of timber wolves on their morning hunt? Each animal that had not fled for the safety of other areas quietly waited, wary of any movement from the predators. However, just as quickly as the predators entered the area, they exited, moving deeper into the underbrush. Soon, the presence of the predators was all but gone and the forest once again teemed with life. The predators had moved on, possibly on the hunt for a particular meal. The three predators continued their trek, wary and fearful of what the forest had to bear. Though the three failed to realize, they were the ones to be feared. Maria checked her phone once again, only to find them saying depressing sight as before. No signal. Sighing, she returned the device to its place in her pocket and thought of the new day. Originally, when she had awoken that morning, she had nearly thrown the tarp off of herself in an attempt to stave off the nightmare that plagued her. Glancing around, she had nearly believed it had all been that, just a nightmare, and they simply slept outside of their tents for the night. However, fate had other plans and she had woken up into the world that was not her own. Now, as they trudged through the thick forest, her eyes couldn’t help but wander to the unspoken leader of the group, Jon, as he moved with a purpose through the wild flora. When Jon had awoken that morning, he had remained very similar to the disturbed character she had faced last night, though some of his original personality leaked through the hardened facade. It had been Jon that had mobilized the group, spurring them on toward an unknown destination. After a meager breakfast made up of water and power bars, the group had moved deeper into the forest, Jon at its head. Movement out of her peripheral vision broke her train of thought, brining her attention back to the present. Cole took a small sip of his water bottle, grimacing slightly at the warm temperature. The forest around them was managing to keep up a surprisingly high climate, not to mention that they had slept in the clearing for the sun to bathe them in its light. Finished with his drink, he returned it to the side of his backpack. They had been walking quietly for some time now and not wanting to break this silent peace, turned his attention to the forest around him. He had noted similarity's between this worlds inhabitants and Earth's almost immediately, spotting animals from blue jays to the occasional rabbit or squirrel, though that number had diminished quickly as they entered the forest, now they barely saw a trace of any animal. It was rather unnerving to say the least. Is it because of us? Wasn’t that the question? Was it them? He couldn’t deny that something was wrong with them. Physically, mentally, or something else, there was something definitely wrong with his friends. Possibly himself as well. The black smoke from Jon, the eyes from Maria, had he had similar symptoms? He looked to his hand, moving the appendage around while flexing the muscles experimentally. Everything appeared to be normal. It was a normal human hand. Or was it? He shook his head. He couldn’t be sure of anything anymore. Not after yesterday. "Hey, you alright?" he heard Maria ask, and turned to find a worried expression on her face. "I’m fine, just thinking..." He started. "About yesterday?" she cut in quickly. He simply nodded a solemn expression present. Maria moved over to Cole, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving a light squeeze to boot. "Hey" she whispered, “I know, it hurts, but... we need to stay strong. I know that sounds a bit hypocritical coming from me, given last night. But" she looked to Cole, a new fire in her eyes, "I'll be damned if I lose anymore of my friends. So keep it together". He smiled. Looks like Maria was also feeling better. The hard slap to his back was also an indication. While the two were busy finding comfort in the company of each other, Jon continued his brisk pace, his eyes darting around with a calculated look. He smiled as he passed another familiar landmark. They were getting closer. He could feel it. Go into the forest. Look for a castle hidden amongst its depths. Do not worry; I will guide your path. There in the castle time chose to forget, will you find your answers. Jon adjusted his footing to avoid stepping in a small puddle. As he glanced down to avoid stepping in it, he caught the look of his bright cyan eyes. The reptilian like slits of his pupils gazed back at him. His smile broadened, his enlarged canines coming out as well. He really liked these eyes. I was legitimately starting to get nervous. It felt like we had been walking for hours, yet the time that passed seemed to be only thirty minutes. My iphone was still working properly at least. I think. My gaze shifted over to Jon, watching him as he led us to god knows where. I was really concerned about him especially. Well, me and Cole both were. We weren’t thinking he was crazy per say...but he wasn’t all there I’m sure. My mind flashed the idea he was leading us somewhere to kill us or something. I banished the thought before it could play more scenes of me being murdered. It might not look the best to think these things about Jon, but I wasn’t sure of what he was capable of anymore. Last night was creepy to say the least. Then again, what I did was beyond creepy. But...it felt..nice. I groaned at the thought. Lifting someone off their feet with one arm was definitely an accomplishment, but what I did, was…different. I knew I could lift him off his feet. Even more then that. I just knew I could. It was...empowering to say the least. To know you held that power ove- Damn it! Shut the hell up! I groaned again. Good job Maria, now your talking to yourself. Who's the crazy one now? I decided there it was time to ask our glorious leader exactly where he was leading us. "Hey John. Where exactly are you taking us?" I asked, hoping to keep the frustration out of my voice. This caused him to toss his head back, laughing as if I had said the funniest thing in the world. "Yes, where indeed?" I wasn’t sure if I should smile or cringe at that. It was classic Jon no doubt. He was that stupid funny. Like, really stupid. But with the under hint of crazy, that laugh wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. "I’m serious, where are we going? We've been walking for hours!" I knew it had only been 45 minutes, but that helped put an emphasis on my concern. He seemed to falter in his pace slightly before continuing. I think he was unsure of how to answer me. "Not too much longer. We're close. I can feel it" he answered rather quickly. Ok, red flags. Red flags everywhere. I looked to Cole, who was giving me the same concerned expression. We slowed our pace ever so slightly, hoping to stay out of earshot of Jon. "Jon's worrying me" Cole stated under his breath. "Same here. I don't know what he's thinking, but I don’t like it". "If he tries anything, we need to be ready. But, let’s try not to injure him. He's hurting right now" "No promises" I muttered a bit darkly for myself. Hey, he wasn’t the only one hurting. We all miss Vince. The thought of him made my eyes water as various memories replayed in my head. I stifled a sob as a tried to clear my eyes. Not now Maria. You need to focus. Suddenly, the dense shrubbery began to part, revealing a rather large path in the middle of the forest. Sunlight poured through the now open canopy as we came to it. Immediately, Jon quickened his pace to get on the path, his boots crunching along the dirt. Disappearing behind a tree, we heard his boots stop. Me and Cole spared glances at each other. An unspoken motion was made and Cole crouched slightly, moving ever slowly toward the path and the tree. I stayed close behind, ready to act if necessary. The large tree blocked most of our view, so until we came around it, we were going in blind. Jon..I swear... Finally, we turned around the corner and found... Jon. Staring wide eyed at a medieval fucking castle! This was like nothing compared to that crystal castle. Sure, that was ridiculously tall and down right beautiful, this one looked closer to the castle from the movie Shrek. You know the one. Complete with half destroyed spires and crumbling ruins. Even had an honest to god wooden bridge that looked like it couldn’t hold a fly to save its life. Oh, and did I forget it’s surrounded by a big ass canyon? Because it in fact was. "Careful. You’ll catch flies like that." I heard Jon snark, only realizing that my jaw was hanging open. The thoughts of him murdering us in some psycho crazy state were off that table, but it was replaced by a million other thoughts. "H-how?" Cole weakly asked. Jon turned around, a small grin on his face. "Would you believe me if I told you it came to me in a dream?" Ok! Episode 2! Return of the red flags! "Jon...” I began to say, but he already turned away from me, walking toward the wooden bridge. I nearly lost it when he put a foot down on that shoddy piece of construction. "Jon! What the hell are you doing?" I screamed, hoping to stop the idiot before he killed himself. "What?" He raised an eyebrow at me like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. No, it’s not like your putting your life in the hands of a piece of wood that could give way at any second. Grabbing his arm, I tried pulling him back, only for him to lean away from me. I saw Cole moving to help me, but before he could reach us, Jon pried my arm off his, before falling on his ass. On the fucking bridge! It creaked and groaned with the strain from his weight. I held my breath, afraid that anything else would cause the damn thing to collapse. It swayed slightly under his weight before returning to an inactive position. "Jon” I whispered, eyeing the bridge carefully," Move very slowly". He seemed to understand, carefully taking a standing position, gripping the rope for extra support. I reached out an arm to him, Cole right behind me to assist. "Jon. Grab my hand" All we had to do was pull him in. My stomach dropped when he looked at my hand, and then looked toward the other side of the bridge. Oh no. He looked back and forth again. Indecisive. Don’t you do it! He started backing up. Damn it Jon! I lunged forward to grab him, only to miss as he jumped away. I grimaced as a fell flat on the ground, my chest taking the brunt of the fall. "Sorry! But I need answers!" He suddenly started jogging across the bridge, it swaying like a boat in rough seas. I swear the image of the bridge snapping and him plummeting to his death ran through my head so many times at that moment. Somehow though, he made it across and I prayed to god for saving his sorry ass. "Guys! Come on! We need to head inside!" He called across the canyon, his voice echoing loudly around the area. For a second I was afraid we would have an encounter with the alien ponies again, but none appeared. "Jon! What the fuck do you think your doing!" I tried not yelling, but it came out exactly that. Not heeding my answer, he started running toward the castle's entrance. Damn it all! "Cole let's go" I stated through grit teeth, taking a shaky step onto the already unstable bridge. I placed another step, slowly advancing across the bridge. If this bridge didn’t kill me, I was going to kill Jon. "Ow" was all Jon could say as he nursed his swollen cheek. The punch he had received from Maria had been less than friendly, showcasing the reason not to mess with the Italian. "You didn’t have to do that you know" He glared over to Maria, whose own glare caused him to look away. She let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand. "Ya Jon. I kinda did. Your lucky it wasn’t worse" She shook her head at her companion. Meanwhile, Cole gazed around at the anteroom they found themselves in. The walls were lined with pillars, forming archways across several doors which led who knows where. On the other side of the room lay two dual stone staircases, both looking in terrible disrepair. Even the floor around them was well aged, nature managing to reclaim its rightful place as beds of moss lined most of the floor. What particularly stuck out to him though, were the two banners that hung from the ceiling. Not only where what they depicted surprising, but the banners themselves were in pretty good condition. Mind a few tears here and there, but they looked only a few years old. This made no sense. The castle itself was at least hundreds of years old, given the growth of nature and the disrepair that was rampant across it. The stone and mortar around the area had crumbled away, not to mention the various remaining furniture was rotten or completely covered in dust. Yet the banners were as bright as ever, a striking contrast of deep blue and striking yellow against the dull grey stone. Both banners depicted some type of horse, or pony as he guessed. It appeared to be a combination of the pegasi and unicorn. The one on the yellow banner was standing above a depiction of the sun, having a pure white coat with a pink mane and tail. While on the blue banner, a similar hybrid stood above a crescent moon with 4 stars in the sky. Its coat was a counter to its companion, having a dark navy coat with a sky blue mane. He was unclear at what they were meant to convey. Gods? Possibly a national flag? More importantly, had they been placed recently? Or was their some type of preservation system on them? One thing was obvious though. The ponies had been here before. It did not feel safe to him at all. "We should go" "What?" Maria asked surprised. Cole was a bit surprised too; he hadn’t realized he had said that out loud. Nevertheless, he stood by his decision. "We should go" he stated again, eyeing the two hybrids with a watchful glare, as if they were going to come out of the tapestries themselves. Maria cocked an eyebrow as she watched him just stare at them, arms crossed in annoyance. She was unsure what had gotten under Cole's skin so badly, but she felt similar when gazing at the two hybrids. She wasn’t quite sure what she felt. Anger was definitely close. Contempt? Possibly. Mayb- "Jon! The hell are you going?!" She yelled across the room, spotting her companion already climbing one of the flight's of stairs. He looked to her, then back to the top of the stairs. She didn’t bother thinking. She bounded after him once again, he rapidly climbing the stairs. He already disappeared down the right hallway before she even climbed the flight. I swear if I have to chase you one more goddamn time! She ran full speed after him, keeping him in sight thanks to the long hallway. She didn’t bother looking at the tapestries or pictures that adorned the wall; all she wanted was her quarry. Maria noted with some dissatisfaction that her boots had become thick with hardened mud, and were slowing her down considerably. "Jon! Get your ass back here!" She yelled after him. He didn’t even look back as he rounded a corner. Doubling her efforts, she flew around the corner... Only to slam directly into Jon's backside. "Mothfucka!" she yelled, clutching her nose as pain eradiated across her face. She soon felt a liquid escape her nose, pooling in the palm of her hand. It wasn’t broken, but she had definitely triggered a bloody nose. I’m going to kill- Her words dyed as all thought process came to a halt. There, sitting only feet away at a small table, was none other than- "Bro?" "I’m terribly sorry for getting your hopes up, but I simply chose this form to better communicate with you" Not-Vince said, motioning to his body. In all honesty, it was Vince. Even right down to the clothes he wore, however, the major difference was the cat like cyan pupils that had replaced his brown irises, not to mention the sharpened teeth in his mouth. "Just what are you exactly?" Maria asked with the utmost suspicion. This caused Not-Vince to chuckle, giving the trio a rather unnecessary view of his teeth. "Of all the years I’ve lived, only one other person asked me that question and I will tell you what I told her" He leaned in from his seat at the far side of the table. "A friend". "Right. Well, you'll have to forgive us if we find that a load of crap" Maria rebutted, standing a bit closer to Jon and Cole. "I can understand your fear. After what you've been through, airing on the side of caution is a wise decision. However, I must plead with you, I am only here to help", the warm smile he gave her reminded Maria all to well of Vince's own, and she felt herself relax abit. "I am sorry about your friend, truly I am. I had hoped to empower you in time-" "Wait wait wait. You said empower us? Do you mean the transformations? The abilities?" Cole asked concerned. The entity nodded. "Yes, that was my gift to you, I had hoped you would have managed to escape the ponies with it, but seeing as you originally possessed no inherent magic, it will take more time to develop" The three looked at Not-Vince like he had grown a third head, which, he probably could. "Did you say magic?" Maria asked. "Yes I did. Why?" The entity tilted its head to the side, an alien move for Vince. "There is no such thing as magic" Cole stated. This caused the doppelganger to raise an eyebrow. "You wish to believe that after all you have been through? Surely you can’t be serious" This caused all three of the group to falter; it did have a valid point. Maria felt her fist clench as she watched the entity sit there in Vince's shape, almost mocking her. "What do you want?" She asked coldly. She felt her heart sink as a pained expression came across Vince's face. "All I want is to help you. I can’t undo what been done, but I can help you in other ways…” Ponyville at night- a time where the rather small community town was not alive with the sounds of ponies going about, unlike its larger city cousins like Manehattan or Trottingham. No, during the night, almost all ponies went to sleep, save for a few who where finishing their business for the day. One particular mare was locking up on her music studio on the far side of the town. Noting the door was securely locked on the building, she began to trot casually through the rather quiet town. She noted with bit of distaste that a fog had rolled in over the town. That weather mare not doing her job again no doubt.... Even the streetlights had difficulty piercing this veil over the town. Only the moon was able to shine through, though its starry companions were left hidden. She continued on her way, thinking about the poor day of rehearsal the Ponyville musicians club had had. Lyra really must stop losing her lyre. She suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and she reflexively turned around. Looking around quickly, but spotted nothing around. Taking a few deep breaths, she reassured herself, though, she adjusted her bow tie to a less constricting level. Continuing her trot at a slightly quicker pace, she soon felt the feeling return. Looking back again, she spotted nothing once more, but continued her trot at a quickened rate. The feeling soon grew overwhelming, and before she knew it, she was galloping full tilt toward her home. Spotting the familiar thatched house in the distance, she all but bolted after the safety of her home. Rushing past the white picket fence that bordered her yard, she raced toward the door. Not bothering to look back, she fumbled with the key in her hoof before inserting it into the slot. Pushing the door open enough to slip in, she slammed it shut before locking the deadbolt. Rushing to the window, her eyes scanned the street frantically, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Minutes passed. Nothing moved outside in the street, and the only sound was her heavy breathing. Finding everything normal, and berating herself for her panic, moving away from the window... Only to have something razor sharp and ice cold pressed against her throat. She looked up in horror at the crimson eyes of some bipedal creature with a brunette mane similar to a friend of hers. Though the cold look she received from the creature made her shiver in absolute fear. "Make a sound and you’re going to find it a lot harder to breath" it hissed out. She swallowed the large lump in her throat. Only one thought came to mind. Buck me.