> A Different Kind of Deal (Re-done after accidental delete)
>  by Capt. Mellow Hooves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Its always sunny in Maine....Right?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I always hated hearing alarm clocks, mostly because whenever one went off, it always meant the same thing: that it was time to get up and face the day.  While there wasn't anything particularly wrong with that sentiment, I'd really prefer facing the day when it was late afternoon, instead of six in the morning, which was when I was usually forced to meet my eternal foe.  This morning wasn't any different, as I hear could the steady, rhythmic, annoying, beating of that infernal machine as it tested my resolve to sleep against the need to get up and end the noise.  Eventually the need for the noise to be ended trumped the need for sleep, and I got up and crossed the room, turning the clock off when I go there.  I used to sleep with the alarm clock nearby, but after a while I knew it was either move the alarm clock, or face the fact that I was going to be late for school every day.  Now, even though I had no qualms with missing my first classes, my parents had a different view.  "We didn't move to a different city, and find new jobs in order for you to sleep through your first periods.  Now get your ass up and get to school" was one of my father's favorite sayings. In reality I couldn't disagree with them, seeing as they had left their old jobs, and their lives, in order to put me into a better school.  Saint Gregory's School for Gifted Children wasn't an easy school to get into, from anyone's vantage point.  I worked my butt of trying to get better grades, take harder classes, and show off my skills.  My parents had worked their butts off at their jobs, finding a way to pay tuition, and getting everything ready for the 'big move' as they called it.  After all, they said, "It isn't every week you move across the country to put your child into such a special school". 
As grateful as I was to be going to the school, I really wish the school hadn't been in Maine, as that was basically as far away from Montana, my home, as I wanted to be.  Don't get me wrong, I liked Maine so far, but it doesn't hold a candle to Montana, and nothing ever could. At least in Montana there were more than two types of weather, unlike Maine, where it either snowed or rained on a daily basis. Maybe coming in fall didn't really help, but still, back in Montana the trees would all be turning orange and yellow, with the weather beginning to cool down.  Here, it just rained.  Still, there were far more things to do here then there were back in my hometown of Butte, and for that I was extremely thankful.  Otherwise, I have no idea how I would have survived that first month here.  Having no friends, and not having school start as of then, all I could do was drive around and look for things to do. Visiting museums, hitting up local parks, visiting the mall. Yes, boring to a degree, and lonely, but still better than doing nothing and being forced to work on gardens until school started, like my mother wanted.  Still, once school started things started to pick up.  The classes were hard, the work demanding, but it wasn't that bad.  The worst part was that I kept trying to be the best, which really added to the stress.  After a while, I made a few friends that helped make it all the more bearable. I can still remember when I first met Jenny, one of the, if not the best, friends I have ever had.
Jenny was the first person that I had met when I first came to school, mostly on accident.  As I was wandering around looking for a classroom, I bumped into her, spilling my books and her art supplies around.  Bending down to help her, I screamed in the most girlish voice I had ever heard and jumped away.  Crawling out of her paint can was a spider.  And not just some little spider, but a big, brown ugly thing.  Backpedaling into the wall, I turned around and screamed " What the fuck is that thing?"  She looked and began shushing me. " Shut up, or someone will hear you!  It's just a spider for God's sake!" she said, giving me the death glare.  I began to calm down a little as she picked the spider up, and set it back in the can.  Being afraid of spiders, that nearly had me shitting my pants, and I was more than a little concerned of where that came from.  Looking at her and using the last of my willpower, I spoke in a monotone voice.  "Where in the hell did you get that fucking monster?" I asked, staring directly at her.  She looked up and smiled at me exclaiming, " From the basement silly! There are a lot of big spiders down there!  Brown ones, black ones, even a few white ones! They aren't very nice though, because every time I go down there, they try and either bite me, or run away!  But that may be because they don't like the light!"  I couldn't help but wonder if she had a mental deficiency or two, but still, I did knock her down, so I decided to humor her.  " Well, as interesting as that is, I really have to go.  So sorry for knocking you down, and good luck with....whatever it is your doing." I spoke hastily, turning to leave.  ' Wait", I heard her cry from behind me, " What are you doing out in the hallways after class has started?  You're going to be late!"  Turning to face her, I finally had calmed down enough to get a good look at her.  She was rather short, being maybe 4'7, with light brown hair, and a smattering of freckles dotting her face.  She was wearing a pair of jeans and a paint stained tee-shirt.  Looking at the art supplies, it was pretty easy to see where all the paint had come from.  She had greenish blue eyes, and a cute little snub nose.  Cute?  Did I say cute?  I meant normal .I looked down and muttered " Well, actually I'm lost.  I've been looking for my classroom for about twenty minutes now actually."  She looked down at the paper I dropped and picked it up.  " Oh, you're in room 203-A?  Well, you're in the completely wrong place if you're looking for that!  It's on the other side of the building!"  " Great", I moaned, wringing the paper in my hands, just now realizing I had probably walked past the room about twenty times, " Now I have to walk all the way back to the office and start over!"  Jenny looked over and put her tongue out, thinking hard on something. " Oh I know", she said happily, ' I can take you myself!"  "Really?" I asked, doubting whether or not I could trust her and her spiders.  " Of course silly, it isn't that hard!  And if it makes you feel better, I'll even put the spider away!"  Smiling, she grabbed her supplies and my books, and handed them to me.  " Oh, by the way, my name is Jenny!"  Reaching out her hand, I took it and smiled.  " My name is Connor, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Ever since then, we had been inseparable.  Even though we had only one class together, as we later learned, we spent all our free time during school and after together.  Through her I met John and James, two twins who were as opposite as they could be.  James had black hair and green eyes, and always wore khakis and a button up shirt. John had blonde hair, and blue eyes, and rarely ever wore anything other than jeans and obscure band tees.  James spent a majority of his time studying or reading, while John played video games and acted in the school's drama department.  Despite all this, they were as close as two pees in a pod.  
Standing in the shower with a dumb look on my face after remembering how I met them wasn't exactly the first thing I wanted my mother to see after she opened the door to the shower.  It wasn't the worse thing she had seen, but it might have been the weirdest. " Connor," I heard her say as she opened the door, " I knew you wouldn't notice the bathroom didn't have any....What the hell are you doing?"  I stood there, shell-shocked, glad I had closed the curtain for the shower as soon as I got in.  While my 6'4 frame stands above the curtain, all you can see is my head, thankfully. " Uh....nothing?" I said lamely, not sure how to explain why I had such a look on my face.  " Sure." she said slowly, placing the towels on the floor.  " I'm just going to leave these here.  Put them away when you get out."  Giving me one last look, she ran from the bathroom.  Sighing, I finished my shower, and began to put the towels away.  After drying myself, I left and got dressed, figuring the quicker I left, the easier I could avoid another awkward situation.
Grabbing some clothes from the closet and getting dressed, I snatched my keys from the kitchen table, and grabbed a muffin for good measure.  Upon reaching the doorway, I turned around and shouted, " Have a nice day!  I'll see y'all after school!"  Not waiting for a reply, I raced outside and jumped in my ride.  Starting my Chevy Malibu, I pulled out and made good time to school.  As soon as I got there however, I knew it wasn't going to be a good day.  My parking spot was taken, and it had begun to rain right as I got there, and hard.  Sighing, I found the closest nearby space, which was about three blocks away.  " Perfect, I sighed before leaving the car, " Just perfect."  Grabbing my bag from the backseat I hightailed it out of there, knowing that regardless of how fast I walked, I was going to be soaked. 
Being proven right as I entered the building, I started walking towards my first period class.  Writing for College, while fun to a certain degree, really wasn't what I wanted in my first period class.  After all, being forced to start your day with an essay can really put a damper on it. Still, I knew I had one thing going for me.  Jenny and I shared that class, which may have been the only reason I got through it.  Not wanting to keep her waiting, I quickly made my way to class.  It didn't take long for me to get there, thankfully, as it was eight when I arrived at school.  Quickly finding my seat, I sat down, and waited for Jenny, who, no matter what day it was, always came at eight thirty. I wasn't really sure why, I mean she got up at six, lived maybe two blocks away, but she was always late.  Whenever I asked her about it, she would always get a faintly uncomfortable look, and blow me off.  One of her favorites was to just laugh awkwardly and say " What's late and what isn't really?", and then run away.  I learned my lesson about asking her about the third time she said that.
Class started, and after roll call and the pledge, I sat there and waited for her as the teacher began telling us what our newest assignment was.  A twenty page paper on the season?!  Is she for real?! Knowing how bad I was at writing and how long this would take me, I pulled out my laptop and got to work.  I couldn't afford to do bad on this, seeing as how last quarter I barely managed a B+ after not turning in about three assignments, I decided then and there that I would work as hard on this thing as I could, at least until I got bored with it, which, given what I had to work with, wasn't going to take long.	
At exactly eight thirty, I heard the door to the classroom open, and a voice announce " Ms. Holowiter, I'm... I'm sorry I'm late."  Recognizing the voice, and the fact that the voice sounded like it had been crying, I turned and looked up.  Standing in the doorway was Jenny, and she didn't look good. Usually she came in with paint stained clothes and a pair of jeans.  And while she wore those today, there was a subtle difference.  You could tell they hadn't been washed, and neither had she taken a shower. Furthermore, her eyes were red and swollen, the make-up around them being smeared from the tears.  Shuffling over to her seat, she sat down, and had an expression of misery on her face.  Grabbing a tissue, I turned towards her and called her name.  " Jenny, I whispered quietly, " Jenny, look at me." She turned, and I began using the tissue to clean her face.  She smiled at me, then began crying again.  Concerned, I gently brushed her hair out of her eyes, thankful that our seats were in the back of the class. " Jenny, tell me what's wrong." 
Just as she opened her mouth to tell me, a loud bang reverberated from the hallway, and the door flew wide open.  Standing there was a man, around six feet tall, greasy black hair, and wearing what could only be called rags, holding some sort of rifle in his hands.  Screaming with rage he snarled, " Everyone, stay the fuck down, and keep quite!  If you even so much as blink or make a single noise, I'll blow your fucking head off!" I quickly decided that doing what he said would be for the best, and so did Jenny.  However, one of our classmates, whose name I never had bothered to learn, decided that standing up and glaring at him and running his mouth would be the best option.  " Oh please, look at you, you look like a bitch-AUGH!" Suddenly, a hole appeared in the middle of his chest, and a fountain of blood blossomed out of him.  The man with the gun laughed, and began to point the gun at other people in the room.  " Still think that I'm messing around, huh?  Still wanna run your mouth!?" Any semblance of sanity he may have had disappeared quickly.  He stood there, waving the rifle around, a snarl stuck on his face. He turned towards Jenny and I and smiled.  " Well, well, well, look at what we have here.  A little girl and her boyfriend, hm?" Jenny and I looked at each, fear very present on both of our faces.  The man just stood there, smiling.  Suddenly, his eyes began twitching, and his smile slipped momentarily.  He began to quickly mutter to himself.  " If He wants him, then He is going to get him.  There isn't any choice.  But, maybe I can have a little fun first."  His smile returned, crueler then before, and sending a shiver down my spine.  " You two, stand up and get over here.  NOW!" he yelled.
" Now, he said with a sadistic smile on his face, " We're going to play a little game called 'Who Gets What?'  The object is simple: one of you decides who lives and who dies.  I'm going to let you choose, turning the gun towards me, " you have thirty seconds to pick."  I stood there, dumbfounded for what felt like forever, finally turning towards Jenny.  She stood there, gripping my hand, her eyes pleading with me to choose myself.  Something deep inside me however, knew that that wouldn't happen. 
I closed my eyes, and lowered my head in shame.  I heard the man raise his rifle, and I barely managed to choke out my response.  " Her, pick her!" I shouted at the man, refusing to raise my head.  Ripping my hand away I turned, and heard her scream my name once before she died.  I could feel the blood as it washed over my back.  The man laughed at me, and said " Well, isn't that interesting.  He said you'd do that.  Still, I have one more trick up my sleeve."  Turning towards him, I tilted my head and began to open my mouth.  "Sorry", he said to me, " I don't get to explain, I just get to shoot!" All the sudden I felt a massive pain in my chest, right where my heart is.  Looking down, all I could see is my blood. 
Using the last of my breath, I looked at the man, and whispered " Fuck you, asshole."  
He laughed at me and said " See you later, jack-o boy!"  
Feeling the last of my life leaving me, I closed my eyes and thought to myself. Well, that's a fucking great way to end my life.  Getting shot after getting someone else killed.  Fuck my life. Heh, too late for that.  Wait, why am I still able to talk? Shouldn't I be singing in some choir in Heaven, or floating in a void?  Or, Heaven forbid, in Hell? Actually, just floating along like this is going to get rather boring after a while, Hell almost seems better.
It was then that I learned that boring is better than Hell.  Quickly flames began to spread over my body, causing a searing pain all over.  Even worse, I could feel some sort of pain deep in my soul, something that I had never felt before.  It felt like everything that had made me, well me, had left, except for a small portion, and I was dead inside.  It felt as though all the love , all the caring, all my empathy had been burned away, left to be only a fragment of their former selves.  I could feel a presence deep with-in myself leave, and it was then that I knew I was in Hell.  All I could do was scream inside the hellish void, until all the air left my lungs, and wait for the pain to cause me to black out.  It felt like I was there for an eternity until it went away, all except for the loss inside me.  Even so, the place I found myself wasn't any better.  I was on a cold floor, in the middle of a giant, cavern like room.  A fire was in a nearby corner, though it seemed more like a decoration, as it didn't give any heat.  Standing before it was a man, even taller then I was.  He stood around seven feet tall, naked except for a small cloth around his groin.  His skin was a pale white, and his air fell to his shoulders in a black cloud.
" It's about time you showed up here." he said quietly, his voice cutting like the edge of a knife.  " I was almost tired of waiting for your worthless soul to get here." He turned to me, and my breath caught in my throat.  He stood there, his eyes burning holes of darkness, and his mouth full of razor sharp teeth.  He glowered at me from across the room, laughing at my expression.  " What, don't like what you see?  What did you expect to see, hm?  A bunny?"  I tried to shake my head, to speak, to run away, to do anything, but I could only sit there and stare.  " Don't worry, he said, his voice thick with scorn and hatred, " I don't need you to understand, or really listen at this point.  After all, you're going to have plenty of time to figure out why you earned your stay here.", punctuating his monologue with a clap of his hand, causing a roar of flame to emerge from the fire place.  What appeared to be a demon emerged from the fire.   Its skin was black, with lines of dark red running over its body, creating unique patterns.  Small spikes jutted from its body at random points.  Its mouth was a pit of teeth, blackened from below the noise to just above the chin.  Four horns shot out from its head, and a small hole filled with fire rested in its head.  Its eyes were burning red, like the flames from the fire it came from.  " Ah, it's about time you showed up.  Connor, this is a...special demon.  To be specific, it's your demon, who will show you all the wonders of hell!  Grifith here is going to be with you for a very long time.  I'm sure you two will have a great time.", he said with a venomous smirk.
" Wait", I cried out suddenly, " This isn't right!  I never did anything wrong, why am I here?!" He turned suddenly, giving me a glare that scared me to my core, and I knew I wouldn't ever forget what he said next.  
" You don't deserve to be here?  Do you have any idea what you did?  You killed a girl, and not just any girl, but your best friend.  As if that wasn't bad enough, this girl was taking care her younger brother.  Ever wonder why she was always late?  While her father wasted his life drinking, her mother was forced to take a second, minimum wage job.  Jenny had to get a job as well, in order to stay in school, and keep her family going.  She didn't get a free ride, and so she had to work.  Even more than that, she was the only one who take care of her younger brother, as she was the only one who had any time during the day."
" Please", I begged, " Give me one more chance.  I'll do anything you want, just don't make me stay here!"  He looked at me, and then at the demon next to me, and gave me smile. 
" Ok, I'll give you another chance at life, but here is the deal: Grifith goes along with you, in place of your soul.  I get to keep my connection with you, and you don't fade away from your lack of a soul.  If you fail to live a better life, you come back to Hell.  You live better, then you get to pass home, and go to Heaven.  Deal?" 
He reached out his hand, but I hesitated for a moment.  Why would he help me, after all he could just ignore me and send me to Hell.  Better yet, what did the man that killed me mean when he said that  " he wasn't there to explain"?  And why bring the demon back with me, I'm sure I could get my soul?  Still, I didn't have much of a choice, so I shook his hand.  "  My my, someone must have been desperate for a chance at life, seeing as how you never agreed to where you would be sent." he said, giving me a smile.  
I began to panic, attempting to pull my hand out of his, but his grip was to strong.  " Then where am I going?!" I shouted at him, terrified that I would be stuck here, or some equally terrible world.
He just stared at me, until he finally spoke.  " Oh, I think you'll love it."  Releasing my hand, he looked towards Grifith, and nodded at me.  Grifith launched himself at me, and I screamed.  As he struck me, it felt like a bell had been rung inside my head.  My vision began to double itself, and I felt his presence inside me, burrowing deep inside.  The pain I felt made me pass out, and I missed the last words that the Devil spoke to me.	
" Oh, my little human, I'm so glad you're going to be my pawn for this little game.  For to long I've been coped inside here, no way to get out and let my children have some fun."  He turned away from me, and began speaking again.  " From you, my children will get to see the world, and get to have some fun.  And you, you shall be tested like you've never been before."  Turning back to me, he smiled, and muttered " Enjoy your deal."

> Waking Up Strapped Down...A Dream Come True And A Nightmare Endured.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It felt like I was out for years, and when I awoke, it was in the middle of a forest, at night.  The trees nearby blocked out the light from the moon, and let only small shards of light through the canopy.  However, I could still see even with the dim lighting, which surprised me, as I never did have the best sight.  Still, I wasn't going to complain, since it meant I wasn't going in blind.  Deciding that sitting up and figuring out where I am was more important then marveling at my eye sight, I placed my hands down and pushed myself up.  I moved to quickly however, and went back down in a wave of dizziness.  Oh fuck me. Is this shit really happening?  As if being sent to a random, backwater forest, based on the lack of logging, and the fact that the air smells to sweet isn't bad enough....Wait, the air smells to sweet?  How the fuck could I tell what smells to sweet? Oh Baby Jesus, please don't let me have some weird ass snake nose or some shit.
I decided that, on second fact, sitting down and closing my eyes for a few minutes might be better than getting up and trying to find my out of where ever the hell I am.  As I sat there, I began to think about what I'd just experienced.  I tried to figure out whether it was real, or if I had been shot in the head, and this was all just some sort of coma. Or, if it really had happened, and I ended up in hell after all.  Neither of those were very good options.  If I was in a coma, who knows how long I could be asleep, and if I woke up, would I be sent to jail for what I had done?  I didn't want her to die, but I didn't want to either.  How could I have chosen myself?  If I had gone to Hell, then that meant if I die again, I was going to Hell.  Considering how easy it was to go to Hell the first time, I'd really rather not go again. Guess that just adds something to my to-do list.
TO-DO LIST
•	GET UP AND FIND MY WAY OUT OF HERE
•	TRY REALLY HARD NOT TO DIE
Well, that seems like a very short, and a really shitty, list.  The whole list seemed like a bad set of mission objectives, at least before the harder shit starts happening.  I felt like I had laid down long enough, and decided that I should try and figure out a way out of here.  Opening my eyes, I slowly put my hands on the ground and began to push up.  Even going slowly it was hard, but eventually, I managed to get off the ground.  Standing up, I looked around me, noticing that none of the nearby foliage looked like anything he had ever seen before.  It seemed as though it was a mix between tropical and regular forest.  There were massive Oaks intertwined with what seemed to be oddly colored Eucalyptus Trees.  Vines hung between the trees, and flowers of all kinds bloomed underneath the them.  Shrubs of all kinds grew, sometimes only a few feet wide, and other times they were massive, like the one directly to my left, which completely covered the path.  Deciding that just walking forward would be for the best, as I couldn't see the moon, and climbing the trees seemed like a really, really bad idea, considering that I had no idea what the hell lived in them, or if they could have some weird poison.  Which presented another problem: I didn't want to risk touching any plants that I couldn't identify and get sick.  Even though I knew that I couldn't do it for long, I had to try and avoid touching them.  I also didn't want to risk getting caught by any nearby predators, especially if they were as mixed as the trees  Picking my way carefully through the trees and undergrowth, I began to listen for any signs that would lead to a town.  A bright light through the trees, a thinning foliage, a running river, signs of mining.  Really, at this point any sign would be welcomed with open arms
After what seemed to be years, but was really maybe forty minutes, I began to hear what sounded like rushing water, coming somewhere off to my right.  Turning towards the sound, I assumed that it was only a little ways a way.  Fun Fact: apparently my vision wasn't the only thing that was improved, as it was about an hour and a half of walking to finally get there.  At least the farther to my right I went, the more forest like my surroundings became, making the going easier.  
The path that I was on opened up after a short twist, and I was surprised to discover that what seemed to be a clearing had opened up in front of me.  And what a clearing it was.  The river split into two parts, creating a small island in between itself.  There were what appeared to be several different types of fruits and vegetables growing, including what seemed to be an apple tree in the middle of the island, and the water was flowing fast enough that I could safely drink from it.  Even the trees seemed to want to help me, creating a protective screen around me, excluding the entrance and a small path that continued in the same direction I came from.
I decided that I needed to get something to eat, and that figuring out what kind of growth was around me would go a long ways towards that. Starting from the outside, I found what seemed to be strains of wild tomatoes, grapes, several different types of berries, carrots, and somehow watermelon.  Huh, I guess that the forest doesn't really separate as much as I thought it did.  I began walking towards the apple tree, and started to cross the river.  As icy as it was, it felt good to have the water running over my legs.  While it only came up to my calves, it still going pretty fast, and I had to be careful, as I almost lost my footing more than once.  Reaching the island, I reached up and took an apple from the tree.  Looking at it, I couldn't believe that something like this would grow here.  It was large and red, and like all the others on the tree, it was big and juicy.  Well, no time like the present I suppose.  Bottoms up! Taking a bite of the apple, my taste buds exploded, the flavor rushing over me.  I'd never had an apple that good before!  I wonder, is it because of the soil here, or would ours taste the same if they were wild?  Actually who cares!  I want some more!
A little while later, after I had eaten my fair share of apples, and had drank as much water as I could hold, I grew curious to see what I looked like.  I knew that there wasn't a giant hole  in my head. but other than that, I wondered if dying had had an effect on me. 
Walking over to the river, I bent down and looked.  I was surprised, to say the least.  While the general structure of my face stayed the same, I looked skinnier, like I had replaced my fat with muscle.  My hair was still brown, but a little more even, and longer, almost to the middle of my shoulders.  My skin had the most change.  Instead of the pale white from before, it was an ash gray.  I had to wonder, what would it look like tan?  The single biggest change was my clothing.  Rather than the clothes I wore to school, I was wearing what seemed to be a black, leather outfit.  Not a BDSM style, thank God, but more like an evil villain style.  There also seemed to be small metal plates on the inside, and chains around the outside.  They looked like steel, but considering that they weren't weighing me down, I assumed they weren't.  I also had some sort of cape attached, black with some sort of fur I didn't recognize.  All-in-all, it was both badass and cliché.
I decided that sleeping would be the best thing for me, so I tried to create a makeshift bed.  It ended up being a small pile of leaves, some grass, and my fur coat covering it.  Still, when you consider what I had to work with, it wasn't have bad.  Laying down to sleep, all I could do was pray that it didn't rain, or snow, or get mauled by an animal, get washed away by the water....Maybe I should stop thinking so much.  It didn't take me long to get to sleep, and it didn't take long for the dreams to start either.
It started with me waking up in my bed back home.  The alarm clock was blaring, like usual, but instead of the annoying beep that I was used to, instead I heard a faint whisper.  "You did it.  You did it".  Over and over again, a litany that refused to end.  I couldn't even seem to get up and take the clock off, instead being forced to hear it over and over again.  Eventually, all I could do was close my eyes, and pray that it ended soon.  After what felt like years, the noise began to slowly recede.  I opened my eyes again, this time finding myself inside the classroom.  I tried to move, but I found that again, this time I was strapped into the chair, this time literally, as I found my feet chained to the desk.  I knew where this dream was going, and I immediately tried fighting my way out of them.  
I heard the door open, and I threw my head up in fear.  Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.  Jenny stood there, a hole in her chest where the bullet hit her.  When she found me looking at her, she smiled, her teeth glinting in the light.  Her teeth were as sharp as knives, and they seemed to be just as dangerous.  She opened her mouth wider, and began to whisper something, so quietly that at first I missed it.  "...You did this.  You killed me.  You killed me.   You did this for yourself, to try and survive.  You deserve to be punished.  You did this..."  Over and over she repeated herself, until eventually, blood began to seep from her body.  First from the hole in her chest, then her eyes, and then her mouth.  Only a few moments after it started, her body broke apart, and she collapsed to the floor, broken and ragged like a pile of sticks.  As terrified as I was, I knew that the dream couldn't last much longer.  Either I'd wake up, die from fright, or go insane.
However, my mind was quite finished with this dream.  The gunman himself walked in, tromping on the corpse of Jenny.  His face was hidden by his greasy hair, but I could still feel his gaze on me.  He laughed, his laughter making his shoulders shake.  Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, and I burst out angrily.  " What the fuck is so funny?!", I screamed at him.
His laugher quieted slightly before he spoke.  " I'm laughing at you, you silly boy.  I find your fear....intoxicating, almost as much as your lack of guilt, or even remorse, for what you've done."  It was then that I realized how chilling his voice was, as I could feel it seeping into my bones.
Shivering, I glared at him. "  That's because I didn't do anything wrong, you asshole.  You shot her, then you shot me!  Everything was because of you!"
" Oh really?  Is that what you truly think?  That all of this was because of me?  Did you ever consider where you would be if you hadn't sacrificed her, or where she would be?"  I tried to look away, and began to feel guilty.  No, I hadn't thought about it, because, well....Because I felt that my life was more important than hers.  Oddly, I didn't feel guilty about that at all.  It surprised me that I still didn't feel very guilty for causing her death.  It was almost a relief not caring.  I felt like because I didn't care, I didn't feel like I was being held back by it.  And that scared me, realizing that I didn't care that I had caused her deaths, or that I may even cause more, so long as it didn't trouble me.
" It took you long enough to figure that one out, didn't it?", he whispered quietly.  I shook my head, refusing to look at him.  " Enough squirming", he demanded roughly, " And look at me!"  I couldn't help but look up, and stare into his eyes.  It was then that I realized something.  He had my face.  I stood there, glaring triumphantly at myself.  " You and I, we're not so different.  In fact, you could say that we're both one and the same.", he said smiling at me.  I tried to look away, but I couldn't.  He began to move closer to me, until his face was touching mine.  Out of nowhere his skin began to burn off him, revealing something underneath.  There stood Grifith, a smile on his face, looking out of place on such a hideous mug.  " We are all the same.", he whispered to me, beginning to merge with my face.  I couldn't even scream while it was happening, and once it was over I began to scream.  At least, it was meant to be a scream.  Instead, all I heard was " I'll be waiting...", before I passed out.
I jumped awake, the scream still stuck in my throat.  I'd never had a dream that was so real before, or so terrifying.  The worst part was the fact that I was told that someone would be waiting for me.  I couldn't imagine what that meant, and a part of me was glad for that.  As I sat there, trying to get my breathing under control, I heard a cracking sound somewhere behind me, from the direction that I came.  I snapped my head toward the sound, and began to stare intently, but I couldn't see anything, and since the noise wasn't coming back, I turned away and closed my eyes, hoping to get some sleep.  Crack!  I snapped my eyes open again, turning my head towards the sound. This time, instead of the noise disappearing, I heard an even louder snap, followed by what sounded like a growl.  I stood up, knowing that I'd probably be running in a minute here.  From out of the forest stepped what at first seemed to be a lion.  But that wasn't the end of it.  The thing had wings, a snake tail, and what seemed to be bear paws?  The monsters face had long fangs, and a lion face.  As it stepped fully out of the forest, I noticed something else: there was a goat head and neck on it.  Well, I'm fucked.  The monster growled at me, and I decided that staying around probably wasn't going to do wonders for my life expectancy.
I turned around and bolted for the exit, hoping that I could lose the monster in the forest, or that it may not even chase me at all.  Boom!  I turned my head just enough to see that the monster had crashed into the apple tree, and was running right for me, and it was picking up speed.  I rounded the corner to the exit, and decided that Fate just wasn't with me.  It was a straight path, with shrubs so high that I couldn't jump over them, and so tight I couldn't slip through them.  I could hear the creature round the corner, and decided that I was finished.  Even if I was faster, the creature probably had better endurance then me, so I'd get caught eventually.  The only bright spot in this whole situation was the tree branch a few feet in front of me.  Grabbing, I decided that I wouldn't go down without a fight.  I hope the Devil didn't miss me too much.
The creature came to a halt as it finished the turn, and gave me the strangest look, almost as if to ask me what I was doing with that big stick.  " Let's see what you've got, you big fuzz ball!" I shouted.  At first, I thought my luck had changed, as the creature just stood there, trying to figure out just what the fuck was going on, and why its food was yelling.  However, it decided to ponder the mystery later, and jumped at me.
I swung the tree branch like a club, expecting it to break, and me to die.  Instead of all that however, my hand briefly heated up and bright red lines ran up the branch.  As the branch struck the monster, it flared, and a hissing sound could be heard, along with the sickly sweet scent of burnt flesh.  The monster threw its body to the side mid jump, narrowly avoiding eating the stick.  It roared there in pain, giving me a second to catch my breath.  My hand hurt like Hell, as I stood there, amazed by the turn of events.  " Hm, can't say I saw that coming.  I was sure we were through.  Not that I'm unhappy though, this has been much more fun than my average day."
" What the fuck?  Who the fuck is that?  Actually, I don't fucking care!  Do you know how the fuck I did that!" I screamed in my head.  Jeesh, dying really did a number on my sanity didn't it.
" Of course I know, but I'm not the one who needs to figure it out, am I?" the voice said.  I could almost taste the sarcasm in its voice.  Fuck you, voice-in-my-head.
" Oh, come on!  At least give me a hint!" I pleaded with the voice in my head.  It was in that moment that I realized how sad my life was, pleading with a voice in my head.
" Hmm, I suppose I could.  Just focus on the branch, and imagine a fire, travelling from your heart, to your arm, through your hand, and into the branch.  Incidentally, you should really do that quickly, as the monster seems to be getting back up."
Turning to look, I saw that the cat was indeed getting back on its feet, deciding that not being able to taste its meal wouldn't be as bad as not having one.  Lifting the tree branch into a ready position, or the best that I could manage, I tried to do what the voice in my head said.  I saw a fire running from my heart, to my arm, and through my hand.  My palm began to burn, and red lines began to appear on the branch, just as the cat jumped at me.  I swung like a madman, hoping that I would hit something.  I managed to hit the monster square in the chest, causing it to roar in pain.  As it landed, it launched its tail at me, stabbing me in the chest.  I screamed as I felt the stinger pierce my skin. Ripping it out, I realized that the tail had barbs, causing even more pain.
I got knocked off my feet, by both the pain of the hit, and the raw force that the monster had carrying it.  I knew that I either needed to kill it, or slow it down and run, neither of which would be easy.  As it began to rise, I decided to switch my tactics.  Dropping the branch, I closed my hand, and imagined fire spreading into it.  In addition to the pain, which I had grown used to, I could feel a source of heat in my hand.  Looking at my fist, I saw flames leaking out, along with an oily black smoke.  I took a deep breath, and as the cat turned to face me, I threw the fire.  It struck the monster in the mouth, and it immediately began to burn, the fire spreading over the beast's mouth. After the flames had covered the monster's face, they began to seep inside.  It began trying to scream, but quickly lost its voice, the fire burning the inside of the monsters body.  Dark red lines began to form over the body, and it began to turn bright red.  Trying to get the final hit, it launched its tail, narrowly missing my heart, and stabbing me threw the shoulder.  The creature fell back, pulling its tail out, the dark red color fading away from it, and smoke beginning to disappear.  Staring at the creature, I felt bile rising in my throat.  I knew that I needed to kill it, but that...that was brutal.  I felt dirty after what I had done.
" Oh, having second thoughts are we?  Well ,that's just too bad. After all, I'm sure there was another way to get out of here. "  I could hear the voice in my head mock me, and I began to get defensive.
" Considering what I was up against, I doubt that there was.  The thing was a massive, and strong as hell!  There wasn't any way I was going to beat it without using that power.  Besides, it shouldn't have bitten off more than it could chew." I told the voice in my head, feeling better as I rationalized it. After all, the creature popped up, attacked me, and paid the price for it.  Why should I have gone another way?  It would have killed me, so all I did was beat it to the punch.
" I can see why you didn't have a problem killing a classmate!  You don't seem to have a very hard time coming up with reasons for your actions!" 
" Fuck you!" I screamed inside my head.  " It was a choice between her and I, and I choice me!  There isn't anything wrong with that, it was self-preservation!"
" You certainly don't need to explain yourself to me.  After all, I'm just a voice inside us." the voice said quietly.  I realized that I had just spent the last two minutes yelling inside my head, at myself.  I closed my eyes and shuddered.  Yep, my sanity definitely took a hit.  Despite all of this, I knew I couldn't stay here.  Other animals would come, and despite my new source of power, I didn't feel up to facing them.  My head hurt, and it stung where the snake had bitten me.  I also had begun to feel weird during the end of the fight, which led me to believe that the snake head had poison in its fangs.
Stumbling away, I decided that going the opposite direction from the camp ground was for the best as well.  Who's to say that the camp ground wasn't a trap for travelers, and that other predators weren't there?  Walking down the path, I soon realized just how fucked I was.  The monster had poisoned me, and the poison was spreading fast, my body heating up like a kettle, my balance mostly gone, and I felt like I had to vomit.  I knew I wouldn't make it far.  
" There is another way, you know.",  the voice in my head said quietly.  I almost missed hearing it, with how focused I was on walking, and surviving.
" What?," I asked the voice.  Even in my head, I sounded weak.  I knew that I didn't have long left, and that either the voice in my head would be right, again, or I'd be found by somebody, otherwise I'm dead.
" Focus your mind on clearing your body of the toxins.  Imagine a fire sweeping through you.  Instead of leaving your body however, imagine it passing all through you, burning away the infection."
As painful as that sounded, I knew that I had to try.  I focused again, this time imagining the fire sweeping through me, burning away all the poison. I expected that it would hurt, I didn't expect how badly it would however.  It felt like my whole body was being burnt away, and if I could have, I would have screamed.  It only lasted a minute, but by the end. I could barely stand.  The nausea was gone, but the heat and dizziness hadn't gone away.  I felt myself passing out, hoping that no random predators would come waltzing by, and decide that I'm a nice snack.
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Walking through the forest for most ponies was usually dangerous, but for Zecora, it was just an average day.  What wasn't an average day however, was the smell currently assaulting her noise, or the screams that had echoed through the forest only moments ago.  She had decided to follow the noise, cutting through the underbrush.  Coming upon a scene of destruction, she felt vomit rising up.  She had lived in the forest for a long time, but she had never before seen such a scene of carnage.  A burnt manticore laid in its death roes, steam still lightly rising from its body.  Further down the path she saw some sort of lump on the ground.  Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she began walking towards the lump.  Laying there was some sort of bipedal creature, in some sort of strange clothes.  Bright red lines were traced all along its body, and as she watched, they disappeared.  She couldn't believe that this creature had managed to defeat the manticore. Staring at it, she realized it was bleeding, and badly.  Two deep puncture marks adorned its body, clearly from the manticore , and it was bleeding deeply.  She quickly dropped to the ground ,and reached into one of the several pouches she carried around her body.  Pulling out a small bag, she poured the contents onto the creatures body, filling the deep puncture marks.  The creature moaned as the contents hit his chest.  She knew that she needed to move the creature before any other monsters came, but she was afraid that if she moved him, he would die.  Taking a look around, she knew the smell of blood and burnt flesh would call other predators to the area.  Deciding that moving the body would be for the best.  Grabbing him by the foot with her mouth, she began pulling him to her hut.
______________________________________________________________________________
Twilight sat on her throne, listening to the pony in front of her deliver their petition.  As was the usual, the ponies always seemed to be facing either a land dispute, to high of taxes, or someone else had slighted their family name.  That complaint was especially common with nobles families, she had noticed. The pony in front of her was no different.
" They must apologize, Princess Twilight!  The slight that they have given my family must be corrected!  They must be punished!" said the obnoxious unicorn in front of her.  The light blue unicorn had been sitting here for nearly half-an-hour telling her what " she must do" in order for things to be set right.
Twilight had quickly learned that dealing with royal ponies usually turned into a pain, and as must as she hated to say it, dealing with commoner ponies wasn't much easier.  Both groups always felt that they had it the hardest, that they were right about every issue, and looked down on one another.  The worst issues, however, revolved around racial differences.  Living under Celestia, and then living in Ponyville, Twilight never had to face these kind of issues before.  But the longer she stayed in Canterlot, the more she was forced to listen to the mindless gabbling of racist ponies.  More often than not, the racism came from either the Unicorns or Earth Ponies, oddly enough.  Both sides looked down on the other, Unicorns saying that Earth Ponies were nothing more than glorified gardeners, and Earth Ponies saying that Unicorns are a bunch of pansy whiners. 
Twilight would never have believed ponies could have thoughts like those until after she left Ponyville, but thankfully, she was able to see past these ideas and see as the other Princesses, and her mentor, thought.  They knew that all the ponies were equal, and deserved to be treated as such.  Twilight hadn't ever thought about it before, but after being forced to hear argument after argument after which race was better, Twilight realized that the only reason that they hadn't gone to war was because the princess's influence.  
Forcing her attention back to the matter at hand, she quickly found herself bored with the pony's problem.  He wanted her to publically denounce the other families action, but either didn't realize, or perhaps knew and that was the real goal, that by doing that, the royal family would appear to be favoring them, changing their station.  Furthermore, the family that had insulted his honor had already appeared, declaring that the family was full of nothing but swine, and they deserved it.
Twilight suddenly came back into focus, realizing that the pony was waiting for her to respond.  Clearing her throat, she turned her gaze on the Unicorn.  " While I can understand how it must have felt being treated so poorly, I must say that asking the royal family to denounce them would be taking it a step too far.  Instead, I shall contact them myself, and arrange for a meeting you and them.  There, we shall discuss, in detail, the real issues between your families. The Throne has spoken." Twilight said, before the Unicorn could open his mouth to argue.  " Next petitioner."
The Unicorn glared at Twilight before bowing and turning away.  As soon as he exited the room, Twilight breathed out a sigh of relief.  Looking towards her guard, she titled her hear and asked, " Who's left to speak to?"  Her guard smiled and gave a small laugh.  " There aren't any left.  I just didn't want to listen to that windbag talk anymore, and I didn't think you did either." 
Twilight gave a small, appreciative laugh.  She loved her guards, they reminded her so much of her Ponyville friends.  Her new duties took up most of her time, between researching new magic that was only recently open to her after her transformation, or between ruling in when Luna or Celestia needed a break, she didn't have much free time.  Still, it just meant that she treasured her free time with her friends.
Out of nowhere the door to the audience chamber opened, and a light gray Earth pony with a dark yellow mane cantered into the room, bowing low before Twilight, and declaring " Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia asked me to bring you to her.  If you would please follow me."  The pony turned and began to trot out of the room, not waiting for Twilight to respond.
Quickly jumping from the throne, Twilight walked faster then she normally would, catching the pony quickly.  " Did she say what she wanted to me for?" Twilight asked, a thousand scenarios going through her mind, everything from her mentor simply wanting a cup of tea, to having her crown removed from her, and being sent back to Ponyville in shame.
" No, she didn't," the Earth pony said, keeping up its pace, " but I wouldn't be too worried about it.  She didn't seem particularly distressed."
Still, Twilight's mind kept coming up with daydreams of being branded a failure and sent back to magic kindergarten.  She quickly had a freak out, and turned to the pony beside her.  Her eyes twitching, Twilight asked in a flat voice, " Where exactly is she?"
The Earth pony looked towards her, and seeing her condition summarized that maybe just letting the mare go off on her own might not be the best idea.  " She, well that is to say, that she well..."
Twilight jumped in front of the other pony, and with a determined glare once again asked " Where is she?"
The Earth pony had never been so afraid of an answer to a question before, and decided that the best answer for his health was to give the crazy mare the answer.  " She is in her sitting the chamber, the one closest to her bedroom!"
Twilight teleported directly after hearing the answer.  As she popped into the room, she her mentor staring with an odd look on her face.  As she opened her mouth to speak, Twilight cut her off.  " Princess Celestia, please don't send me away!  I'm sorry if I did something wrong, I'll fix it, and never make it again!  Please, don't send me away, or back to magic kindergarten!"
Celestia smiled at Twilight, and had a small laugh.  " Twilight, please calm down." Celestia said, her smile growing larger.  " I wanted to ask you if you would be willingly to take on what could be a rather long project." 
Twilight's curiosity was piqued, and she quickly calmed down.  " Project, princess?  What kind of project?"
Celestia set down her tea, and sighed ,the smiling leaving her face.  " Yesterday, I felt a magical energy begin to form in the atmosphere, until some sort of portal opened, and an object fell to the ground. I scanned for it, but not long after it landed, the magical aura went away.  From what I could, the object is living, and appears to have some sort of strange magic.  I only had around thirty minutes to scan it, and the magic seemed to fight me, as I couldn't get an accurate reading, but it dropped somewhere in the EverFree, released a relatively, compared to earlier, small amount of magic, then disappeared.  I'd like you to go take a look, along with the other element holders, just in case the situation needs to be handled."
Twilight beamed, and smiled broadly at her mentor.  " I'd be delighted to go, Princess!  When should I go?"
Celestia nodded at the door.  " A chariot has been made ready for you, and anything that you need shall be forwarded when you ask for it.  Seeing as the library holds a majority of the books I believe you need, along with any clothes and food you might want, at least for a while, I am sure that you are more than ready to go."
Twilight began to panic for a moment, wondering if she had everything she would need, until she managed to focus on the task at hand.  Calming herself, she began to mutter what her current mantra was lately: " I don't need to worry so much, everything will take care of itself as long as I work with it.  Everything will be fine, I'm sure.  Everything will be fine."  Closing her eyes and breathing in deeply, she reopened them, and smiled at the Princess.  " I'm ready now."
Celestia smiled, and said " Go on then, it's not polite to keep them waiting.  Good-bye, my favorite student."
" Good-bye Princess." Twilight said.  Her horn glowed, and she disappeared from the room, reappearing inside the docking station.
______________________________________________________________________________
I slowly began to open my eyes, oddly enough feeling almost no pain, and being rather comfortable.  As my eyes began to focus, I noticed that I was no longer on a forest floor, but that I was inside some kind of house, or maybe a hut.  As my other senses began to wake up, I smelt something cooking nearby-by.  Out of nowhere, the fear that I was the one being cooked came into being, and I tried to turn over on my side, in order to see if there was a fire beneath me.  However, I couldn't move my hands or arms.  I tried to sit, and found that my chest was bound with ropes, and I assumed that my arms were as well.  I tried to kick out with my feet, and felt that they were bound as well.  I began to panic, wondering where I am, and why the hell I was bound and trussed like a Thanksgiving Turkey.
" Hello!?  Is anyone there?!" I shouted, the terror clear in my voice.  I heard a noise in the corner, and I tried to turn my head.
" Hey, I heard you! Who are you, and where the fuck am I?" I screamed, quickly losing control.
" Do not be afraid tall one; for if you keep moving, then my work shall be undone!" a voice from the shadows said.
I tried to turn my head, and gained maybe an inch in that direction, but I still couldn't see anyone.  " Who the fuck is there?  Why the hell are you hiding in the shadows?"
Ah, I do not hide in the dark; I merely cannot create a spark." the voice said, seemingly closer than before.  " And furthermore, I do need feel the tone is right; for it is your death that I have postponed."  
" As happy as I am to be alive", I said, trying to keep the tone out of my voice, " but I'd like to be able to see my benefactor.  Just to be on the safe side."
" On the side of caution, it is always wise to err; but if I can have a moment more, then we shall be square." 
I closed my eyes for a moment, sighing, and wishing that this would all be over.  " Is that why you have me tied up, because of my wounds?  Or were you afraid that I might hurt you?  Oh, and be honest, I don't mind if you hurt my feelings." I said with a smile on my face.
I heard a small laugh, a click, and then a whoosh, followed by the smell of something burning.  " I did not mean to make you tense; but from your aura I had some sort of sense."
I turned my head, and began my response, but stopped once I realized who I was speaking to. Standing in front of me was an honest to god zebra, only smaller than an average size, closer to a large dog.  My mouth twitched, and I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing...until I realized that I had died, been to Hell, and been bound to a demon.  So in reality, this wasn't anything. Still, it wasn't the easiest sight.
" So, you're a zebra I'm guessing?" I said lamely, trying to get some sort of control back.
She, or at least I assumed it was a she based on the voice, smiled at me.  " Yes, in this land that is what I'm called; though I think I should be the one enthralled.  After all, it was I who found you, in the forest mauled; pray tell, what was it that you are called?"
" My name is Connor, Connor Sheffield." I said smiling.  " Can you tell me your name, along with where I am?"
" Certainly, my newest friend; first my name is Zecora, and in Equestria, near the tail end."
I hadn't ever heard of it before.  However, based on the name, it sounded kind of...horsey.  And if Zecora is anything to go by, there were probably more than one type of them.  Still, I suppose that I should ask. " Zecora, what in the hell lives here?  Because no offense, but I've never seen anything like you."
She gave me a look, and said " I am also greatly confused; and that your lack of knowledge can be excused.  I am a Zebra.
" Zebra, huh?  Well, that answers that question.  Are there any other creatures like you here?
" Indeed, there are several races that reside here; mostly Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and finally the Alicorn, of which the other three revere."
Hm, I can recognize all but one of those races.  But, based on what the other three are, I can guess that its some sort of magical creature, pulled straight out of legends.
" Wait, you say that the other three races revere them?"  Zecora nodded, and I decided to continue with this line of questioning.  " Why?"
" Alicorns are different then the other three; they are the reason that Equestria came to be.  Back in the old days there were only two; one ruled the sun, the other the moon.  Together they reined in harmony;  keeping the nation running normally.  However, there are now four, as a short while ago another Princess rose; and it is love that she bestows.  And finally came the one I know; from Twilight Sparkle does harmony overflow."
Well, that was...interesting.  Though, I could have skipped the history lesson, though I suppose that knowing is " half the battle".  Still, I wish she had skipped some of the details.  At least my question was answered.
" Thank for the answer, Zecora.  I have a feeling a basic knowledge would come in handy.  By the way, how bad are my injuries?"
" Not as bad as I thought them to be; but it was still a gruesome sight to see.  Several cuts and puncture wounds nearly spelt your doom."
" I see." I said quietly, just now realizing how stupid I was to stand against that monster.  Sure, I didn't really have much to lose, but still, it was dumb.  I should have been more careful, and a lot more clever when fighting that thing.  Not to mention taking such a huge chance hoping I could kill it.
Zecora looked at me, noticing my expression.  " Do not worry, my newest friend; I will not let you meet your end."  
I closed my eyes, and smiled.  " Is there any chance I could have my bonds removed?  I would like to get up and move."
I felt the bonds around my arms loosened, along with the ones on my chest.  As I opened my eyes I saw Zecora moving away, and nodding towards my legs.  I sat up slowly, trying not to injure myself more.  Still, it was painful, causing me to flinch several times during the removal of my bonds.  Zecora watched with a careful eye, seeing me flinch, and watching how careful I was.  As I turned to get off the table, she spoke.  " Try to be careful as you move around; else you may find yourself laying on the ground. "  
I nodded, and turned towards the exit of the hut.  It was then that I noticed my clothing was spread on a chair.  I looked at my chest, considering leaving the clothes.  As cool as they are, seeing as they didn't seem to help that much, I'd rather not have them.  As I looked outside however, I realized that I was in a jungle.  Jungles have bugs.  And I hate bugs.  I decided that putting the clothes on would be for the best.  Lifting it over my head took my effort, but I managed to get it on.  I nodded to Zecora on my way out, deciding that it might be best to let her know I'd be back.  " I'll be back in awhile, and don't worry, I'll be safe." 
I opened the door, and left the hut, not really sure where to go, but I knew that I needed to go somewhere.  The events of the fight replayed in my head, and I found myself looking over my hands.  Seeing as how the energy seemed to flow through my hands, I thought that there had to be a physical mark.  And sure enough, my palms had some sort of marks on them.  The marks looked like they were burnt into my hands, in the shape of the demon that the Devil had placed inside me.  Interestingly enough, the eyes were bright red, like flames.  It was a little disturbing, even to me, and I knew that if anyone else saw the mark, they would ask him where he got it, or what it meant.  Or, even worse, someone might be able to recognize it for what it was, which would cause huge problems.  Unless of course they were devil-worshippers, but seeing Zecora's reaction to his injuries, and the work she put in to fixing him, it would have to be a very elaborate act on her part.  Still, I decided to check and see if there was a way to hide the mark.
Hey, are you there?
".....Where else would I be?  At this point, I exist only in your mind.  Where in the Hell could I go where you couldn't find me?"
Well....That's a good question.  Still, I need your help.  Is there any way to hide these marks on my hand?  I'd rather not have to explain them.
" Indeed there is.  Focus on your aura, and suppress it.  Imagine it melting into you, the obvious marks of your power should disappear."
Obvious marks?  What does that mean?  Hello?  Well....This just got awkward.  Let's give this a try.  
I focused on my power, using my hands as a focal point.  I didn't really know how to go about it, but I decided that my hands would be the best place.  As I focused, I felt the power slide down my arms, and into my hands, and my marks.  I traced them backwards. until they came to an end.  Instead of ending in my brain, like I thought they would, they ended near my heart, but closer to the middle of chest.  Continuing my work, I imagined the power slowly receding inside me, the aura fading away.  As I closed the power up, I left a small hole, just in case I needed to use some, or if I needed to get access to it all.  Hopefully if anyone managed to find my aura, they wouldn't trace it back and open the hole.  Huh, that seemed a little advanced for how little I understood these powers, or if anyone else would be able to.  Then again, if my first assumptions were correct, and Unicorns were magical as well, then they might be able to.
I sat outside for a while longer, just listening to the sounds of the jungle.  It was odd to hear how similar they sounded to the forests he used to live in.  The odd roars from animals, birds chirping, insects making their various noises.  A little odd, but a little wonderful as well.  I didn't realize until I started listening to the noises.  It struck me that I was nervous and scared, that I'd never find anything like home.  But here, in the first place I fell, I found a little slice of home.  Even if this 'home' had some very nasty animals.
I decided to go in, starting to feel hungry.  Actually, really hungry.  Good thing that the food had been ready for awhile, judging by the bowl on the table.  Zecora seemed to have disappeared, as she wasn't in the hut.  As I sat down to eat, I had a small laugh.  Maybe I should pray before I have a bite to eat?  
As I was eating, I realized that my skin color seemed to have changed.  Instead of ash gray, it was a light tan.  I stood there for a moment, wondering if the demon magic inside me was actually some sort of radiation, and that my skin was slowly becoming cancerous from all the increase and decrease in radiation levels. An even better question: what is Zecora going to do when she sees me like this?  Ah well, F.I.S.H.  I decided to look at my gear, wanting to see what damage was done to it.  As I looked however, I realized that any damage it might have incurred was fixed, like it had never happened.  Weird, but I wasn't going to complain.
I got up to go to bed, deciding that I was tired.  As I laid down, I wondered idly if Zecora would strap me down again.

> The Best Recipe; One Part Truth, Two Part Lies.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunlight streamed through the hut, casting shadows throughout.  One beam had managed to hit me straight in the face, taking the place of my worst enemy, my alarm clock, and managing to wake me up.  As I sat up and groaned, I felt a twinge in my chest, where the monster had struck me in the chest.  I knew that I would be feeling that for a while.  Getting out of the bed I looked outside, seeing Zecora sitting in the clearing around the home, humming sort of tune.  Looking up, I saw that the sun was sitting about a third of the way through the sky, meaning that it couldn't have been past eleven.  I contemplated sleeping for a while longer, but decided against it.  I knew I needed to get up and figure out what I was going to do, and sleeping wouldn't have helped me that much.  It especially wouldn't help me if I had a nightmare, like the first night I was here.
I moved away from the window and began to search the hut for food.  After a minute of searching, I realized just how ridiculous the search was going to be.  Zecora seemed to have a habit of leaving her ingredients on the counter, leaving a massive mess all over.  Her potions also lacked labels, so I decided not to risk drinking anything on the counter, just to be on the safe side.  The kitchen was even worse than the laboratory area, with leftovers from dinners past, along with what looked like even more ingredients, just as unrecognizable then the others.  I managed to find the fridge, and upon further inspection, I found some apples.  Taking a careful look, I didn't find anything wrong with them.  Snagging two for me and one for Zecora, I went outside.  
As I exited the hut, I felt slightly bad about taking her food.  After all, I've already taken advantage of her hospitality.  However, the voice in my head had another point of view on the matter.
" Don't worry about it.  Seeing as she's willing to nurse you back to health, taking a bit of her food shouldn't bother her.  Not to mention, you did find an apple tree in the forest, so you can always pay her back if you need to"
Deciding I couldn't find a fault with that logic, I approached Zecora.  She didn't seem to notice me, as she kept her head down and continued humming the tune.  I couldn't see what she was working on, but I decided not to look.  After all, as long as I stayed near her, I'd see it when it was finished.  I pulled out an apple and began eating, the wheels in my mind turning.  Here I was, stuck on some sort of alien planet, my first and only friend a zebra, who so far I owed my life to already.  I had nothing but the clothes on my back, and a little magic. 
As far as my skills went, all I had were the skills I had learned when I was in school, so unless they education system here was terrible, or I managed to get a job working with children, I had zero practical skills.  I didn't have any fighting experience, as the fight with that creature showed me, and I had no idea how half the things I used to use at home worked, so I couldn't become a famous inventor.  It seemed like my only options were either manual labor, child education, or learn some skills.  Seeing as I hated work and children, none of these options seemed very tempting.  Though, I'd rather learn new skills then dig ditches, so I guess I had better hit the books.
I finished the first apple before I noticed how hungry I was.  Seems like getting stabbed took more out of me then I thought.  Sparing a glance at Zecora, I noticed she was still focused on her project.  Shrugging my shoulders, I left the apple near her, and went back inside the house to try and find some more food.
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Hearing the footsteps depart, Zecora felt her focus once again switch totally over to her project.  All night she had felt some sort of spiritual energy from the young man, and she decided that she would need to take steps to deal with it.  All the negative emotions stored in the energy could have adverse effects, on both him and those around him.  She theorized that that was how the manticore had found him, as that wasn't there usual hunting grounds.  She knew she needed to finish the project, before his energy output increased, and summoned more creatures.  Interestingly enough, she had noticed that his energies had seemed to reduce some time last night, and while not completely leaving him, they were reduced so that they wouldn't attract animals unless they had already strayed from their usual patterns.  Hopefully, this talisman would help keep the energy inside him low, and insure that no more creatures followed him.
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My search for food proved fruitless, as I only found a few tomatoes, along with some sort of lettuce.  While I would have preferred more apples, I discovered that only two of the remaining were still good to eat, and I'd rather not rob Zecora of what was one of the best things I had eaten.  So, settling for a salad, I sat down for another meal.  I continued to think of my situation; I knew that if I kept thinking, eventually I'd think of some sort of practical skill I could learn, or one that I had already mastered.  I'd considered asking Zecora if I could study under her, because if the potions surrounding me were any indication, she seemed fairly proficient at her craft.  However I didn't really want to learn about plants and medicines, because as sure as I am that they would benefit me in the long run, I knew that I'd get bored quickly, regardless of how hard I tried.  I tried to think of any other skills I could learn from her, but without more knowledge of the area and the level of technology I was around I knew I wouldn't be able to make a decision.  I decided to question Zecora as best I could when she came back inside, leaving me to my own devices inside the house.  
Leaning  back, I began to contemplate the chair I was in.  While none of the furniture really fit me, the chairs held me pretty well.  The backs just manage to  reach the middle of my shoulders, and the base seems strong enough to hold me.  The beds are just as good, so long as I either curled up or let my feet dangle over the side.  I wonder, could I build furniture?  It seems easy enough, and I'm sure that I could master the craft.  As soon as this idea began to take hold however, another popped into my head; what good is building furniture my size if the creatures around me are far smaller, if Zecora was any indication?  
Shaking my head, I stood up and put the dishes in the sink.  Looking around the room, I gave the room a disappointing tut.  I wasn't a neat-freak by any means, but still, the level of disorganization still irked me.  As much as I would have liked to clean it, I feared that doing so mat overstep my bounds.  Perhaps she knew where everything was, and preferred it this way.  Or maybe this helped her to create her potions, with the controlled chaos being a source of inspiration.  I left it alone for now deciding that I'd talk to her about cleaning up later.  
Finding nothing else to entertain me or give me a stroke of genius as to what to do for my time here, I sat down and tried to meditate.  I'd never really had much success in my earlier attempts, but I was hoping that the change I'd undergone might help me to focus.  Taking deep, calming breaths, I focused on a small void inside my mind, attempting to block out all the sounds and sights around me.  Slowly, the noise began to fade, until all that was left was a hum.  Thoughts began to take shape in the void, though not those that I expected.
I wonder if everyone at home misses me?  Do they think I'm a monster for what I did? Do they think that I deserve my fate?  I hope not, but I guess I'll never know.  I wonder if Jenny managed to get to Heaven?  Even if what the Devil said wasn't true, having your best friend tell a killer to kill you instead of him should earn you a free pass into the pearly gates.  God, I miss home...
My thoughts slowly began to spread out, leaving behind the more depressing ones in favor of the new powers I had gotten.  I was sure there were limits, but what were they?  I decided to try and talk to Grifith, and see if he would fill me in.
Grifith, I need some help.  I've got a couple of questions that I know you can answer.
I waited for a minute before I got a response.  " I suppose I could answer a few questions, seeing as you caught me in a good mood."
I know that I'll regret asking, but what put you in such a good mood?  Seeing as you can't leave my head, I can't really see what could put you in such a good mood.
"The fact that your actually using your brain for the first time since I've known you.  Your finally considering where you are, and what you're going to do.  Admittedly, you haven't had the easiest time yet or the most time to think about it, but still, I'm glad you've finally started thinking."
I don't know whether to be happy for the compliment, or angry at the insult.  Still, I need to have you answer a few questions.  First, how much can I actually do with the power I've got?  Secondly, why does it affect my skin?
" The limits of the power you've been given are twofold: first, your imagination, secondly your strength in magic.  Getting strength is relatively easy, simply use the powers more often, and you'll gain more strength.  Also remember that your body needs to be kept in shape as well, as the magic will also cause a strain on it.  If your healthy and relatively strong, the strain shouldn't have that much of an effect, unless you use a large amount at once, or over a short period of time. After that comes imagination; so long as your able to see what you want, and are able to project it, you can create it.  Of course, to summon forth a giant meteor would take a massive amount of magic, so that's out of the picture.  And, for you, the real danger is in the way you think.  While you have a great imagination, you fall into clichés with your thought patterns, and while you have a good grasp on them, you can become far too dependent on them instead of your own intellect."
How would you know how I think?
" Like I said, I've been in your head since you've gotten here.  What else do I have to do other then read your mind, watch what happens, and look into your memories?  After going through all that, it isn't hard to notice that some of your more idle thoughts revolve around video game characters, and using your abilities to fight like Ermac, or maybe Smoke.  Not to mention, your idea of magic is rooted in uses related to how several of your favorite characters use them."
" Secondly, to understand that, you need to understand the power itself.  Humans have no natural magical ability, not now, not ever.  To compensate for that, your minds developed differently; instead of magical theory, you created science. Instead of using your magic to solve your problems, you turned to your intellect and ability to make tools.  Now, since humans have never developed their bodies to house energies, the magic inside you is more akin to a virus.  It infects your body, taking over the cells one by one, until your body becomes saturated with magic.  With the small amount of magic you've gained, the only noticeable difference is your skin.  However, the more magic you use, and the more it infects your system, the more changes you'll see.  So long as you continue to suppress your aura, the effects will recede.  However, I'd re-think the way you went about it.  Locking it away into a small hole, while effective, doesn't allow the power to build, leaving you weak.  Instead, imagine that it's a massive ocean that has been dried up.  Allow the power to over time fill the ocean, and when your skin changes back, imagine the shoreline receding, and they should go away."
I sat there puzzled by the amount of information I had gotten.  After a while I decided that I should follow his advice.  I searched within myself until I found the hole where I hid my powers.  I imagined the hole disappearing, but instead of allowing the power to flow out of me, I imagined a dried out ocean, with my power being just a small drop of water in the middle.  I set it there, and took a step back, appearing at the edge of the ocean.  All around me all I could see what a limitless expanse of sand, so I assumed it worked.  Opening my eyes, I bid goodbye to Grifith for all the advice.
" Of course," he said as I departed, "after all, we are in this together."
As I opened my eyes, I noticed that Zecora had entered the hut, and was giving me an odd look.
I smiled at her and said, " Good morning, or I suppose I should say good afternoon.  Did you eat the apple I left for you?"
She nodded once before speaking.  " Indeed I did, and many thanks; I only I had had a drank!"
I gave a small chuckle, giving the potions around the room an eye.  " I suppose finding something to give you wouldn't be hard.  No guarantees that it wouldn't kill you, however."
She gave the room a quick once over and nodded her head.  " I have been working hard as of late; as a result my home no longer gleams like a silver-plate."
" Speaking of working," I spoke as I turned my head sideways, " when I went out to give you some food you seemed to be working on something.  Mind telling me what it is?"
She turned towards a small bag on her side, and pulled out some sort of necklace with her teeth.  Turning to look at me, she tossed it into my lap.  I picked it up and noticed right away that some sort of energy was coming off of it.  The iconography of it was even more noticeable.  It was carved as some sort of creaming face, the expression revealing fear, pain, and what seemed like hunger.  The mouth was opened freakishly wide, almost as if it were ready to consume me.
" The design is meant to be a ward; a protection against anything untoward."  She said, deciding against telling the truth of the item, out of fear that it would not be accepted.
Looping it around my neck, I immediately felt a change.  Looking at Zecora, clearly something happened, as the look on her face was one of pride, almost like she completed an extremely difficult puzzle.
" Mind telling me what that did?" I ask, slightly worried that she might not have given me the full truth.
" It did just as I said it would; I did not think you misunderstood."
" I understand that part, but how?  I feel different, like something is applying pressure deep inside me.  And while it isn't uncomfortable, I'd rather be sure it isn't dangerous."
" Ah, now I see; your fear me!  Do not fret my new friend; this necklace shall not spell your end.  All it does is contain your aura; it shall repel the fauna and flora.  The reason for the spell is twofold; to protect you and those around, and to keep your aura controlled."
It took me a moment to realize what she was saying.  While I was glad that the necklace would protect me, I was worried that if she could sense my aura, then so could others.  It would make hiding my powers much, much harder.
" Zecora, how can you tell what my aura is?  I thought that only Unicorns could sense magic."
" If your magic was of the norm, that would be true; however your magic is something unique and new.  And with the strength behind it, it can easily be felt by all; however do not yet start to bawl!  For sometime last night a large portion seemed to stray ; my necklace shall take the rest away, and keep your identity safe!
As I puzzled out the sentence, relief washed over me.  I was worried that I'd be found quickly, but it seemed as if Zecora and I had managed to remove most of the danger, even if it was unintentional.  However, I still had one concern that I needed to address.
" Zecora, when you found me, could you detect any of the aura from anywhere else?"
She looked at me, and said quietly " I could feel the power in the air, and I must admit, it gave me quite the scare: so now I believe that for all I've done, an answer would make us fair.  From where do you come, my newest friend?  And how did your time there end?"
This was the one question that I really didn't want to answer, but I knew that I'd need to.  I decided that a mixture of truth and deception would work best, and if I pulled it off right, she would be none the wiser.  Deciding to keep the story simple, I used the classic formula; one part truth, and two part lies.
" Well, my memory is a little fuzzy, but I'll try and remember as best I can.  I was going to school, and during first period, a man came into class.  He had a weapon, and he used it to kill three students, and I was one of them.  After that, my memory gets a little hazy, and I only remember waking up here." I said, hoping that she would buy it.
" Hm, while that explains much, still much is left unsaid: like how you found that beast, and left it for dead."
This would be the hardest question to answer, seeing as I couldn't afford to tell her how I managed to kill the thing.  " I don't know.  Like I said, I can't remember how I got here, and the first thing I remember is waking up in your house, lying down strapped to a table." I really hope she believed that, otherwise I was fucked.
She looked at me for what felt like hours, but then she nodded her head.  It seemed that she believed me.  " One last question, before you go; why is your skin no longer aglow?"
I nearly smiled, but I didn't want to end the act just before I managed to convince her.  ' I think it has it has to do with the fact that I know I died, but came back.  Whatever magic brought me back probably wasn't out of my system when I first got here, but most likely has been slowly disappearing.  At least, that's what I think the answer is."
She shrugged her shoulders, and for once didn't rhyme when she spoke " For now I suppose that answer shall do, but I must warn you: if I find that you lied to me, I shall make you pay for your deception.  Understood?"
I almost wished that she had rhymed, it might have taken away some of the fear I felt from that statement. Even though she had been nothing but kind to me, I knew that she wouldn't hesitate to make me pay if I had lied.
Snapping back to reality, I quickly nodded my head.  " I understand."
Having said what she needed to say, she turned away from me and walked and went into the kitchen.  " Perhaps it would now be for the best, if after haven taken such a long rest, if we put your stomach to the test.
I smiled and nodded.  " I could do with some lunch."
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Twilight had finally gathered everything that she would need for her visit to Ponyville.  She hadn't known what to pack for, and had decided that she would just need to take everything.  And so, using her magic, she had managed to create a small inter-dimensional space with-in one of her saddlebags.  That had taken longer then she had expected, and so she was running behind schedule.  As soon as she had found out that she was behind by an entire day, she quickly degenerated to near madness.  
It was in this state that Spike had found her.  Needing to gather some things of own for their trip home, mostly gems and a few new comics, he had left yesterday.  He had expected her to come home last night, but she had never shown.  Because of this he had gone looking for her, finding her in the first place that he had looked: her bedroom.
Spike gave her a look, and asked " Uh, Twilight, what are you doing?"
She turned around and gave looked him in the eyes.  It was worse than he thought.  Her left eye was currently twitching, and both pupils had nearly disappeared, her mane had become frayed, and she had a very creepy smile.
Spike took a step back, having not seen Twilight like this in a very long time.  " Twilight, maybe you should calm down, after all, it's just a day delay." 
Twilight nearly screamed at him.  " A day?  Just a day?  Spike, this delay is terrible!  Who knows what happened, and I've already missed a day!  I need to hurry to get back on schedule, I can't miss anything else!"
Spike had thought that she had gotten over these problems a long time ago, but he guessed wrong.  He didn't know what it would take for her to calm down, but he would try anything.
" Twilight calm down, I'm sure everything is going to be ok.  If the situation was that desperate, wouldn't Celestia have just teleported you there, and then sent what you needed after you had gotten there?"
The words seemed to have an effect, as she took a deep breath, and began to collect herself.  As she was doing so, Spike moved towards her, and placed a hand lightly on her main.  
" Feeling better?" he asked after her breathing had returned to normal.
'	Twilight's face turned towards Spike's as she smiled. The creepy grin had disappeared, and in its place was her normal smile.  In addition, her eyes had returned to normal, becoming full sized and twitch free.  " Yes Spike, I am.  Thank you for being here." she said, truly grateful for it.  It had been a while since she had had anytime with Spike, and she was amazed at the differences she could see.
He had finally hit dragon puberty, and had grown to be only a few inches shorter then Celestia.  His voice had deepened, while still retaining its ability to create high pitched noises, as Spike had found out.  His claws had grown in, but as a dragon, he was able to sheath them.  Wings had begun to sprout, the same green and purple as his body.  Finally, his face and body had changed.  Instead of having baby fat and being slightly pudgy, he had thinned out, and his face had become more rigid, losing the circular shape it had held for so long.  His mouth had become more extended, and the fin on his head had grown, reaching his back.  His tail had also grown, causing it to drag behind him a foot or so.  Looking into his concerned eyes, she realized that while he had changed on the outside, on the inside, he was still her number one assistant.
"No problem Twilight, but you are right, we should hurry up and get to the train station if we want to be there today. "
Twilight's ears had perked up hearing this, and her reply came incredibly fast.  ' Wait, we're taking a train?  Why?  I mean, either of the princesses or myself could just teleport there instantly."
Spike smiled, and slipped his arms around her.  " I haven't seen you regularly since you became a princess!  I'm not letting an opportunity to spend time with you disappear."
Twilight returned the hug.  " Ok, Spike, we can take the train." she said softly, simply enjoying the moment.
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I was already tired of sitting around Zecora's house.  While I had no wish to go back into the forest, I was running out of things to do here.  I had cleaned the house with Zecora, including the mess in the kitchen, talked with her for a while about Equestria, and then had walked around the clearing, thinking on what I had learned.  
Apparently the last few years had been quite tumultuous, starting with the return of Princess Luna.  According to Zecora, a thousand years ago Luna was banished to the moon after threatening to create eternal night, believing the ponies no longer cared for her night. She had become controlled by a being named Nightmare Moon, and Celestia had been forced to use the Elements of Harmony, magical artifacts of great power, to banish her from the land.  She had returned, however she was defeated by a group of six mares wielding the Elements.  This time, instead of being banished, she was freed, as the power of friendship had struck her.  After all this, they also had to face the return of Discord, the God of Chaos, an invasion by Changelings, and the Plight of the Crystal Empire.  All of which were solved by either the power of love, friendship, or some other nonsense.
While I didn't believe a word of it, I knew I couldn't afford to not listen, regardless of how stupid it sounded.  How in the Hell could a group of girls beat a cadre of villains using nothing but friendship and their wits?  Bullshit.  Still, Zecora seemed to know the girls in question, which had raised the credibility of her story somewhat.  Still, I was skeptical.
Zecora had noticed, seeing as I wasn't hiding it, and said that when she went into town later today, she would grab me a few books so I could see for myself.  Along with the books on recent history, I had asked for books on herbs, geography, ancient history, a magic book for beginners, and a few others.  While she had raised her in eyes in surprise at most requests and had attempted to question me on why I was interested in them, I told her that since I was here, I might as well take advantage of what I could learn while I was here.  She was especially interested in the magic book, as I explained that humans naturally possessed no magic.
" Pray tell, if your species has no magic, why would you seek a book to teach; surely what you could learn would be out of your reach?"
I don't want to learn how to use magic, as I doubt I could, but I would like to learn about it.  Like I said, humans can't use magic themselves, and I doubt I'll ever get a chance to learn about real magic.  I couldn't care less that I can't use it."
She still looked suspicious, but she had relented, and promised to pick up all that I asked her from the local library.  Apparently the local librarian was out, away on business.  Zecora had told me that she was one of the Elements, and had recently been raised to a princess by Celestia, leaving the care of the library in the hands of a replacement from one of the nearby towns.
As I sat there, I tried to contact Grifith again.  This time, instead of asking if he was there, I decided to just go for it.
Yo.  I got another question for ya
" Let's hear what you've got this time."
Can I learn any of the magic here?  Or am I just wasting my time?
" As I said, all that it comes down to is strength and imagination, so yes, you could.  In theory, you could lean quite a bit, though every spell caster has areas that they do well in, and areas that that they don't.
Makes sense to me, thanks.
Before had had a chance to reply, Zecora walked behind me.  Turning to face her, I noticed that she had an old brown cloak on, and underneath what appeared to be saddlebags.
Nodding to me, she said " I shall you here for a bit; try not be a nit."  
Laughing I just nodded my head and turned around, saying " Good-bye to you Zecora, and be safe."
With that she turned and began to exit the clearing, leaving me to my thoughts.
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Zecora had quickly cleared the distance between her home and Ponyville, hoping to finish the shopping and get home quickly.  However, she wasn't having the easiest time of it.  While for the longest of time the ponies would ignore her, lately they had opened up to her, and while generally she would enjoy spending time and getting to know them, she didn't have time to do it today.  As a result she was being quick and abrupt, while trying not to hurt any of the ponies feelings.  So far, it wasn't going very well.  Her latest victim was Roseluck, the normally shy flower pony.  As soon as Zecora had turned her back, she heard the pony begin to tear up.  Sighing, Zecora turned around, knowing she needed to fix what she had done.
" My dear little Roseluck, do not despair; for what I did to you wasn't fair.  Know however that my anger was not at you; but at some other fool."
Roseluck sniffled and wiped her tears away before looking at Zecora.  " Really, you promise?"
Zecora smiled and nodded.  " Promise."
Giving the pony a quick hug, Zecora trotted off to the library, hoping to finish her last bit of business and get home.
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From the moment Twilight had reached Ponyville, she had been hugged, waved at, yelled hello at, and generally every other type of greeting that she could have expected.  However, one thing was missing.
" Where is Pinkie Pie?  I assumed that she would have been here the moment I got off the train!  As a matter of fact, where are any of my friends?  I haven't seen anyone since I got here!"
" Don't worry Twilight, I'm sure they are just planning some sort of surprise.  You know Pinkie, she probably knew you were going to end up here before you did!" Spike exclaimed, looking excited over the prospect of a party.  While had hadn't told Twilight out of fear of hurting her feelings, the months since she had been crowned had been hard on him.  He had no friends, nothing to do, and had gone through changes without anyone there to help him.  Thankfully, several of the guards at the castle had found him, and helped him through his problems, both physical and mental, and had even taught him a few things. 
While most guards had taught him about fighting, one had taught him something he valued more than anything else: she had taught him blacksmithing.  The guard was called Eloi Baldamare, and was a recent recruit, having only been with the guards for around four years.  Still, in that short amount of time she had moved up the ranks quickly, reaching the coveted status of Royal Blacksmith within only a year or so, record time.  In his six month tenure at the castle, she had taken Spike under her wings, teaching him everything she could.  Whenever Spike would ask her why, she would simply nod her head and reply " You'll see in time, I'm sure".  Spike had wondered how she could seem to know so much, when she was only twenty two, barely older then Twilight.  Still he couldn't complain after everything that she had done for him that she acted so wise.
"Your right Spike, I shouldn't be so worried." She gave Spike an odd look, and asked in a slightly stumped voice " When did you get so wise Spike?"
Spike just shrugged his shoulder.  " Probably during the time you were being the princess I guess."
The answer had nearly knocked Twilight off her hooves, but she managed to stay standing.  She quickly caught up to Spike, and with the same voice asked him another question.  " You seemed to have changed more than I did, it seems.  Was it hard going through them by yourself?"
Spike smiled when he replied.  " I wasn't alone for it."  Twilight felt her hopes rising up inside of her.
" Well, at least not for most of it.  After a while, I got to know some of the guards, and they took me under their wing. Without them, I don't know how hard it would have gotten."
Twilight just nodded, and kept her voice level when she replied, " I'm glad you found them then Spike."
Twilight didn't know what to say.  She knew she hadn't spent enough time with Spike, but her duties had kept her busy.  And while she would never admit it, what Spike told her had hurt.  Because of her, Spike had been forced to face all the changes by himself, until some guards apparently took a shine to him.  How could she just forget him like that?  Spike had always been there for her, and she had ignored him when he needed her most.  She nearly broke down right then and there, until a thought came into her mind.  While here at Ponyville, she only had one job, which was to investigate.  She swore that she would spend as much time as she could with Spike, to make up for the time she had lost these last six months.  Smiling after finding the answer to her problem she picked up the pace, forcing Spike to hurry as well.
" What's the hurry Twi?" Spike asked, worried she had broken down again.
" I can't wait a second more to see my friends Spike!  Now come on, let's hurry!"
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Zecora felt bad that she wouldn't be able to attend the party for Twilight, but she needed to get home.  She made a note to visit the Alicorn before too long, having missed her just as dearly as her friends did.  After having picked up her books, Pinkie tried to convince her to stay and welcome Twilight.  As much as she wanted to, she knew she needed to get home.  After promising to visit sometime soon, she left.  Unbeknownst to her, she had missed Twilight by about fifteen minutes, and had managed to reach the outer layer of the EverFree just as Twilight entered her home.  Beginning her trek through the forest, she resolved to visit Twilight and inform her of her strange new guest.

> A New Friend!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shutting the book I was reading, I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair.  When Zecora had returned a few days ago with the books I had asked for, I didn't know I'd be reading what back on Earth would have been considered good fiction stories.  Even after everything I had been through, I found several parts of their history, and even more of their culture, hard to wrap my head around.  Thankfully, I didn't completely disbelieve what I had read, as I already knew I was going to end up laughing at someone over this.  I could rationalize Luna's possession, because I knew better than most that Hell was real, and so were demons.  But the idea that love and friendship somehow drove out the Devil seems somewhat childish to me.  After all, from what I can see, he can basically do whatever he wants, and by extension, his followers.  He managed to send me to another world, with a demon piggybacking on my soul.  Seems like he wouldn't have a problem keeping a demon inside someone, especially if that demon was inside someone like Luna, who was apparently the Princess of the Night.  Before coming here I would have had a problem with even more of this story, mainly the idea that Luna and her sister Celestia, Princess of the Day, had lived for over a thousand years, and that Luna had survived on the moon for a thousand, by herself.  I still didn't believe that they had managed to defeat someone called Discord, the God of Chaos with the same forces that they had managed to purge Luna, but I decided against telling Zecora of my doubts.  After all, even though she wasn't a native, from what I could tell she believed everything in these books, meaning that I might offend her if I say anything.
There were several other cultures and creatures that I could barely accept as truth, such as Hydras and Dragons, simply because they seemed far to fanciful for my liking.  About the only culture that I could disregard most of my doubts for.  Their culture was very close to that of England in the 1700 hundreds, with better technology.  They didn't have magic, but they could all fly, were intelligent, and very strong: all of which had helped make them great hunters and predators.  They had been on the verge of defeating the ponies around fifteen hundred years ago, but then the Princesses had shown up, changing the tides of war, and forcing the Griffins to sign treaty after treaty, all insuring that they wouldn't be a threat for a very long time.  Still the Griffons had preserved, and instead of turning to the Princesses to save them, they worked hard and rebuilt.  It had taken nearly six hundred years, but they managed to go from almost wiped out, back to thriving.  
The more recent history was just as fantastical as the ancient history.  Six girls, using the Elements of Harmony managed to defeat NightMare Moon, Discord, someone called Chrysalis and a King Sombra.  Seems like an awful lot of work for six girls, especially with what seemed to be two goddesses as their leaders, but maybe they just wanted a lazy day?  The more interesting detail was that neither Sombra or Chrysalis were mentioned in the books that dealt with the ancient history, except for Sombra, who had a three page chapter dealing, which only talked about him being beaten by the princesses, and how love and friendship reign supreme.  Sounds more like propaganda then history, but I digress.
According to the book, Zecora wasn't kidding when she said that she knew the elements, as they were referred to by the book.  They did in fact live in Ponyville, and were considered very upstanding citizens.  Not surprising, considering that all they do is run around fixing problems.  Ponyville was also interesting, because even though its noted for being primarily an Earth Pony village, four of the Elements were non-Earth Ponies, meaning that they were either brought together by fate, or by some far reaching force.  The more I learned about this place, the more is seemed that it was a giant dictatorship, if a benevolent one. 
The book of magical theories turned out to be less useful then I had first assumed.  As soon as I started reading, I realized that this wouldn't be helping me out all that much.  Sure, it gave me a new perspective on how to use my magic, but it seemed like it would be harder then how I was using it now.  Telekinesis for example required that you imagine an aura leaving your body, surrounding an object, visualizing where it goes, then placing it.  Seems like a lot of effort for something so little.  Of course, seeing as I couldn't really practice, I couldn't tell.  I wanted to try several of the techniques I had read, but with Zecora here, I couldn't risk her seeing me and asking questions.  I considered asking Grifith, but decided against it.  I could ask him, and most likely get a good answer, but that would take all the fun out of learning for myself!
Leaning forward in the chair, I decided to finish the last books in the pile and get them ready for Zecora to take them back tomorrow.
______________________________________________________________________________
Twilight had nearly had a heart attack the morning after the party.  The replacement librarian that had been sent up had re-organized all the shelves, going first by fiction or non-fiction, then genre, then name, meaning that Twilight couldn't find anything.  The young librarian almost found himself teleported to a volcano, but Spike had managed to calm the mare down, giving the young man time to flee back to the house he had rented for his time here.  Thankfully there had been no more distractions, and Twilight had been able to get underway with her research. 
Since arriving, Spike had spent the majority of his time outside the cabin, keeping visitors away.  It was particularly hard keeping Twilight and his friends away, but they understood why.  The quicker Twilight had caught up her schedule, the quicker she could see her friends.  She might even be able to take a vacation out here for a while, Spike doubted that the princesses would mind.  And Spike knew he wouldn't.  Having insured Twilight would be left over by leaving a note on the front door, and having already warned off several people interesting in seeing Twilight, Spike decided that he would take a walk around Ponyville, and see some of his friends.
As Spike began to set off, he had a hard time trying to decide where to go.  He could see Pinkie-Pie at SugarCube Corner and grab a cupcake, or visit Applejack and grab a couple of apples.  Or, he could go see Fluttershy and see how her animals were doing... Or he could see Rarity, and see if he could help her in the shop.  He had thought about Rarity while he was in Canterlot.  At first he had missed her the most, but after a month or two, she had slowly faded from his mind as he began to make new friends, and more importantly, new crushes.  And while he had grown attached to any of them as he had Rarity, he had realized something when he returned home.
He didn't feel the spark he had felt before.
At first, he didn't notice it, but he knew something was missing when he had seen her at the party.  When she asked for something, he didn't leap up to do it. When she smiled at him, he enjoyed it,  but he didn't find it as amazing as before.  While her eyes still shined, he didn't find them as illustrious as before.  Nothing seemed the same as before, and he didn't know how he felt about that.  One part of him said that something was wrong, that he should be feeling something for her, like before, especially after seeing after so long.  But another part of him, the part that seemed to be taking over said that she didn't deserve his love.  He had learned a lot since leaving, and he realized something now: she had been using his love to order him around ever since she found out about it.  And part of Spike hated her for that.  Hated how she used him, lied to him, took advantage of him.  He didn't hate her, just that she used him, but the damage was done, and he knew he couldn't feel the same.  It was a hard thought to swallow, but the more he felt about it, the more sure he became.  They could still be friends, to be sure, but nothing more.  He hoped that over time the little voice in his head telling him that he should love her would disappear, and that he could move on fully.
He realized that he had missed someone when deciding who to see.  Zecora had come over before the party to grab a few books from the library, according to the librarian.  Spike hadn't seen Zecora since before he left, since Twilight wouldn't let him go to the forest before seeing as he was to young, according to her.  However, Spike felt confident that he could traverse the forest safely after his training and his growth spurt.  He decided that visiting Zecora would be the best place to start, and set off on a path towards the forest.
______________________________________________________________________________
I had managed to finish the magical theory book, leaving me with only a book about the geography of Equestria, and the surrounding nations, along with known populations.  Looking at the book, I realized how boring this book would be.  It seemed almost like a math textbook, something I had tried my hardest to avoid during my time on Earth.  Just looking at it made me want to go to sleep and avoid reading it.  Even though I loved learning about the geography of Earth, and where everyone and everything lived, I couldn't stand learning it from a book that looked boring, preferring to read from the Internet.  Sighing, I picked the book up and decided that I'd just read it and memorize it as fast as I could, so I could avoid reading it again.
After about two hours I managed to get about three-fourths of the way though the book.  Not as fast as I wanted to go, but still, I was making decent time. Once I started reading I noticed something: the book didn't really have that much information.  It would talk about areas with almost no detail.  For instance, the EverFree Forest is described as a " Dark and broody forest, with several different types of habitats and biomes.  Multiple deadly species lurk here, and it's best to be avoided." I could understand the lack of information on the forest, seeing as how it did have multiple predators, and apparently, the weather acted differently than the surrounding area.  According to a book I had read earlier, the Pegasi controlled the skies and created weather.  As fantastical as it sounded, I decided not to question it too much.   I didn't want to destroy my brain trying to figure out how the fuck that worked.  Still, places like Ponyville should have more than two pages, while somewhere called Manehattan had around forty.  Shaking my head, I decided to put the book down and get some food, having not eaten in a while. As I set off on a pilgrimage towards the fridge, I heard a noise coming out from the forest.  Believing the noise to come from Zecora, he decided to go out and see if there was anything she wanted for lunch.  Stepping outside, he quickly realized his mistake.  Standing there before me was what appeared to be a dragon, if my reading was right.
______________________________________________________________________________
Standing there in the entrance to Zecora's house was some sort of strange bipedal creature, staring directly at him.  He was afraid the moment he saw the creature, but he quickly realized something: Zecora was nowhere to be found, and some strange creature was standing there.  Losing his fear for his life, he began to fear for Zecora's.  Deciding that the creature was probably dangerous, he readied his claws and prepared for a fight.  He knew he could subdue the creature and then figure out where Zecora was.
______________________________________________________________________________
As I stood there I noticed that the dragon had readied his claws and settled into a fighting position.  I began to sweat, seeing how sharp the creature's claws were.  I decided that trying to end the fight by talking the creature down seemed to be the best way to do things.
" Uh, hello?  Can I help you?" I called out, hoping that the creature understood me and didn't react the fear in my voice.  I knew that several predators reacted to fear, and I didn't want to end up killed because something knew that I was afraid. 
Instead of calming the creature down, all it did was anger the creature more.  Smoke began to leak from his nose, and he flexed his claws.  He opened his mouth, teeth glinting like steel daggers, and said " I know you can, and I'm going to make you."  
He launched forward, using his wings to create a burst of speed as he took off.  He landed near me faster than I thought possible, and tried to slash me with his claws.  I rolled off the steps just as the claw ripped through the solid wooden house.  Turning to him, I saw that his claw had gotten stuck in.  Deciding to take advantage of this, I tried to talk to reason with him again.  
" Come on man, what the fuck is wrong with you?  Jesus, just calm down."  I realized that my attempts to reason with him wouldn't work, mostly because I was in full on panic mode at this point.  Some weird ass dragon came down and seemed to decide out of nowhere to kill me.  That wasn't the best way to start a calm, rational discussion.
Finally ripping his claws from the cabin, he turned to me and flared his wings, launching himself towards me.  I managed to roll out of the way of his second slash, then his third.  However, I wasn't quick enough to dodge the kick he thrown at me.  Hitting me square in the chest, it did more than just knock the wind out of me.  I could feel the ribs he hit breaking, and it became hard to breath.  He also managed to knock me about fifteen feet back.  I couldn't even stand, the pain overpowering me.
"I don't think that this is the time to be laying down, do you?"
What the hell am I suppose to do?  This freak has some serious strength!  I'm lucky he didn't get me with those claws, or else I'd be dead right now!
" Isn't it obvious?  Start using your powers, and kill the thing.  I highly doubt that even someone like you, who has no real combat experience, can lose to something like this using your powers."
I laid there and ripped the seal off my power, not caring about what would happen. As I sat there, I could feel my bones mending themselves, and my body beginning to heal.  Looking up however, I knew I needed to by more time, as I could see the dragon coming closer.
______________________________________________________________________________
Spike knew that the kick he had just given the creature would keep it down for a while, but he wanted to get this over as quickly as possible, and figure out where Zecora was.  Getting closer, he began to notice that the creature was just laying there.  As he watched, some small changes began to take place.  The creature's skin changed from tan to something darker.  His breathing began to get more even.  The biggest change however, were the creature's eyes.  Instead of the light green color from before, his eyes had turned golden yellow, almost like a chimera's.  He moved forward faster, knowing that he needed to end the fight quickly.
______________________________________________________________________________	
I could only watch as the dragon picked up the pace, moving forward to end the fight.  As he reached me, he bent down and picked me up by my throat and raised me into the air.  I knew that I didn't have long, and decided that I needed to find a way to prolong the fight, or else I was screwed.  As he raised me into the air, I subtly began using my magic to turn the skin around my throat as hard as dragon scales, just in case he tried to crush my wind pipe.  I hoped that he hadn't noticed what I did, or else I was fucked.  I focused all my power into fixing my chest after that, and tried to figure out a way to keep the fight going.  Thankfully he kept it going for me.
" Where is she?" he shouted at me, slightly tightening his grip.
I decided to play along, and pretend he was choking me.  As soon as I felt his hand tighten, I began to cough and sputter, hoping to make him waste time waiting for me.  The ploy worked, and he loosened his grip.  My chest had fully healed, and I decided to use my power to make the rest of my skin tougher.  Focusing my power, I imagined it covering me, my skin hardening.  Deciding that enough was enough. I focused the power into my hand, creating a red blade.  Thankfully he didn't notice, giving me time to make a witty comment.
" She's not here asshole, but you can always leave a message after the beep!"  
I shoved my hand towards his stomach, blade first.  Noticing the movement, he went to crush my throat.  The look of surprise on his face was priceless, as was the look of pain that crossed his face as the blade sunk into his stomach.  The hand not holding went to my arm, gripping at and trying to crush it and pull it out.  While he couldn't crush it, he had no problem pulling it out, as I was no match for him in strength.  He let go of my arm, and smashed his fist into my stomach.  Thankfully he was holding me, or I would have doubled over in pain.  As it was, I had to fight not to throw up.  However, an idea came to me. I used my power to turn the vomit into acid as it left my mouth, striking him in the face. 
The effect was instant: he dropped me and began to roar in pain as the acid began to devour him.  I stood there gasping for air while he shook the acid off.  Trying to regain my breath after the hits I had taken, I didn't notice the fist coming at me until the last second.   Without thinking I used my magic to harden my face even more, right as the swing struck me.  I felt my jaw break, and several teeth fly out, but at least my neck wasn't broken.  Ignoring the pain for a moment, I used my magic to create a bolt of dark energy in the hand not using my blade.  Launching forward, I used my magic to accelerate myself towards him, like he used his wings to.  I swung my blade at him, forcing him to block.  While his hands were up, I slammed my other first into his stomach wound, releasing the energy.  Even I wasn't ready for the blowback.
I was thrown about twenty feet, as was he.  However, the pain I felt was nothing compared to him.  He screamed, the pain clear in his voice.  Looking at his stomach I could see why. Most of the scales around his stomach had been blown clear off, and he was bleeding badly.  The worst was where the bolt had struck him.  The stab wound had turned infected as soon as the bolt had released, and the area had begun to rot right in front of me.  I could see black lines leading out from the wound, heading towards his heart.
I felt slightly bad about what I had done, but still he had earned it by attacking me.  Hearing his moans in the background, I turned away, hoping to see Zecora coming so she could tell me why the fuck this thing had attacked me.
______________________________________________________________________________
As Spike laid there, he was glad that he was a dragon, even more so to have been a dragon hatched from Celestia's  School for Gifted Unicorns.  Most dragons would have died from that blast, despite their magic resistance.  However Spike, having been hatched by magic, had been strengthened by it, and had grown a massive resistance to magic after his last growth spurt.  Given enough time, he knew that the magic would dissipate and he would be back in the fight.  Watching his opponent like the guards had taught him to, he noticed him turn away.  He knew he wouldn't have a better chance to end the fight, he quietly got up, using all his will not cry out in pain as he stood.  Walking quietly, he got behind him, and struck.
______________________________________________________________________________
As soon as I felt the claws enter my back, I knew I had made a mistake in thinking that the dragon would go down that easy.  If it weren't for my tough skin and bones from the enchantment I had used, I would have died. Even with all that, I could feel my lungs being ripped open and several bones being crushed.  Coughing out blood, I began to get angry. Unleashing more magic, I turned my hands around and aimed them at him.  Instead of the energy I used last time however, this energy was green, and glowing.  Launching them, I felt his body jerk, causing even more damage to me.  As I slipped into darkness, the last thing I felt were his claws sliding out of me.
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Spike hadn't fared any better, the blasts hitting him square in the chest, causing him to drop.  The energy had a different effect then before.  Instead of causing an infection, Spike felt like a part of him had been stolen, something important.  Laying on the ground, he looked over at his opponent, his jaw dropping in fear and shock: he seemed to be healing quickly, the wounds repairing themselves before Spike's eyes.  Even as he thought of just killing him there and then, he felt himself begin to pass out.  He tried to fight it, and to stay awake, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to. He felt himself pass out, and hoped that he would wake up alive, and before the strange creature did.
______________________________________________________________________________
Zecora walked into the clearing and dropped everything she was carrying in shock.  Laying there was the strange creature she had found days earlier, and her friend Spike.  Some sort of battle seemed to have taken place between the two, as each bore grievous wounds.  The human's wounds however, seemed to be slowly but surely healing, while Spike's seemed to be staying the same.  Shaking herself from her stupor, she rushed to the downed combatants, and began to try and keep them alive.  She started with Spike, whose wounds were worse.  She opened her bag and pulled out a roll of bandages and some ground up herbs, and began to bandage his wounds.  As she started to work she realized just how bad the wounds were.  His stomach seemed to have lost a large chunk, and most of his skin was destroyed.  His scales were broken and cracked on his chest, and his stomach was completely unprotected.  Even worse, she noticed how bad his breathing had gotten.  She knew that she would need to get help from a Unicorn, or else Spike would die.
Grabbing Spike, she began to pull him with her teeth.  However, she quickly realized that it wouldn't work.  Spike weighed more then she could carry, and she was running out of time.  Looking around for any options, her eyes settled on the young man beside her.  Reaching into her bags, she pulled out a vial and placed it under his nose.  As loathe as she was to do this to the young man after what he seemed to have gone to, he was healing fast, and she needed his help.  As soon as the vial was placed under his nose, he began to cough, and slowly opened his eyes.  She was startled as she noticed the golden hue they had received, however she quickly turned her attention to the young man, speaking as quickly as she can.
" Hurry, we do not have much time; for the death of Spike would be a great crime."
He shook his head, blinking his head several times.  He looked at Zecora, his eyes back to green.  " Why would I help him?  He came out of nowhere, and attacked me!  Why would I bother saving him?" he demanded incredulously.
Zecora knew they were running out of time, so she played her trump card. " Should we fail to save dear Spike;  it shall be more than one strike!  Against many you shall find yourself; and it would be better for you to kill yourself!
That seemed to shake him, as he glared and stood up.  He walked over to the dragon's body, and began to lift him up.  Zecora saw a flash of pain cross his face, and she felt sympathetic for the young man, but she knew he needed to do it.  She noticed that his wounds had stopped healing, and he was starting to bleed.
" Quickly we most move; our your life we shall also loose!"
He glared at her, gesturing for her to move ahead.  " I'll follow you, I suppose."
Zecora wasted no time, running from the clearing, hoping that he followed her, knowing that she didn't have much time.

> Don't Taze Me Bro!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zecora quickly sprinted past me, moving as fast as she could.  I could hold my own for a few minutes, but I quickly began to tire and felt my focus begin to slip.  The fight had taken a toll on me, both the pain from my wounds and from how much power I used.  I knew I would pass out soon, regardless of how close we got to the hospital.  Shifting the weight on my shoulder, I wondered why I was doing this.  Even though Zecora had said that if I didn't do this I would end up being a criminal, the monster had attacked me, and I had defended myself.  Furthermore, if carrying him ended up killing me, why should I keep doing it.  Looking at Zecora, I found myself continuing however.  No matter how little I wanted to do it, I knew that I needed to, for Zecora.  I owed her for saving my life.  
I placed the dragon on my shoulders, and picked up the pace.  I knew that I couldn't let Zecora down, not after everything she had done for me.
____
They were nearly there, reaching the edge of the forest in no time.  Zecora could see Sweet Apple Acres only a mile away, with the town being only two more miles ahead.  If they kept the pace they were going all the way there then they would be there in no time.  Just as she said this however, she heard a thump sound coming from behind her.  She turned around mid stride and cursed, seeing both the dragon and the young man had passed out.  Zecora knew that she had pushed the man to hard, but still, she had hoped to get to Sweet Apple Acres at least.  Pausing for a moment, she decided that she would leave them here and get help from the farmhouse.  Since they were at the edge of the tree line, they should be safe long enough for her to go get help.
Galloping faster, she hoped that she would reach the farmhouse to save both of the boy's life.
____
Applejack lifted the barrel into the back of the cart, wiping her brow free of sweat after doing so.  As much as she loved working the orchard, it was hard work in the heat.  Still, looking around, she knew that she would never wanna work anywhere else.  Moving to pick up the next barrel, she noticed something running towards her in the distance.  At first, she couldn't tell what it was, but after a few seconds she recognized it as Zecora.  Smiling, she called out to the Zebra.  " Well howdy Zecora, how can I help ya today?"  
As the Zebra got closer, Applejack could tell something had happened.  Her coat was covered in sweat, and she was breathing hard.  Her eyes were wide open, and she looked afraid.
" Applejack we have no time for pleasantries; or there shall be harsh penalties!  Grab your brother, along with your cart and follow me!" 
As much as she wanted to, Applejack knew she couldn't ask any questions.  She rushed to her cart, and pushed the barrel of apples she had just place inside on the ground, careful to make sure it fell right side up.  She began to hitch herself up to the cart, moving with a dexterity that few Earth Ponies could match.  Seeing Big Mac coming, she called out to him.  " Big Mac, give me a hand here would ya?"  The stallion trotted over, giving AJ a questioning look as she hooked her up.
Applejack answered his unasked question.  " Zecora said that she needed me to grab you and the cart and follow her, or else something bad would happen!"  
Big Mac just nodded and finished hooking her up to the cart.  Grabbing his own hitch for the cart he placed himself in it and hooked himself up, faster than AJ thought he could.  He nodded towards her, and she nodded back.  Turning to Zecora, she declared " We're ready!  Let's go!"
Zecora wasted no time in turning and running towards the forest, forcing AJ and Big Mac to catch up to her.  Despite how tired she was, she was keeping up a good pace.  AJ noticed that she was headed towards the forest and began to fear for the worst.  She knew three little fillies that liked to play in the woods, even when they knew that weren't suppose to, even when they had been told a thousand times not to, despite how many times they had gotten in trouble there.  Picking up the pace, AJ began to full on sprint, her fear giving her the strength to push herself even more.  Clearly Big Mac had the same fear, as he picked up his pace at the same time she did.
After a few minutes of sprinting, AJ noticed two bodies in the distance.  Her fear gave her the strength to run faster, hoping against hope that it wasn't little Apple-Bloom.  As soon as they were only a few meters away, AJ's fears disappeared as she the two bodies were far too large to be the bodies of fillies.  However, her fear returned, as she recognized one of the bodies: Spike was laying next to some strange bipedal creature, bleeding from a wound from her stomach.  The creature near it was also bleeding, and while the bleeding didn't look as severe, she could tell that it had taken quite a beating as well.
Zecora jumped in front of them and began to drag the bodies towards them.  Big Mac quickly got himself out of his harness and began to drag them into the cart as well, he jumped into the harness again as Zecora began to gallop away, shouting back at them " Quickly now we must use speed; for this is their hour of great need!"  
Sparing no time, AJ and Big Mac galloped after her, hoping that they were moving quick enough to save them.
______
Twilight had spent the last several hours researching information about the new project.  She wanted to go directly into the forest, but based on a description of the energy that Celestia had given her, that wouldn't be the best idea.  Celestia recognized the aura from it, but she couldn't remember from where.  In addition to that, with how much energy released into the world, whatever it was would have been very powerful.  So it was better to research what she needed, and then leave for the woods.  So far she hadn't had much luck, as she couldn't find any description that matched what Celestia had told her, and it was starting to frustrate her.  She needed to find something on it, or else she would have to go in unprepared, which she wanted to avoid.
Out of nowhere came a knock on the door, startling her out of her thoughts.  She waited for Spike to answer the door so she could keep working, but after a few minutes the knocking hadn't gone away and had actually increased in tempo.  " Spike!  Spike, someone's at the door!  Can you get it?"  After waiting for a few minutes, the knocking kept coming.  Standing up and sighing she moved to answer the door.
As she approached the door, the knocking came quicker.  " I'm coming, just give me a second!" Twilight yelled angrily.
Opening the door, Twilight stood there in surprise at the sight that stood before her.  Zecora was covered in blood, a tired expression on her face.  She seemed distressed, and immediately opened her mouth.
"Twilight, come quickly and follow me; I need your skills greatly!  Spike and a guest of mine had a dispute; and the damage has been more then minute!"
Zecora turned before Twilight had a chance to respond, and began to run towards the hospital.  Twilight had no choice but to follow her, fear blooming in her heart as she wondered what happened.  They reached the hospital in record time, flying through the doors to the receptionist counter.  As soon as she saw who it was she held up a piece of paper, and said "Second floor, room 28!  Take this and go!"  
Ripping it from the receptionist's grasp, Twilight read over the paper.  She nearly began to cry just from the description.  Spike had suffered severe stomach trauma, most of his scales in his stomach area were either destroyed, or had taken so much damage that they were about to fall off, and worst of all, some sort of magic was preventing the doctors from being able to do anything to help him.  The note said they needed Twilight to try and purge the magic inside of him.  She began heading towards the stairs, but stopped once she realized something: she had magic, she could just teleport herself there.  Screaming at her own stupidity, she teleported to the room, just as Zecora collapsed to the floor, having tired herself out from all her exercise.
______
I found drifting across an endless void, seeing nothing but darkness around me.  Rather than be scared however, I found myself comforted.  After everything I've been through a little bit of rest seemed like it was right up my alley, as long as it wasn't eternal.  It didn't take long for something to come and bother me, however.  After a few minutes of relaxation, I felt a presence enter the void along with me.  Sighing, I considered just ignoring it, and hoping it went away, but almost as if it could read my thoughts, I heard "I don't think that would be for the best, as we have much to discuss."
Frowning to myself, I tried to place the voice,  It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place the presence.  Snapping my eyes open, I called out "Grifith?  Is that you?"
"Who else would be inside your head, hm?  Now, stop messing around and focus, we have much to discuss."
" I knew I should have ignored you.  What do you want?  Or did you just stop bye to talk for a while?  Because if you have, you can exit the way you entered."
" As fulfilling talking to you is, we have a problem.  While never explicitly stated, I had assumed that covering up the fact that you had this power would be obvious.  Indeed, I had high hopes when you lied to the Zebra and kept as much as you could secret.  Then you had to go and kill the dragon."
"Yes, I know.  I know I need to find a cover story, otherwise, yes I am fucked.  That's what I've been trying to do, but I haven't had much luck.  The best I've got is that whatever magic brought me back is still in me, and when I fear for my life, it comes out."
"That's all well and good, except that the bloody dragon has tendrils of your power inside him.  I'd rather not be you when these ponies discover that you've got concentrated darkness inside you, considering what we've learned.  I'm sure that whatever they do won't be pleasant, especially considered that none of them seem to have encountered your kind before, so who knows what else they'll do."
Sighing, I leaned my back and closed my eyes.  "You know, you're a real downer, you know that right?  I'm aware of everything you've said, so if you have no suggestions, then I'd like you to leave."
"I have a suggestion, but I doubt that you'll like it."
"Let me hear it."
"First, wake up.  After you wake up, if the dragon is still alive, help him using your powers.  Appear sorry for what you've done, naturally I expect you to lie, and use it to get into their good graces, and out of this alive."
"That sounds a lot like what I was going to do anyways, except save the dragon."
"Which is why I had to step up.  If the dragon dies because of us, who knows what will happen.  After all, I'm pretty sure it had a name, not to mention it could talk, so clearly it isn't like killing a wild animal"
"Do I have to?"
"Yes."
Frustrated, I did the only thing I could think of.  "You're not my real dad!  I don't have to listen to you!"
I keep hear Grifith groan.  "Get up," he said clearly annoyed, " and fix this!"
Sighing, I took a deep breath, and forced my eyes open.  As soon as I opened them I shut them, the harsh white light coming from the lights above me blinding me for a moment.  I let out a groan, and I heard a small gasp come from the corner of the room.  Knowing I wasn't alone, I decided to try some of that Connor Sheffield Signature Swag™, hoping that whatever else was in the room wouldn't panic and run. " Hello?  Is anyone there?" I said quietly, hoping not to scare whoever was with me.
I heard another gasp, follows by what sounded like a tray dropping, before the sound of somepony running out of the room.  Sighing, I opened my eyes fully, and took a look at my new room.  It appeared to be a normal hospital room.  One window, my bed, and what seemed to be a bathroom tucked into a corner.  I tried to raise myself up, but I felt restraints on me.  Looking down, I saw that my arms, legs and chest were being held down by ropes.  The only upside was that I still had my clothes on.
Hearing something approach the door, I turned my head towards the sound, hoping it was Zecora.  All my hopes of surviving, or much less it being Zecora, faded away as I looked at the mare in front of me.  Her hair was a mess, one eye twitching, and a smile was plastered across her face.  She looked at me, and spoke to me in a voice that chilled me to my core. "What did you do to Spike?"
_____
Twilight had teleported to Spike's room, startling several doctors as she did so.  As soon as they were over their surprise one of them said "Twilight!  Thank Celestia that your here!"
Turning to face the doctor, she caught her first glimpse of Spike.  The report, while thorough, did nothing to prepare her for the sight of her number one assistant.  His chest didn't seem to move, and if she couldn't hear the heart monitors, she'd think he was dead.  The report had said that his scales had been damaged, but looking at Spike, it seemed as if there were no scales left that were either not broken or badly damaged.  All of this paled compared to his stomach wounds: the area around it was black, with several lines leading from it, disappearing where the scales covered him still.  He was still bleeding, but instead of red, his blood came out as some sort of blackish liquid.  The smell nearly made her vomit, like it had been rotting for weeks.
"What happened to him?" Twilight whispered. afraid that if she disturbed the stillness too much, death would come to claim Spike.
"We don't know." said the doctor from earlier.  "So far all we've been able to determine is that the wounds appearance stems from some sort of magic, which in all my years, I've never seen,  It almost seems to be spreading from the wounds, as if to take over his body."
Twilight rounded on the doctor, her face flushed with fear and anger. "How long has he been sitting here, in pain, near the brink of death, while all you've done is sat there and study him!?"
Miss Sparkle please!  Calm yourself and listen!  Spike has been here for around fifteen minutes now.  So far, we've tried using regular magic to cure him, but the wound seemed to absorb the magic, rendering it useless.  All we've managed to do is stem some of the bleeding, while we wait for you.  As an Alicorn, and the Element of Magic, we felt waiting for you would be a better idea than putting our hooves where they don't belong."
Twilight snorted, but turned from the doctor to Spike.  Running to his side, she charged her horn and began to inspect his wounds.  Internal damage, tissues damage, infection, broken scales.  He had received so many injuries, it was a wonder that he was alive.  Gathering her power into her horn, she focused her energies and attempted to heal him.  At first everything was going well, until out of nowhere the injuries began to rebuff her magic.  She forced more magic into the spell, but still it refused to get any better.  After a minute she gave up, gasping for breath.  She felt like she had just run a marathon.  Choking back a sob, she turned to the doctor.  "Do you have any idea how he got like this?" she asked, tears falling down her face.
"When he was brought into the hospital some other creature was with him.  He seemed to be under the effects of magical exhaustion, and I decided to secure him inside one of the rooms, restrained, until we had dealt with Spike."
Twilight's sobs had disappeared, replaced by an emotionless tone.  "What room?"
______
I sat there in silence, hoping that as long as I sat there, so would she.  My hopes were dispelled after not to long however.  "I said, what did you do to Spike?
"Uh, who?" I replied.  Clearly that the was the wrong answer.  She titled her head to the side, and her horn began to glow.  From what I learned of Unicorns, I knew that this wasn't going in the right direction.
"Spike. The dragon you tried to kill."
"Whoa there, I didn't try and kill anyone.  That little monster came out of nowhere and attacked me!  How is that my fault?"  My brain was screaming at me, but I couldn't help it.  The dragon attacked me!  Why should I have to take this?  
It took my brain a second to process what I said, but when it did, I felt like a real asshole.  Ever since I died I had become far more callous, and I didn't like that.  Sure, the dragon attacked me, but he didn't deserve to die for it.
Still, the damage had been done, as I saw the Unicorn's horn flare, and I felt myself being lifted from the bed and dragged over to the mare.  As she brought my head level to hers, I felt like she had my hair in a vice, and sure enough, as she pulled mu up I felt some of my hair come out.
"What did you just say?" she whispered.  Looking into those eyes, I knew I fucked up, and I didn't know how to fix it.
"I, well, I didn't mean to say that?" I said lamely.
"...You didn't mean to say that that I shouldn't bother you over the life of my number one assistant?"
"Uh, no?  I mean, you should bother me over it!"
She seemed to reach her breaking point, as she lifted me even higher, and then threw me.  As much as I didn't want to seem like a pussy, I decided that using magic against her might not end well.  So, I did the manly thing I could in that situation.  
I screamed like a twelve your old over Edward Cullen.
The Unicorn seemed surprised, at least until the doctor entered, at which point she realized my ploy.  As soon as the doctor opened the door I felt bad for him.  The Unicorn could have killed the doctor with the glare she was giving him, as I sat there giving him the puppy dog eyes.  Some of my hair was still floating through the air, and it didn't take him long to figure out what happened.
"Miss Sparkle!  What are you doing?"
Miss Sparkle?  Looking closer, I realized that this was the 'Sparkle' from the books I had read.  It took me a moment to realize just how fucked I was.  Not only was she a princess, and the Element of Magic, the book also talked about a dragon named Spike, who she had raised from an egg.  Which meant I just attacked and nearly killed the son of a princess.
She turned towards the doctor, and spoke calmly, considering what was going down.  "You have three second to leave.  Or else."
For a moment I thought that the doctor would call her bluff, but the longer he looked into her eyes the more his will disappeared.  He turned to me and shrugged, mouthing the word 'sorry' before turning around and leaving.
As my best chance for survival left, I felt my heart break.  Twilight turned back to me, and her horn lit up again.  I tried to head her off at the pass as it was, and before she could get to me, I called out.  "Wait, for the love of God, wait!  Look, I'm sorry for what happened between Spike and I, but I don't know what you want from me."
"Right now he's dying, from whatever you did.  No matter what we do to try and heal him, the energy just disappears before it takes effect.  You are going to fix this."  She spoke very calmly, which only made me more afraid.  My answer certainly wasn't going to make things any easier.
"I would, but to be honest, I don't know how.  I don't even know what I did..." I trailed off as she stared at me, hoping that she didn't just toss me out the window.  Instead, she did something I had only seen in movies.  She sunk to the ground, beginning to sob.  Her whole body was shaking, and tears were pouring down her face.  Even worse, she couldn't even speak.  She just sat there, breaking down in front of me.
I don't usually care when someone cries in front of me, but this was different.  Maybe because it was my fault, or because I could tell she truly cared.  But I found myself wishing I could help her.  I decided that regardless of whether or not someone found out about my powers, I would try and help her.  I wanted to ask her, but with the state she was in, I wasn't sure she'd respond.  I decided that the doctor would be the best person to ask.  I got as close to Twilight as I dared, and called out the door.
"Doctor, can you come here for a moment?"
A moment later the door opened, and the doctor's head poked through.  He looked at the crying Twilight, then back to me.  "A dragon was brought into the hospital with me.  Bring me to him.  Now."
He looked like he wanted to argue, but decided against it.  He just nodded his head and said "Follow me."
I maneuvered around Twilight, and it wasn't till I was almost out the door that my words seemed to register with her.  Her head shot up, and her crying stopped right away.  "You're going to heal him?" she asked hopefully.
I shrugged, and replied "I'm going to try".  
I went to leave, but felt something biting my leg..  Looking down I saw Twilight biting me, and her wings for the first time.  I opened my mouth to ask her a question, but before I could I felt myself being pulled in a thousand different directions.  I closed my eyes and tried not to vomit, until the feeling subsided.  When I did, I found myself surrounded by a group of strange mares, and a dragon on a bed,  Everyone but the dragon, who was unconscious, looked shocked by my sudden entrance.
Twilight pushed me towards him.  "Please, save him."
I walked towards the dragon, but had an idea.  "I need everyone to leave, before I try what I'm going to do."
None of the mares seemed to like the idea, and before I knew it I had them all yelling at me.  I couldn't hear anything specific over the hum of their voices, but I got the gist.  It boiled down to the fact that I'm a monster, and that they couldn't trust me.  The only one I could hear simply said "That outfit is dreadful darling!  How can we trust you when you dress like that?"
I just glared at them.  "Fine, one of you stays here.  But you don't talk, you don't touch me, and you definitely don't ask any questions about what happens.  Got it?"
I was afraid that would start another shouting match, but thankfully Twilight stepped up.  "Agreed.  Girls, please leave while the creature takes care of the problem.  I'll call you when it's done."
At first no one moved, but then they slowly departed, giving Twilight shoulder grips, or a kind word.  Two of them saved a glare for me, however.  Based on the book, the one with the hat had to be Applejack, the Element of Honesty, and Rainbow Dash the Element of Loyalty.  Both gave me a look that said 'I'm watching you'.  Ignoring their looks, I turned towards Spike, and tried to figure out what to do.
I decided the first thing to do would be to figure out what I did to him.  I didn't really know how, but I knew someone who did.
"Grifith, I need some help here."
"I see that.  The simplest way to fix him would be to use your magic to scan him, and then see if you can help him.  Be warned however; if you use to much magic, you may kill him."
Great.  Just great.  I brought the my magic back out, and felt a moment of weakness.  I guess I hadn't recovered as much as I thought.  Drawing the power into my hands, I held them above his body.  I imagined the power settling over him, almost like an X-ray, only for everything, not just bones.  I slowly got a picture in my mind, and it wasn't pretty.  His stomach had taken massive damage, and my magic was preventing him from healing.  Furthermore, it was beginning to spread, infecting his whole body.  It looked like a mix between a cancer and a virus, and I wasn't sure how to fix it.  I decided that simply drawing it out, a sliver at a time, and then healing what I had damaged would be best.  Grabbing one of the chairs in the room, I sat down for the long haul.
______
Twilight watched as the creature's body slowly began to change.  His skin turned a different color, his eyes turned golden, and his hands began to glow with a red aura.  Twilight squinted, and considered getting a reading of his powers, but decided against it.  After all, who know what could happen if she disrupted him?  Still, the need to figure out what he was doing began to press on her, and she felt herself oddly compelled to try something.  She began to gather magic into her horn, and tried to scan the creature.  to say what she found surprised her would be an under-statement.  The creature's body was infused with the energy he was using, and it was doing everything it could to keep him alive and in one piece.  Twilight quickly realized something however; she had no idea what kind of energy he was using.  No matter how much she analyzed it, she couldn't place where it was from.  
Idly, she wondered if maybe this creature was what was responsible for the magical disturbance.  Those thoughts quickly went from idle daydreams to a real theory, as she considered the creature before her.  He had strange magic of an unknown origin, which no pony, not even Celestia, could identify: he managed to defeat a dragon with relative ease, and nearly succeeded in killing him.  Even for a dragon as young as Spike that was amazing.  No one had seen the creature before, and he barely matched the description of the apes in the Zebrican lands: meaning that best they were only distant cousins.  From everything she could see, he seemed like the most obvious choice.  She resolved to confront him about it after he had saved Spike.
She was amazed that he was even able to do something, even though he had caused it.  The amount of power needed would be amazing, and after using it in combat, she had no idea how he was still up and moving.  Twilight wasn't complaining however, as it meant that Spike would live, and she had more to study.  Twilight's eyes wandered over Spike's body, and for a moment, she nearly lost it.  Even though the creature was healing him, he still looked like a wreck.  Twilight wanted nothing more than to hold him close and return to Canterlot, leaving all this behind.  She had to fight down the urge to scream, cry, and stomp her hooves into the creature before her for doing this.  No matter how thankful she was for him healing Spike, she knew that she would make him pay for what he had done.  No matter how long it took, she make him hurt twice as bad..
Twilight shook her head as the thoughts travelled through her brain.  She couldn't understand where those thoughts had come from, and a part of her began to grow afraid that she could think such things.  She tried to rationalize it, blaming her fear and grief, but it didn't make her feel any better.  No matter what happens, she knew she needed to make sure the creature got a chance to speak, not only to make it fair, but to sooth her conscience as well.  She settled back for a long wait, but was quickly interrupted by a grunt from the creature.
______
I had done as much as I could, but I didn't manage to remove my magic completely.  Still, I had a good feeling that he would live.  The trace amount of power in his system would be purged after a day or so, and his body was ready for healing.  It was hard work, balancing how much power he could use on the dragon between how much work needed to be done, but I felt like I had done a good job.  Leaning my head back, I felt myself falling asleep, which wasn't what I wanted at this point.  As nice as a nap sounded, I needed to let Twilight know what had happened.  Forcing myself awake, I looked over and her.  She was staring directly at me, and it was beginning to freak me out.
"Uh, Twilight?  It's done, for the most part.  There is a little bit of magic left inside him, but it shouldn't harm him.  Y'all could start healing him now, and he'd be right as rain in not too long."
Twilight stared at me for what felt like an eternity, before running to Spike and nuzzling him.  I decided to leave the two of them alone, and began quietly walking towards the door.  As I turned around however, I decided to do one last thing.  I walked back and grabbed the chair I had sat in, moving it towards Twilight.  As soon as I was close enough, I set the chair down, stepped back towards the door, and coughed.  Twilight turned to look at me, and I pointed towards the chair behind me.  She turned around in surprise, and sat down,  By the time she turned to thank me, I had left the room.
As soon as I exited into the hallway I was mobbed by the same group of mares that had been sitting inside.  Instead of conversation they chose to glare at me.  Before, I might have been slightly put off by this, but now I just wanted to find a doctor and get back to my room.  I tried to walk past them, until I felt  two pairs of hooves grab my back.  Being pulled into a group of mares and then slammed into a wall by two of them is not a good feeling, let me tell you.
"You may have made all of us leave, but we're on to you!  What are you, some kind of spy?!" the rainbow colored one asked me.  I was in no mood to mess around, and I considered using my powers to make them fuck off.  I decided against it, knowing that it would only end badly.	
"We're tired ah waiting around for answers!  Tell us what we wanna know, now!" yelled the orange one.  Oddly enough, the most annoying part of this was not remembering their names.  It was really starting to irk me.  At least, it was the most annoying until the rainbow maned one punched me in the stomach.  Then that quickly became the biggest problem.
"Rainbow Dash!  What are ya doing?" asked the orange one.  
Rainbow Dash!  That was the bitch's name!  I decided I wasn't going to wait around and get hit again, and I gathered my magic into my hands.  While the two argued I decided that the best way to handle the situation would be to taze both of them with a bit of magic, and then try and get away.  After all, none of the other looked like a threat.  As soon as I felt the energy coalesce into a solid ball, I tossed them at the two still fighting mares.  The effect was instantaneous: both mares dropped to the ground, shaking for a moment before going still, the rise and fall of their chests the only sign of life.  As soon as she saw what happened, the pure white Unicorn gasped, and began to pass out.  I heard the pink yell "Rarity!" just before she hit the ground, then nothing from those two.  Part of me felt bad, but still, they shouldn't have fucked with me.  As soon as I made a move to leave however, the last of the mares jumped at me.  
A butter yellow Pegasus who barely met my eyes before now glared into them, as though she was trying to steal me soul.  For a second, her eyes softened, but they hardened quickly as she began to yell at me.  "Just what do you think you're doing mister?  You can't just go around hurting ponies, regardless of what they do to you!  Do you think it makes you cool to hurt others!?  Answer me!"
Part of me wanted to laugh, but the other part was terrified by the pony.  She had gone from docile to a berserker in record time, and no matter what I did I couldn't look away from her eyes.  In the end, I was forced to answer her question.
"Do I look like I give a shit?  If that rainbow freak hadn't attacked me, she wouldn't be where she is now.  And as much I hate to do it, I knew that I'd either have to take both of them out, or the orange one would be able to take me out.  Now get the fuck out of my way."  I couldn't believe that the words had passed from my lips, and neither could the Pegasus.  Her glare disappeared, and she looked more confused than hurt.  I wasn't much better, until I realized that it wasn't me who said those things, it was Grifith.
"Thanks for that.  I'd rather not waste my time with them, if I can help it."
"You are absolutely fucked, you know that right?" he asked me.
"I know, but I just want to go to bed and forget about this crap, at least for a while."
I set off from the hallway, finding a doctor and my room in ten seconds flat.  As soon as my head hit the pillows, I was out like a rock.
_____
Fluttershy stood in shock, barely able to comprehend what had just happened.  Somehow the strange creature had managed to break her Stare!  How?  Nothing had ever been able to break her Stare, not even a cockatrice!  Still, that wasn't the worst part.  When Fluttershy looked into the creature's eyes, what she saw didn't comfort her.  She saw beneath his facade, recognzing how sad he was.  But she also saw his anger, his hatred, and it had taken all she had not to scream and run.  She didn't know how he could hold all that hate and not explode from it!  
A groan startled her out of her reflections, and focused her attention back to the mares he had hurt.  She began to run for a doctor, but not before making the pledge to figure out why his eyes were so full of sadness and hatred.

> Sometimes, Twilight Scares Me.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I drifted through a sea of darkness, glad to return to the abyss, even if I wasn't alone.  I could sense Grifith drifting along with me.  I wasn't too concerned with his presence: I knew that if he had something to say, he would say it.  As it is, I'm just glad I get to drift for a time being.  I knew I fucked up with the way I had dealt with the ponies, but I had to say, it felt good to put them in their place, as it were.  I'd need to make a plan of action for dealing with any potential fallout from what I had done.
Still, for now I'd just enjoy the time I had. After all, it wasn't very often that someone just got to drift through their own mind.  
"Instead of simply sitting here, doing nothing, why don't you use this time to practice?  After all, if what's happened is any indication, you're going to need it."
"Can't I just enjoy myself for once?  It's been a hard enough day already, and I'd like to spend what little time I'll get to spend here resting.  After all, I have a feeling that whatever comes next isn't going to be any easier."
"Very well, though I'd recommend against spending all your time here resting. After all, it's the perfect spot to perfect your powers."
"Understood"
I let myself drift for a while longer, just enjoying myself.  I could slowly feel myself lose control over the darkness, and saw a small light begin to form in front of my eyes.  Sighing, I tried to close my eyes and turn away from it, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.  I quickly realized that wouldn't work however, as the light just followed me.  Knowing that I'd either get up on my own or be forced awake, I decided that getting up would be the easiest.  Taking a deep breath I forced myself awake, ready to face whatever came next.
______
Twilight opened her eyes, trying to remember where she was.  Feeling something poking her she looked down, her eyes shooting open as she remembered what happened.  Spike was underneath her, breathing softly, but he was different.  His skin had darkened, while at the same time his veins had become more easily seen then before.  His claws had become longer, and sharper, changing in color from a clear white to an ash grey.  The spikes that decorated his body had become sharper, becoming more like sword points.  She remembered the effects the creature's magic had on itself, and began to ponder the implications.  Perhaps the creature's power changed its form because of some sort of corruption?  Or maybe the magic reformed the host to something more suitable to its needs?  Looking down on Spike, she began to fear what other effects the magic might have had on him.  Rising to a sitting position, she decided that the best thing she could do for Spike was to scan his body, and search for the energies the creature had left in him.  The results scared her.  The energy had  bonded with Spike's body, fusing to his bones, spikes, and claws, creating his new body,  Even worse, a large amount had gone into his face, meaning that his eyes and other vital organs may have been changed as much as his body.  As much as she wanted to do a full examination, she knew that he needed his rest.   She decided that she would ask the creature, seeing as he was the one who caused it to happen in the first place.
Thinking of the creature brought up a twinge of guilt, as she remembered her actions from the night before. The more she thought about what she had done, the more she began to cringe. She had threatened the creature, pulled him up by the hair, and most likely scared the daylights out of him.  Even worse, she had no idea if the creature itself was wounded, meaning she could have killed him in her anger.  She lowered her head, realizing that she hadn't acted like the princess she should have been.  She remembered her pledge that he would get a fair trial, and she knew only one pony for the job.
______
As I rose out of the bed I cracked my fingers, feeling relief flooding through them.  The cracks seemed to wake my stomach up however, as it soon began to gurgle.  As I thought about it, I felt starved, as if I hadn't eaten in years.  Deciding that my first order of business was breakfast, I set out with a course to find a nurse and order some food.  About half way to the door however, I decided that there was something I needed to do first.  
As badass as my clothes looked, they weren't the best thing to show that I meant no harm.  Remembering how they had mended themselves, I assumed they responded to my wishes.  I looked at them, and willed them to become something I could wear to the mall. Before my eyes they changed. shifting into jeans and a tee-shirt.  However the large chain stayed, wrapping itself around my body.  Shrugging, I decided that I'd question it later.  
Before I opened the door, I approached a mirror set into the wall, hoping I could see what I looked like.  The sight before me surprised me.  My hair was disheveled, my skin pale, and my eyes red.  Not like what happened after I used magic, but like I competed in the Olympics while I had the flu. My stomach growled again, reminding me that I was hungry. Turning from the window, I went to the door just in time for it to open, the doctor from yesterday standing there in shock, like he was surprised to see me awake.
I hadn't really gotten a chance to see the doctor last night, considering what had happened, and I took the time I had to examine him.  he stood at the height that most ponies seemed to, somewhere in the middle of four feet.  He had light orange skin with a rust colored mane.  the most interesting feature about him was the lack of a horn.  I'd have assumed that most ponies doing something like this would be unicorns, but before me stood an Earth Pony.
"Good morning Doc." I said cheerfully.
Recovering from his shock, a smile began to adorn his face.  "Good morning indeed!  I'm rather surprised to see you awake!  After all the strain your body seemed to be under, I assumed you'd be out for another day at least.
I couldn't help but smile, the doctor's words setting me at ease.  "I guess I'm just a fast healer."

"You must be to have recovered so fast!  Before we go any further, I'd like to do two things. First, apologize for last night."  As the words left his mouth, his smile turned into a frown, shame finding his features.
"Regardless of who threatened you, I should have defended you, seeing as your my patient."
I couldn't help but laugh, a small chuckle escaping my lips.  "Don't worry about it Doc, I'd have done the same, considering the circumstances!  Miss Sparkle can be a rather...fierce lady when she puts her mind to it."
The doctor gave me an odd look before giving me a subdued reply.  "Do you really forgive me that easily?  Who knows what she could have done to you!"
"True, I shrugged, "but she didn't do any permanent damage, so no harm no foul, right?"  I held out my hand for a shake, before remembering that without hands, it was pretty hard to have a handshake.
Before I could withdraw my hand however, the doctor had reached out with his hooves and gave my hand as strong a shake I had ever received.  "Thank you.  You don't know how much that means to me."
"Now that we got that out of the way, I'd like to introduce myself.  I am Sunny Ore, resident doctor for Ponyville!"
Nodding my head and smiling I replied "Pleasure to meet ya Sunny Ore, my name is Connor, Connor Sheffield."  Withdrawing my hand, I closed my eyes and streched, hoping to work out any kinks.
When I turned back, the doctor had turned and grabbed a clipboard from somewhere on his back, and was now facing me with a smile still on his face.  "If it's ok with you, I'd like to examine you a bit, just to be sure that everything is up to snuff."
Sighing, I sat back down on the bed.  "Can't say I didn't expect this doc, but go for it.  Make it quick though, I'm starving!"  No sooner had the words left my mouth then my stomach decided to prove my point, letting out a fierce rumble.
He laughed and approached me.  "Don't worry," he said cheerfully, "I'll speed through this and we can go grab breakfast!"
______
The examination hadn't taken as long as I thought it would, and we had set out as soon as we had finished.  We made meaningless small talk as we walked towards the cafeteria, me avoiding any and all questions about where I came from, how I got here, and where my powers came from; and him answering everything I asked him without a moments hesitation.  As soon as we reached the cafeteria I felt a chill come over my body, and felt myself nearly collapse to the floor.  I would have fallen over had the doctor not held me up.
Holding me up with his side, he began to walk towards the door, forcing me to follow.  " I was worried about this." he said as we opened the doors to the cafeteria.
'W..Wh..What's wrong with me?" I stuttered out between breaths.  I had never felt this way before, it was like someone came and punched me as hard as they could all over my body as many times as they wanted to.
"We call it magical exhaustion.  Basically you've used so much magic that your body was forced to give up energy for your spell casting.  If you use enough magic, you can kill yourself.  As it is, you managed to severely drain your body's energy enough to require a week of rest.  It's why I was so shocked to see you up this morning.  The shock should have kept you down for at least the day!"
"I..Is there any way to fix it besides rest?"  I said, hoping that he'd have another answer.
"No, only rest and eating will give your body back the energy it needs.  There are ways to prevent it from happening in the first place, but they all basically boil down to physical training, mental training, or both.  If you're strong enough, you shouldn't have to much trouble."
We approached a table and Sunny set me down.  Turning he said "I'll be right back, I'm going to grab you some food, and maybe some vitamins to make sure that you're getting all the nutrients you need."
I couldn't even nod my head, I felt so tired.  I knew that this was going to be a long week.
____
Opening her eyes, Fluttershy gave a small yawn before standing up and shaking her mane.  As she stood there she thought about the events of last night.  After the strange creature had caused her two friends to pass out she had searched for a doctor.  relief had flooded through her after hearing that they had only gotten slightly singed, and after a night of rest they should be ok.  Rarity had passed out from all the excitement, and Pinkie Pie was her usual self, despite the situation.  It hadn't taken long for Fluttershy. tired after such a long night of fear and tense moments, to fall asleep on one of the couches near the room where Spike was.
Thinking of Spike brought up images' of the creature, and even more, how hurt his eyes looked.  It almost seemed as though there were two beings inside him.  Shaking her head to clear away such silly thoughts, she began to walk towards Spike's room, hoping to hear that he had recovered.
She opened the door quietly, hoping not to wake anyone up, in case they were still sleeping.  It turned out to be unneeded, because as soon as she opened the door she heard Twilight call out " Who is it?"
Opening the door fully, Fluttershy called out meekly "It's me, Fluttershy.  I just thought I'd check in on Spike.  How is he?"  Turning to look at the dragon, she was shocked by his appearance.  His entire body seemed to have undergone some sort of change, turning Spike from the cute and kind looking dragon he was before into some sort of terrifying creature.  His scales had turned a different color, his spikes had become sharper,  and his claws seemed longer.  And while the wounds he had had last night were gone, Fluttershy didn't know if this was much of an improvement, but knew that she shouldn't say anything to Twilight about it right now.
"He seems to be doing better, but I don't know." Twilight said, a small tilt in her voice.
Fluttershy could tell her friend was on the edge of breaking down into tears, and stepped up to the plate.  Walking forward, she gently nudged Twilight.
"There there Twilight, I'm sure Spike will pull through.  He already looks ten times better than last night!" Fluttershy said, still nuzzling Twilight.
Twilight smiled, and returned the gesture.  "You're right of course Fluttershy.  I shouldn't be so worried.  It's just that seeing him like this...He doesn't even look like Spike anymore.  It looks like something can and replaced my Spike with this creature, and I'm worried that when he wakes up he won't be Spike anymore!"  She finished the last part of her sentence with a wail, and buried her head into Fluttershy's shoulder.
Twilight gently rubbed Twilight's head, whispering quietly into her ears.  "Shh Twilight, it will all be ok.  Just relax and take deep breaths."  Fluttershy pulled her into her arms, knowing that she would be here for a while.
______
It had been a few days since I had nearly passed out at the cafeteria, and I was feeling much better now, though I could still feel my exhaustion deep in my bones.  At first I was worried that this was some sort of sign that I had a deeper problem, but when I asked Sunny, all he did was nod his head.
"That's to be expected coming from a patient who is in your condition.  Magical Exhaustion can stay with the caster for up to two weeks, or more depending on what the patient does."
I knew that he'd say something like that, but it was still depressing to know that I could be in here for two weeks, especially since they didn't even have a T.V in the room.  
"Great, just fucking great" I muttered under my breath.  
Sighing, I rested my head back on my pillow.  Besides being forced to spend two weeks in the hospital, I had bigger concerns.  I knew that the dragon was doing better, if the comments that the nurses had said were any indication, but none of them ever mentioned what was happening, or more importantly, if Twilight was still angry at me.  I had a nagging suspicion that the Alicorn wasn't going to forgive and forget that easily, at least not when it concerned the health of someone who was almost a son to her.  I had spent the majority of my time here thinking of ways to avoid having her cream me, but so far I wasn't having good luck.  I guess I would just have to cross that bridge when I came to it.
I closed my eyes and began to relax.  If I could get some sleep, I should be able to think a bit more clearly, not to mention I could get more strength back. However, as soon as I closed my eyes I heard my door open.
"Listen, I don't care who you are.  If you don't turn around and let me get some sleep, we're going to have a problem."
Having said my piece I rolled onto my side, hoping that whoever it was would leave me alone.
"Now now, that's no way to treat someone who came so far to visit you, is it?"
I scrunched my face up, not recognizing the voice.  Sitting up, I slowly opened my eyes.  My jaw nearly dropped as I saw who it was that decided to visit me.  Right in front of me stood Princess Luna. her ethereal mane blowing in a non-existent  wind, her eyes glimmering like a jade in the sunlight.  She had a kind, small smile on her face, her voice gentle and caring.  Needless to say, I was completely surprised.
"Princess!  What are you doing?" I asked, instantly wondering if I was going to be punished for what had happened.
"Relax, Connor.  I have only come to speak to you."  How had she known my name?  Zecora!  She must have spoken to the others while I was recovering, gathering information.  
" I see." I said, trying to relax.  I certainly wasn't going to be volunteering any information, unless it became necessary to do so. 
"So, what can you tell of me of your fight between Spike and yourself that I don't already know?"  
Ah, the golden question.  What can I actually tell you that can't be used against me, but can only help me?  
I opted for a partial truth.  "The dragon came out of nowhere seemed to think that I could help him somehow.  We fought, and the last thing I remember is him sticking his claws into my back while I looked for Zecora so she could help him.  Then I woke up here, with Twilight deciding to use her magic to rip me out of my bed, before tossing me into a wall. " 
Luna had watched my face for the entirety of the conversation, finally nodding her head once and smiling when I finished speaking.  "I'm glad you decided to tell the truth.  I was a little worried that you wouldn't."
I tried to hide my expression, but it clearly failed, if her response was anything to go by.  "Don't be so surprised", she said, the smile still plastered on her face, "I had to be certain that you would tell me the truth."
"And you did this how?" I asked?
"Magic, of course!  I simply read your thoughts and looked for any lies."
I shook my head, and inwardly wondered what good lying would do me.  After all, either he attacked me, or I attacked him, and only one of those stories had a chance for me to keep my head where it was, or my freedom.  Honestly, between Zecora and Spike, I'm pretty sure any lies I would have made could have been tossed out on their heads.  What kind of question was that?  As it is, the Vulcan Mind-Meld shit was just going to be annoying, but I could put up with it if it kept her happy.  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and turned my head back towards Luna.  It seemed as though she had read that thought as well, because she no longer looked as amused as before.
"One would think you'd be smart enough to remember something I told you only seconds ago."
My face turned a little red before I smiled and said "One would think that yes.  Still, my point still stands."  The smile came back, not as big as before, but there nonetheless.
"Yes, but still one should never take chances, should they?"
"No, I suppose not.  After all, if I had lied you'd have seen what kind of person I was, and that knowledge is even more important than the truth now."
She looked away from me, towards the door.  "Now, the question is what to do with you?"  She turned back, looking quizzical.
"We know that you can fight, but so far you've only done it when attacked.  Still, maybe that's just what you've been able to do so far.  Even giving you the benefit of the doubt, we can't really allow someone who can do what you can do to just walk around without being watched."
"I suppose you have some ideas?  Otherwise I have a feeling you wouldn't be bringing this up."
It occurred to me that I didn't really need to speak, seeing as she could read my mind, but still, it was nice to talk to something that didn't rhyme, try to eat me, or threaten to kill me.
She smiled, so I know she read my mind, but she didn't decided not to comment.  "I decided to place you with Twilight.  After all, who better to give you to?  She'll always keep an eye on you, but after all her lessons she won't be too harsh.  And if something happened to Spike, having you there, even if you don't know what to do, will at least give her something to take her anger out on."
As un-appealing as that sounded, I knew that it was probably the best option I'd get.  Besides, if anything went horribly wrong, I'm sure I could jet out and not get hurt.  Still, I didn't like my options.
"Not that you have much choice.  And keep in mind, even if you try and run, we can find you before you get far.  I promise you, we won't be happy, and you won't be healthy."
I suppose she couldn't get any more direct then that.  Still I had one request.
"Stop reading my mind.  It's rude and annoying.  And unless you're going to consider me some sort of criminal, then I'm sure you're breaking some sort of law."
"As you wish.  Remember however, that if you give me cause to, I will go back in."
"Read you loud and clear, Princess.  Preparing to follow the rules in 3..2..1." 
She gave me a weird look before shaking her head and muttering something under her breath.  
"I shall have your room set up in a few hours. You should probably get some rest, we want you out of here as fast as we can, don't we?"
I rolled me eyes, before nodding and muttering, "Oh yeah, ASAP." 
______________________________________________________________________________________________	
Turns out I only needed to be in the for another few days.  With help from Grifith I managed to replenish my energy and my life force pretty fast.  Still, I wasn't really looking forward to living with Twilight, and I can't imagine that she would be any happier with me there.  My only hope was that I'd be able to avoid her as much as possible without getting her angry.  Still, no point in waiting around for her to come to me.  I stood up, deciding to wear jeans and a shirt again.  Until I went outside and figured out the weather, I'd hope this was warm enough.  I had found out that the clothes responded to my wishes, but I had to be very specific.  I tried to make armor, but it turns out that not only did it way a lot, it didn't offer any protection.  Basing armor off video games really didn't help.  At least until I found out I can make armor from games like Metal Gear Solid, at which point I tried going stealth and found out how fun it could be.  It wasn't great, and I'm sure that magic would be better, but at least it doesn't take my energy to hide myself and it gives me a little armor.
As I stood around waiting, I decided to test how well my magic had come back.  Grifith had warned me that I wouldn't be as strong as before, having lost my connection to Hell, but I'd still be strong.  I'd just have to work myself back up, I suppose.  
I chose to lift the bed up, on the off chance I dropped it, it wouldn't break.  Besides, it's large and not to heavy, giving me a nice place to gauge my strength.  I focused and lifted the bed, floating it through the air, before setting it back down.  I didn't feel tired at all, which was a good sign.
"As good as it will get, with what you lifted.  You'll have to practice more to see if you're still any good."
I should have known he would chime in, but he was right.  I'd have to try on something harder when I had the time.
As soon as I set the bed down the doctor came in.  He looked at the bed, eye raised.  Shaking his head he turned towards me.  "I'm glad your strength back, but please don't move the furniture."
"Sorry, I was just trying to get a little workout in." I said sheepishly.
"Oh, I'm sure you're anxious to try out your strength again, but take it slow.  You're body is back to normal, but over the next few days any huge uses of energy will result in some sticky situations, to be sure.  As in, your magic will malfunction and explode inside your body."
Before, I was tempted to try and use magic as soon as I could, but now maybe I think I'd wait awhile.  Nodding my head to let him know I understood, I looked at the clipboard in his hands.
"I've brought you here to sign this paper so we can release you from our care.  Your bill has been taken care of, and Ms. Twilight is waiting to get you, along with Spike."
Part of me wanted to run away right there and then, but I knew that wouldn't work.  My only solace was that I had managed to learn how to protect my thoughts, meaning she wouldn't be able to stop me right away.  Grabbing the clipboard, I signed my name, and handed it to the doctor.
"Anything else before I scuttle out of here, or are we good?"
"We're good.  Have a good day, Mr. Sheffield."  He reached out a hoof for a shake, and I grabbed it, remembering all the help he'd been.
"Even though you didn't help me with Twilight, you're still a good man.  Or good stallion, I suppose."
"He nodded, embarrassed that I had brought it up.  "I still am sorry for that, but well, she scared me....
"Don't worry, she does the same with me.  And you don't even have to live with her!"
He grinned. "True, I suppose we better set up a permanent bed for you!"
I laughed, and walked out the door, turning around and waving once before walking out.  I hoped I'd never be back here again.  No offense to the doctors, but God I hate hospitals.
______________________________________________________________________________
Outside the hospital sat six colorful horses, all of who I recognized, along with a dragon, who looked faintly familiar.  Black tinted scales adorned his body, and his claws seemed to be ash gray.  His eyes seemed to be a little off, but I couldn't tell why.  I realized that he was missing scales, and some of them seemed to be in the middle of growing back.  Reminded me a little of toenails, actually.
None of them, dragon included, looked very happy to see me.  Twilight refused to look me in the eyes, while Spike glared at me fiercly.  Applejack squinted and spit, while Rarity grunted and looked away.  Rainbow Dash lowered her head, looking as though she was going to charge.  Fluttershy had hidden behind Spike, while Pinkie just looked confused at what was going on.
Sighing I decided to get this over with.  "Look", I said, getting their attentions, " I don't want this anymore then you do, but I'm stuck here.  I stay away from you, you stay away from me.  Deal?"
"Oh, and how do you expect to stay away from us!" Spike yelled, leering at me.
I was tempted to smack him, but held my anger.  "Simple, I'll just make sure that I avoid you when I'm at home, then get my own place as soon as I can.  Hopefully I'll be able to get out soon."
Spike looked as if he was about to open up the debate with a fresh rebuttal, but Twilight decided to moderate.  
"That sounds wonderful.  Follow me and I'll bring you back home and take you to your room."
I was a little shocked that worked, but who was I to complain?  I nodded and followed behind her, the others trailing behind us. We walked a ways before coming to what looked at like a giant tree house.  I wanted to make a joke, but looking at the faces of the people around me I decided against it.  She opened the door, gesturing me inside.  I followed, and heard the door click behind me.  Twilight stood there, a disturbing smile on her face.  I knew I was in for Hell.

> Just Another Day..Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now then", Twilight said, a slight glimmer in her eyes, "You and I are going to have a little talk.  I don't like you.  You hurt Spike, nearly killing him.  You're rude, and you only helped because you had to.  However, I am willing to give you a chance.  But you're getting one warning."  She started walking towards me, punctuating each word with a step.
"You are going to apologize to Spike for what you did.  You are going to promise that you won't ever do anything like that again.  And you are going to swear to Celestia that you will try your hardest to reform.  Or else I will use the Elements and turn you into stone for the next thousand years!"
She finished her demands by pushing her face into mine, an angry glare plastered to her face.  I was honestly a little worried.  Sure, I knew that during times of stress she could flip and do things she regretted, everyone does.  But this was different.  She went on the offensive right away, and as much as I wanted to laugh at her, I knew that that was a terrible idea.  She was an incredibly powerful Alicorn who, whether she wanted to or not, opened her home to me.  Yes, she threatened me, but I did deserve it.  After all that happened, it wasn't any wonder she was threatening me like this.  I didn't like it, but I understood why.
"I swear that I'll apologize, that I'll behave, and that I'll work as hard as I can towards becoming a better person.  For what it's worth, I didn't have a very easy time before coming here, and I was totally unprepared.  But, you are right, and I will do better."
For a moment I thought I broke her, but she backed away and had a small smile on her face.  She looked rather pleased, all-in-all.  
"I'm glad you agreed so easily.  It's going to make things much easier for us in the future." she said, moving towards the door.  "Now, for the first part of what you promised.  Oh Spike, come here for a minute!"
Spike opened the door, glaring all the while.  
"What do you need Twilight?" he asked, the anger, directed at me if the glares indicated anything, thick in his voice.  Twilight turned towards me expectantly.
"Look Spike, I want to apologize.  I made a mistake in taking the fight as far as I did.  I hope that we can start over, and not let what happened ruin the chance of having a good friendship."  I walked towards him, hand held out for a shake.
Spike looked at my hand for a minute before taking it, hold gently as not to hurt me.  "Apology accepted.  And I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and attacked you, it was wrong of me." he said, somewhat grumpily, almost as if he didn't want to, but knew that he had to.  
I laughed, and turned towards Twilight.  "Well, that went better than I expected!  Now what?"
"Now, we relax for a little while before everyone comes over tonight.  We planned on having a sleep over before you showed up, and I still plan on having one." she said.
"And I'll be more than happy to leave y'all to your devices.  Show me my room, and when they come, I'll take some dinner, grab a few books, and spend the night out of your way."
"Thanks." Twilight said gratefully. 
"Of course."
______________________________________________________________________________
It was a few hours later and I was relaxing upstairs, eating some sort of pie that Spike had cooked, along with a few cupcakes that Pinkie had made.  At first, the pure amount of sugar nearly made me retch, but after the first few bites it really grew on me.  Of course, diabetes was going to be a real problem if I wasn't careful, but still, these things were worth it.  
I had gotten bored of reading history books, and so I had grabbed a couple randomly off the shelves.  They were mostly young adult books, but I had grabbed a few of the more impressive ones.  It seems Twilights library catered to teenagers, and the intelligent, of which I considered myself both.  It was nice to relax for a night.  I hadn't been able to relax as much as I wanted at Zecora's, it was far too hot, and the animals always kept me up.  Besides, with as little as she had, she couldn't share much.  Twilight on the other hand had managed to find me a bed that would just fit, some nice sheets, and given me a shower.  Not to mention some amazing food.  I was really hoping that it would stay this way, but knowing my luck it wouldn't.  Still, I'd worry about that later.  
Lounging around, reading a book, I almost felt as if I was back at home, relaxing in my room.  If I focused I could feel the room around me shift, the bed I was laying on become closer to the one at home.  Still, as I listened I could hear voices coming from downstairs that I'd certainly never hear back at home.  People laughing at strange jokes, chattering away about whatever they could think of.  I wished more than anything that I was home now, relaxing with my family.  I laid the book down, flicked the lights off, and covered myself in the blanket, laying as still as I could.  It didn't take me long to sleep, but before I did I felt a few tears slide down my face.
______________________________________________________________________________
Twilight couldn't help but laugh at Pinkie, who was doing her best to walk like her strange new house guest.  She felt a little guilty, but she was sure he laughed at them as much as they laughed at him.  After all, they both looked a little silly to each other.
"I can't believe that you'd take that feller in, Twilight!  I don't think I could 'a done it myself!" Applejack said, giving Twilight a pitying look.
"Me either darling!  He looks most assuredly like a ruffian, especially in that dreadful outfit he wears!" Rarity said, her voice rising the more she spoke.  
"Now now girls, he isn't all bad! Twilight protested.  "After all, he did apologize to Spike for what he did, and agreed to behave as best he could."
Spike came from out of the kitchen, a plate of muffins held in one hand and a pitcher of what looked like some sort of apple juice in the other, nodding.  "He didn't try and shy away from it either.  He admitted he was wrong.  And to be fair, well I did attack him for no reason, so it is partially my fault..." Spike said, his voice tapering off near the end, a sad look coming to his face.
"My dear Spike, no one here is blaming you!  After all, how were you suppose to know that he meant no harm?  Look at him!" Rarity declared loudly, causing Twilight to shush her.
"Quiet Rarity!  We don't know if he is awake, and I don't want him to hear you insulting him!  But, she is right Spike, you didn't know."
"Yeah!  You were just being loyal to your friends, which is pretty awesome!" Rainbow Dash said as she floated around the room, unable to sit still with the others.
"Yeah!  Plus, all is well that ends well!  And maybe we can throw him a 'We're Sorry We Got Off On The Wrong Foot, But Maybe We Can Be Friends' party now!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down with each word.
"Um..I don't know how...responsive he'd be to the idea Pinkie...or how many ponies would want to come.  After all, it isn't really a secret that he an Spike got into a fight..." Fluttershy muttered, hoping that no one heard her.
"Speaking of which, Spike what happened to you!  You look about 20% cooler then you use to!"  Rainbow Dash said.  She waited a minute before looking around the room, realizing that everyone was giving her a look.  "What!  It's true!"
"We aren't really sure, to be honest.  All we know is that whatever power he used on Spike, some of it is left inside him  So far, there haven't been any problems, but at this point, none of us including him know what might happen..." Twilight said sadly.
The entire mood of the party had changed.  Everyone looked a little downcast, especially Twilight. 
"Hey now everypony, let's not jump to any conclusions!  We have no idea what's going to happen, but we shouldn't get all worked up over something that probably won't matter anyways!"
His words had an immediate effect, as everyone in the room smiled and moved together for a hug.
______________________________________________________________________________
Spike cleaned up the dishes in the main room of the library, moving quietly to make sure that no one woke up.  He smiled as he looked about the room, before grimacing and rubbing his chest.  He had been having pains all morning, mostly where the strange creature had struck him.  He walked into the kitchen, setting the dishes in the sink, before walking to the table and sliding down into the chair.  He continued to rub his chest, hoping the pain would go away, but he was sure it wouldn't.  It had been like this since he had woken up from his coma.  Some sort of pain would ebb across him, mostly in his chest, before disappearing again.  He had meant to get answers from the strange creature, but so far had hadn't seen him.  Maybe now however, he could get some.  Spike rose from the chair, and made his way to the stairs.
______________________________________________________________________________
I sat there in the void, thoughts echoing off the invisible walls and bouncing back to me, an infinite number of times. 
"You're nothing, you hear me!  Nothing!  You'll die as nothing, and you'll never get what you want!"
A voice came echoing through them all, cutting out their chatter.  "Don't you think it's about time you stopped this little pity party?  It won't get you very far."
Opening my eyes I saw Griffith standing before me, in all he glory.  I closed my eyes again before answering.  "It's not me doing this.  Trust me, I wouldn't put myself through this, I may hate who I am and what I've done, but not enough to torment myself."
I heard Griffith mutter a few times before he addressed me again.  " I feel inclined to believe you.  You don't seem to be the sort who would indulge in this-defeating pity-fest.  The question is then, why is this happening?"
"I have no idea, but I plan on ignoring it until I figure out why and deal with it."
"A strategy, if not the best one.  Still, not much else we can do at this point, all things considered."
"Exactly.  Besides, whatever is causing this probably expects me to get angry or depressed, which means that not caring is the best way to deal with it.  Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to keep mediating, before I have to wake up."
"Instead, why don't you practice?  After all, who knows when you might need it."
"No. For one night I want to actually rest. I'm tired inside and out. Now leave me be for awhile so I can relax."
"As you wish.."
As soon as I felt him fade away I took a deep breath.  I was worried I'd have to sit there and deal with him all night.  Thank God he just went away.  Still, I was forced to agree with him.  Whatever or whoever was causing this to happen didn't seem to keen on me being happy.  I focused and reached inside me, creating a ball of darkness between myself and the noise.  It worked rather well, drowning them out completely, though I had a nagging suspicion that it wouldn't last long.  Still, I'd enjoy it while I could.  
As soon as I said that I knew it had been the wrong thing to say.  I felt myself being shaken awake, and while generally this wouldn't bother me, I really, really didn't want to wake up right now.  I resisted for as long as I could, but before I knew it I was awake and face-to-face with Spike, a claw on my shoulder and him whispering "Wake up, I need to talk to you.  Wake up!"
I shook my head to get the last vestiges of sleep out of my eyes and answered him.  "I'm awake, I'm awake!  What do you want?  Better question, what time is it?"
"Close to one in the morning, and I have a question." he said, removing his claw from my shoulder and sitting down on the bed.
I sighed, knowing that I wouldn't enjoy where this would head. "Well, I'm up, so what do you need?"  I didn't want to be an asshole, but it was pretty fucking late after all.
"Ever since I've woken up from our fight I've been having strange pain in and around my chest.  I was hoping that you could tell me why, and maybe fix it, since you caused it." his tone of voice cluing me in on the fact that he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Spike, I have no idea what's wrong with you.  Hell, I don't even know how my powers work!  All I know is that I had to leave some traces of power inside you, but they shouldn't be causing any problems."
Well, get them out now then!  Because I know this is your fault, and you're going to fix it!" he said, giving me a glare.
"I'll try, but no promises, Now, hold still, this may take a while."
I drew in some power and began to probe him, looking around his chest for the most part.  What I saw surprised me.  The traces of my power were bonding to his system still, reinforcing or replacing whatever they needed in order to become a part of his system,  Just looking at it gave me a headache, and I knew that all I would do is cause problems if I messed with it now I'd probably just mess it up and make it worse.
"I'm sorry man, but I can't do anything.  The power is still fusing with your system, and so you're still in pain.  If I mess with it now, I have no idea what it would do.  Just try relaxing and letting it do what it needs, and you should be better before you even know it!
He didn't seem very happy to hear it, but that was the best I could do for him, so he'd have to accept it.  "I'll wait, but if it gets worse you and I will have some words.  And I won't hold back this time either.."
Part of me wanted to be an asshole, and remind him that I could wipe the floor with him, but the other part realized that I probably couldn't at this point, and even if I could I promised that I'd try and turn over a new leaf, not just to Twilight but to the Devil too. "I promise that if it gets worse I'll try and make it go faster.  But only if it gets unbearable.  Otherwise, you're on your own."
He nodded and get off the bed.  He left without saying a word.  I felt bad, but there really wasn't anything I could do to help him.  After all, I was barely sure how to make my powers work half the time anyways.  Laying down I decided to get some more sleep.
______________________________________________________________________________
I woke up the next day with no interruptions, thankfully.  I managed to get a good night's sleep after going so long without having one, which made it even better.  As I stood up and took a deep breath, I realized that I had started to stink.  I had no idea why, considering that I had taken a shower not even ten hours ago. Still I didn't question it and went to take a shower.  It was then I found why I was stinking so bad. As soon as I made the clothes that I was wearing disappear the smell went with it.  I had no idea how to wash the clothes, seeing as they were just magical projections, but it looked like I'd have to find a way.  I jumped into the shower, washing my hair and body for as long as I could.  About midway I had an idea.  I had the chains appear again, and I cleaned them, making sure that I got everywhere.  Some sort of rust and God only knows what else came off, along with a lot of the smell.  I'd have to figure out a way to clean it without taking a shower, but until then this would do.  I got out and used magic to dry off the chains.  Thankfully, not enough to change anything about me.
It seemed that today would be a good day.  Of course, after saying that I knew that it wouldn't be, but still I could be hopeful.  I managed to get some well-deserved sleep, clean myself and my clothes off, and the sun was bright and shining.  Today seemed like a day I wanted to face
I decided to wear the same thing I wore yesterday, only this time I wore a slightly different color shirt.  I didn't see the point in wearing anything special, seeing as I all I planned on doing was going for a walk and avoiding all of Twilight's friends.  Which, now that I think about it, may be a little hard to do.  After all, they did have a sleepover here last night, and who knows if any of them were still here.  I'd be willing to bet that Rainbow Dash hadn't left, and maybe Pinkie Pie.  Applejack and Fluttershy had jobs that required them to be home at the crack of dawn, Rarity had a little sister and a busniess to run, so they were probably gone.  Still, no reason to take any chances.  I left the bathroom and headed back towards my room, both to grab any dishes I had in there and to check the time.  If I was lucky it would be late enough that none of them, besides Twilight and Spike of course, would be here.
Luck was me with, as it was around eleven in the morning when I got up, meaning that hopefully most of the ponies would be gone.  As I crept down the stairs I kept my eyes opened for anyone that didn't live here, not including myself.  Seeing no one in the main area or the foyer, I dashed towards the kitchen.  My luck ran out as soon I crossed over into the room however, because I bumped right into Pinkie, one of the last ponies that I wanted to see.  I didn't have anything personal against her, but if being near her had taught me one thing it was that I really didn't want to be near her.  Still, it wouldn't hurt to be polite, so I began apologizing.
"Oh my Pinkie!  I'm so sorry , I didn't see you there!  Are you ok?" I asked, trying to sound as sincere as I could.  I didn't really feel that bad, but still better safe than sorry.
"I'm fine, silly!  We just bumped a little!  But wait!  I didn't see you at all last night, what were you doing??" she asked, her bright blue eyes trying to pierce my soul, or at least what was left of it.
"I was sleeping, for the most part.  It's been awhile since I've been anywhere comfortable to sleep, or somewhere was I wasn't forced to lay in bed.  So I took advantage of that as best I could."
"Oh, that makes sense!  What are your plans for today, huh?" she asked, her voice getting more and more excited the longer we talked.  I knew I'd have to end this soon before she exploded.
"I plan on walking around and seeing the town, maybe seeing if anyone will hire me.  Then, I'll come back here and sleep."
"You should stop by SugarCube Corner, it's where I work!  I'd love to see you!"
As much as I didn't want to go, I knew it was a choice between going or explaining to both her and Twilight that I didn't really like Pinkie, and no offense, and spending as little time with her as possible sounded like a great idea.  
"I'd love to Pinkie, I'll be sure to stop by."  A complete line of course, but it never hurt to be polite.  And it's not like I anyone else had heard me say it, right?
"That sounds like a wonderful idea!  I'll make sure he goes!" said a voice behind me, dashing all chances of me getting out of this without visiting her.
I turned and faced Twilight, making sure to keep a strained smile on my face.  "Oh Twilight, I didn't hear you behind me!  Didn't you and I have plans for today?" I asked, hoping she would get the hint.
"Oh no!  I wouldn't want you to miss out on seeing Pinkie today.  Our plans can wait." she said with the least sincere smile on her face I had ever seen.  Clearly, she knew I wanted help but decided that she wasn't going to help me out.
I turned to face Pinkie again, trying to make my smile sincere again.  "I guess I'll see you this afternoon, then."
"Ooh yeah!  I'll be sure to make extra- special cupcakes for it!" she yelled as she ran out the door, nearly hitting the wall instead of the door.
I just shook my head and turned towards Twilight, the smile gone from my face.  "Is there a reason that you did that, or was it just to spite me?" I asked, not a little angry about it.
"It will be good for you to go out and make some friends while you're here, and no one is a better starting point then Pinkie!  If you're ok with her, everyone is ok with you!" she said, far too happy about it.
"Besides, seeing as my friends don't trust you after everything that's happened, you might want to consider trying to make friends with them."
Ah, the real reason, and one that made sense.  I could understand why they were all still mad at me, seeing as I injured Spike, and tazed another one of them, but still, I really didn't see the point in making friends with anyone besides Twilight and Spike, and that was only because I was living her for now.  Still, I knew I didn't have much choice besides to grin and take it.
"Fine, but they better be nice to me, or I won't be nice to them!"  I knew that I sounded like a little kid but still, I really didn't want to put up with them anymore then they wanted to put up with me.
"Sounds like a deal.  You told Pinkie you were going to walk around and see the town a bit before you came over?" she asked.
"Yeah, I want to see what the rest of this place looks like, and see if anyone here would hire me.  It's a small chance but I'd rather take it then let it go."
She nodded, and turned her head towards what seemed to be the center of town.  "The Mayor's office is over there, maybe she can help you find work.  And even if she can't you should introduce yourself as early as you can."
I popped my back and began walking towards the door.  "Thanks Twilight, I'll be sure to stop by before I go to SugarCube Corner.  Especially since I have no idea where it is.."
"I'm sure you'll see it on the way there! Have a great day!  See you later!"
I nodded at her and left the library, the bright morning sun blinding me as I walked through the door.  I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them slowly, letting my eyes get used to the sun.  Looking around, I realized that everything was still beyond bright, almost like a cartoon.  The village was also very reminiscent of what I imagined an early Middle Century village would like, complete with a wind mill and a central market.
Turning in the direction that Twilight had nodded to, I began a slow walk through the center of town.  At first no one seemed to notice me, but the farther ahead in line I got the more people began to turn and look in my direction.  Conversation stopped as ponies became focused on me.  I felt rather awkward, especially when someone decided that screaming  "Monster" as loud as they could was a good idea.
Nearly all the ponies began to scramble and run, just like the horses back home would do.  I almost wanted to laugh at them but I contained myself.  As stupid as they looked, I knew I wouldn't help matters by laughing.  As the market cleaned out only half the stalls remained opened, which was still a sizable amount.  I noticed Applejack managing a stall filled with, surprise, apples.  I walked over to her, noticing her bored expression as soon as I got close.
She inclined her head towards me, and I did the same.  "Rough day for busniess, eh?" I asked.
"Even before you showed up and scared nearly all of them away, barely anyone was buying anything.  Plenty of ponies browsing but none buying.  Some days are like that though."
"Well, if it's any consolation Applejack, I think your apples look delicious."
"I'm glad to hear it partner.  Ya know, I just realized that I never actually found out what your name is."
I put my hand out and said "Connor, Connor Sheffield."
She took my hand with her hoof, and shook it up and down.  "As ya already know,  my name is Applejack and I own and operate Sweet Apple Acres, the best orchard this side of the world, or any side!" she finished, a note of pride creeping into her voice near the end
I felt the conversation would only go downhill from here, considering I had no desire to hear her prattle on about her orchard, so I decided to end the conversation as fast as I could.
"Sounds interesting..However, I've got to go meet the Mayor, so maybe we could continue this some other time?  I plan on visiting SugarCube Corner later, if you'd like to join me."
"Sounds like a good time!  I'll be sure to make it!"
I nodded my head and turned to leave, "I'll be sure to see you there, then!" I shouted over my shoulder.
I walked a short distance before seeing SugarCube Corner for the first time, and I must say it was impressive.  I had already had some food from there, but even if I hadn't, I would have been able to tell how good it would have been from the building alone.  It seemed the entire building was designed to make you as hungry as it could, with a giant cupcake on the top, to the gingerbread walls.  I wondered if it I could eat it, but then I came to my senses and realized how stupid I sounded.  I wasn't in a cartoon after all.
I resisted going inside, knowing it would be better to wait until I was with everyone else before going in. I kept walking towards the town hall, noticing several interesting shops, and even better a forge.  Sure, I knew little of blacksmithing, but it couldn't be impossible for me to learn, and it looked like a lot of fun!  Well, not fun maybe, but rewarding.  I kept walking however, hoping to get to the town hall and get the introductions over with.
As soon as I stepped inside the building, every turned and looked at me.  I recognized several ponies from the market, including the one who screamed monster, looking like he was about to do it again.  Before he get a word in however I spoke.
"I am not a monster, and before you yell and cause another stampede, can you please point me to the mayor?"
One of the ponies gulped and pointed towards on office.  "Are you going to eat her?" she asked, fear oozing out of her voice.
"You're an idiot." I said, getting as much contempt in my voice as I could.  Honestly, how stupid could some of these ponies be?
I walked towards the office and knocked, hoping that she was in.  A voice called out "Come in, it's open." so I stepped inside.
The Mayor was a women, with gray fur, which I took to meant she was old.  She had glasses on as well, and her eyes opened slightly when she saw me.  "I don't suppose you're what they were all screaming about earlier, are you?"
"Yes, I am indeed."
"And, just to be safe, you're not a monster, correct?"
I sighed and muttered "No, I am not a monster.  Jesus, why does everyone think that?"
"I didn't mean anything by it, she apologized, "It' just that with how close we live to the forest, and how easily scared most ponies get, they call a lot of things monsters that aren't.  And I've travelled a fair amount, and never seen anything like you, so I had to be sure."
"Makes sense, I said nodding my head, "after all, who knows?  Maybe one day their screaming might actually be useful." I said with a little bit of sarcasm in my voice, which she clearly picked up on.
"Well, yes they are easily scared I'll admit, but having never seen you before I was a little scared too.  And I knew you were here, though maybe knowing your history here hadn't helped either.."
I coughed, a little embarrassed that that was her first impression of me.  "I promise you, I'm not usually like that.  It was just a little bit of a stressful time for me."
"I shall take your word for it.  However, I was just about to go calm them down so I could attend my next meeting, so if there wasn't anything further...?" 
"No, I just wanted to let you know I was ok, and introduce myself.  I'm Connor Sheffield." I said, reaching my hand out again.
She took and said "I'm Mayor Mare, and welcome to Ponyville." 

> All He Needed Was A Creepy Van
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I left the Mayor's office and decided that I had awhile before I needed to go back to twilights, so I walked around a bit.  I ventured back towards the market before I heard some sort of whisper.  As soon as I heard it I stopped, searching around for where it came from.  I could hear it at the edge of my hearing, and I sat there listening I heard it again, coming from somewhere behind me.  I turned and followed the path I just came from, listening for that voice.  I kept hearing it, and I was slowly led outside of town near some sort of stream, which flowed towards the forest I had came from when I first arrived here.  I found it a little weird that something was telling me to go to the forest, but I decided that whatever it was, I could deal with it.  After all, I had spent the last few weeks gathering power, so it wasn't like I was defenseless.  Plus, I had been resting the whole time, so I had more than enough energy to see where this went.
I walked along the streams path until it merged in with the tress, where it disappeared beneath the twisted trunks.  I listen for the voice, and heard it calling me inside.  I searched the tree line for an opening, but it seemed that this whole area was closed off, almost as if nothing was meant to get in or out here. Shaking my head I walked back towards the stream.  Bending down, I realized that it had managed to create a small tunnel, just large enough for me to crawl into, underneath the trees.  Looking at the water I knew I wasn't getting out of this without being dirty.  I shook my head, turned my clothes into what I could only call a wetsuit, and slipped into the tunnel.  As soon as I entered the voice got louder, moving into almost recognizable whispers.  The voice became harsh, and gravelly.  I almost thought about turning around, but I had come too far to go back.
"Even though it would be the smart thing to do, I can tell you won't turn around.  So, take some advice: be prepared for anything."
"I was wondering when you'd say something.  You've been pretty quiet lately."
"I simply had nothing to offer.  After all, you weren't out doing stupid things then."
"Ouch.  Warning noted"
I kept crawling down the tunnel, for what seemed like hours.  As soon as I got out I took a deep breath, glad to be out of the small space. I changed from the wetsuit into some pants and a shirt, designed to blend in with the forest and still be strong.  The voice hadn't grown louder, but it had gotten faster, which meant that I was probably on the right path.  The stream continued into the forest, so I decided the quickest, if not the safest, path was to follow it.  I kept my eyes peeled, hoping that nothing would creep up on me before I knew it was there.
I had gotten maybe two miles before the voice got louder, and I could make out what it was saying.
".....Darkness.....And in that place I was found...Light!...Darkness shroud me..."
I had no idea what any of it had to do with anything else, but I had come too far to go back, so I kept walking.  The stream eventually led to a small clearing covered in grass and what seemed to be apple trees.  I reached up and grabbed an apple, inspecting it closely.  It looked like the apples I had eaten when I first came here.  After hearing about how messed up this forest was, and experiencing it first hand, I decided that a little caution would be a good idea.  I took a bite and prepared myself to cleanse any poisons in my body.  Thankfully, nothing happened, so I took a few more bites before grabbing a few for the road.  
Looking at myself, I realized that I still had Zecora's talisman on my chest, resting against my heart.  I remember her warning not to take it off, and I decided to heed her advice.  I fingered the talisman for a moment, and decided that I should keep it on for now.  
I walked further into the clearing, noticing that the farther I went the less grass and more stone there was.  Eventually I reached some sort of courtyard, where pillars of some sort of ash colored stone rose above the ground, broken and covered in vines but still standing.  At the far end of the courtyard stood some sort of alter, covered in vines like everything else here.  I walked closer to it, and the whispering grew in its intensity.  Oddly enough, as soon as I reached the alter it went dead quiet.  Tracing my fingers over it, I could make out some sort of inscription on it. Using my powers, I burned away the vines covering it, making sure to not harm the alter in the process.  It took a few minutes, but it was soon cleared.
I had no idea what the thing said, because it looked like it was written in some sort of ancient langue.  Instead of the usual characters it had strange markings closer to claw marks, and the only reason I didn't think some animal had come through here and messed it up was because it had some uniformity.  Symbols repeated themselves across all sides of the alter, and it had clearly all been done at the same time.  The more I looked at the thing, the more my head began to reel with what it could mean.  
I decided to leave it alone for now though, seeing as there wasn't anything I could do about it, and examine the area around the alter.  I circled around it, looking for anything even more out of place.  I stopped as soon as I got behind it, and knelt down.  It looked like there was some sort of crack in between the alter and the ground, and what seemed like grooves between the alter and the ground, almost as if it was meant to be pushed out of the way.  I stood and got behind it, placing my hands on each side, and started to push.  And push.  And push.
Nothing happened.
After pushing for what felt like hours with no results, I decided that I'd keep looking around, seeing if there was anything else out of the norm.  Casting my gaze around the courtyard, I couldn't find anything that didn't belong. I walked all over the damn place, making sure to step on each stone just in case it triggered something.  Either the mechanisms for moving the thing were broken, there wasn't anything to move, or I had missed it, because nothing happened.  	Shaking my head I went back to the altar.  I took a closer look, but I still didn't notice anything besides the grooves, and the alter definitely would have had to been pushed from the back.  Looking around to see if anyone was there, I released some of my power into my arms, causing them to grow larger and larger, until I was sure I could push the thing.  I set my feet, grabbed it and shoved.
Only to find myself slamming against it, my magic disappearing as soon as I tried to move the damn thing.  Clearly, it didn't want to be moved.  I walked backwards a bit, before deciding that kicking it would clearly move it.  Sadly for me all it did was break a toe or two and make me hop up and down like an idiot cursing.  Limping back to the front, I noticed that one of the letters had been lit up.  Some sort of black liquid seemed to have come out of the stone and filled up the marking.  Looking at my hands, I channeled more power into them, and set them against the stone. As soon as I did it disappeared, but I kept channeling into the stone.  Soon more of the words were lit up, until they were all covered in the liquid. I heard some sort of click and backed up, not wanting to be anywhere near the thing just in case.  
The altar slowly moved towards me, along the grooves that had been set there God knows how long ago.  As soon as it moved some sort of wind erupted from within the hole it left, having been trapped there who knows how long ago as well.  It stank like Hell, but I knew that whatever was in there was going to be interesting.
"Maybe you should just figure out how to cover the hole up again and leave, before things get out of hand?  After all, you've already had to use magic quite a bit since you've been here, and I can't imagine that anything sealed away with demonic power would be a good thing to run into.
"You're assuming it's still alive.  After all, it's clearly been a long time since anyone has been out here, much less opened this thing.  Whatever is down there is probably long dead."
"Except if that were true, then why would you be hearing whispers?  Better question: if whatever is down there would have died without food or water, then why would they have locked it up somewhere ponies weren't going to go?  And with a type of energy that most ponies can't and won't use?
As much as I wanted to give him an asshole answer, I knew he was right. Still, I had come too far to just turn around.  "Look, I'll be careful but we've come too far to turn back now.  Besides, if something dangerous is down there, I should take care of it and then seal it back up, just to be sure."
I heard him mutter something in my mind before he went quiet, and I decided that I didn't want to hear whatever he had to say.  Looking down into the hole, I realized that it was actually another tunnel.  Shrugging, I lowered myself to the ground, and began rubbing the wall in order to find some stairs, but there didn't seem to be any.  Even better,  I couldn't see anything.  I knew that if I went down there like this it would be suicide, so I channeled even more magic into me, sending it straight to my eyes.  I closed and opened my eyes a few times until I got it right, but finally I could look down into the hole.  I noticed that it was harder to get magic into me lately, and I decided that taking off the talisman that Zecora gave me might be a good idea if I planned on using it on myself.  Of course, the flip side was that it probably gave me some protection in return, and it made me harder to detect.  I decided that I'd keep it on for now, but if I needed to use some serious magic it was coming off.
Using my new vision I looked back into the strange tunnel.  It shot straight down, but was wide enough for me to drop through.  It wasn't wide enough for me to get wings and fly down, but I had an idea.  I imagined power sliding into my hands, giving me sharp and durable claws.  As I watched bright red claws began to grow, my hand becoming some sort of twisted mockery of Freddy's claw.  Stabbing one hand into the stone wall, I dropped into the tunnel, my other hand slamming into the other side, holding me up.  I pulled my claws out until I began to slide down the tunnel, trying keep even and see where I was going.  Before I knew it the tunnel began to turn, and I ripped my claws out to avoid getting hurt. I sped up, shooting through the tunnels too fast for me to stop myself, until finally I shot out and flew a ways before sliding across a floor to stop a ways ahead of the tunnel.  Sitting up, I shook the dirt off my face and shrunk my hands down again.  That was really not any fun.
Looking around, I realized that the tunnel must have went a long ways down, because there was no way this giant chamber was near the ground.  The ceiling seemed to go up beyond my vision, being held up by pillars. It was also incredibly wide and long, as I couldn't see very far into the darkness either in front of me or to my sides.  The tunnel stood behind me, a testament to my fall.  I decided that I'd just walk forward until the voice yelled at me again or something happened.  I really hoped that neither of those would happen, however, because I had no desire to face whatever came because of it.  
I walked for a little ways when I realized that I would need to leave some sort of magical beacon behind me to remind me which way I came.  Looking at the ground, I imagined an arrow of  fire pointing the way I walked. I checked to make sure that what I was doing hadn't begun to wear me out.  I was a little tired, but the apples had helped.  I knew that I would need to be careful with how much power I used here, because I didn't want to pass out.  I kept walking forward, every hundred yards creating a new glyph.  I must have done that twenty times before I reached another altar with a door behind it.  Only this altar was a little different.
It was covered in glyphs of carnage and destruction.  One side showed an entire town being crushed by some sort of monster.  The other side's showed ponies and other creatures being tortured by some sort of creature.  The final picture showed them fighting the thing, and being victorious.  Even more ominous, there was some sort of black orb on the altar.  
The door behind it wasn't any better.  Some sort of screaming, demonic face was plastered over the door, and giant hinges, old and covered what looked like rust kept the thing in place.  I was a little scared, to be honest.  This whole room screamed "Don't touch anything!"
"Maybe next time you'll listen to me and ignore the weird voices?"
"How was I suppose to do that?  And how was I suppose to know that this is what I'd find?"
"Common sense dictates that you ignore the weird voices that speak to you, just as it would tell you that something bad would happen by following them into the forest."
I wanted to say something, but he was right.  I have no idea why the heck I followed the creepy voice all the way here.  All I knew was that I had, so I would just deal with whatever happened.  
I walked closer to the altar, feeling something familiar about it the closer I got.  As soon as I stood a few feet in front of it I realized that it felt the same as when I channeled my power.  So maybe this was also full of shadow magic?  I wanted to touch it, but that seemed like a horrible idea.
"Now you use your brain.  So, what are you going to do with it?"
Looking closer into the orb, I decided that terrible idea or not, I was going to pick it up. There didn't seem to be anything else that I could do with it.  As soon as I started walking towards it Griffith decided he needed to make a running commentary.
"This is how people in movies die, just saying ]. I mean really, walk towards the creepy shadow orb?  Can you think of a worse idea?  Maybe you should just turn around!"
”Just shut up and let me see what happens!"
”Don't say I didn't warn you..."
I took the final few steps and placed my hand on the orb.  The moment that I touched it, I felt electricity travel between me and it.  I felt like it was draining me of energy, and as the shadows swirled beneath it I found that I couldn't pull my hand back.  I began to panic, and tried to hit it with a blast of fire, but it just absorbed it.
"Calm down!  And stop using magic for a minute!"
I took his advice and closed myself off from my source, and the shadows beneath the orb became even more agitated, before slowing down and letting me pull my hand back.  That wasn't the end however, as the orb began to pulse with a murky light.  I stepped back just as it exploded into shadows, and the whispers began to pick up again.  
Just as quickly as it started it stopped, but the room itself was different.  A dark light suffused the room, letting me see that the room extended massively in all directions.  The altar was glowing, and the door behind it seemed to be restored, the rusty hinges changed into steel bands.  I walked towards the altar slowly, hoping that nothing else would explode.  As soon as I stepped onto it light up even more, reacting to me.  I tried to walk back, but I felt some sort of barrier appear that separated me and the way back.  I couldn't get off the platform.
"After so long...Why have you come to disturb my slumber?" a voice from the darkness called out.
"Uh, I didn't really mean to.  In fact, if you let me go I'll let you get right back to sleep!  And no one will bother you again!"
The thick voice laughed, which sounded like two knives scraping together.  "You misunderstand!  I'm not angry, but grateful.  After being stuck here for long, I've longed for the outside.  For fresh air.  For Freedom!"  
I really wanted to leave, but seeing as I couldn't, I decided that I'd just ride it out.  "Well, I'm glad I helped then...Any chance you can let me go so I can be free too?"
"Surely I can get my savior's name before I release him?  After all, I'd like to know what I owe it to."
"I'm Connor." I told the voice.
"Thank you then, Connor, for freeing me from my slumber.  As a reward, I shall spare your life.”
Great, so I woke up something evil.  "That's nice....But can I get your name before you go?  I'd like to know who I woke up."
"I have many names.  Before I was imprisoned here I resided in a being called Sombra.  However, I cannot feel him nearby.  Am I still within the bounds of Sul-Ñalor?"
"Uh, where the hell is that?"
"It became known as the Crystal Empire, I believe."
"Then no."
"I see...I have much to attend to.  I shall leave you a parting gift and be on my way.  Thank you for freeing me mortal.  I must find my host and attend to my own issues.  Enjoy my gift."
As soon as he finished his speech the shadows erupted, and the room become light, like someone lit a candle.  The door behind the altar opened slowly, and a bright red light began to emerge.  Before long, the snout of something came out, along with a set of glowing red eyes.
Shit.

> Much Hammer.  Very Demon.  Wow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I saw very quickly why the room was so large.  The monster slowly sliding out of the doorway was huge, barely managing to fit through the doorway,  It wasn't as scary as I thought it would, considering how massive the damn thing was.  The monster was some sort of rock creature, looking like someone took a bunch of boulders and glued them together using magic.  From the waist up it looked solid, but below the rock twisted and turned, looking more like gravel and wet cement then rock.
The creature's face was literally made from granite, but it still managed to remain expressive.  It's eyes were full of rage, and a grimace seemed to be carved on to its face.  The body had lines crossing all over it, small cracks that seemed to make it more life-like.  It still didn't seem like it should exist, much less be alive, but then again neither should I.
It cast its gaze over the room, searching for something.  After passing over the room several times it turned to me and spoke.  "Little one, I shall ask only once: where has the Corrupter gone?  Answer honestly, and you shall be spared."
I was glad that I hadn't taken the talisman off before coming here.  "It flew away, towards the Crystal Empire, most likely." I answered, hoping to get this over with before it decided that I looked like something that might be fun to squish.
It rumbled, causing the entire room, and everything in it, to shake.   "The Crystal Empire, you say?  Then shall I assume that Sombra has returned?"
"I honestly have no idea.  But you should probably check it out, and quick just in case."
It glared at me, almost as if it was searching for something.  "Hold, little one.  I smell something afoul around you, the same as around the Corrupter."
I tried to convince him that it wasn't me.  "Oh no, that's probably just the altar.  After all, the thing had been there for awhile!"
The creature moved forward, sniffing.  "I can smell it's foul stench in the air!"
"Like I said," trying to calm the thing, "it had been here for a while, so I'm sure you can smell it!  Though, actually how do you smell?  You have no nose!  Even better, what the heck are you?"	
"I am a Lǐr, Guardian of Land, Protector of the Pure."
Oh just great, someone who hates people who are corrupted, just like me.  This should be fun.  "Can't say I've ever heard of something like you.  But I digress and you're wasting time.  You need to chase the creature before it gets away."
The Lǐr glared even more, sniffing again.  "No, little one, I think not.  For I can sense corruption nearby.  And it's coming from you."  He lowered his arms, slowing forming hands.  Closed hands.
"The Corruption must be destroyed, and that includes you little one.  Prepare yourself."
The Lǐr launched itself at me, the ground rumbling as it moved.  I turned and ran, hoping to God I could get away. Of course, I forgot that the thing was basically an Earth Elemental, meaning I was a little more than surprised when a slab of rock appeared before me.  Surprised and in pain.  Slamming into a solid wall of rock is never pleasant.  Shaking off the pain, I turned around just in time to duck under a fist.  The thing moved faster than should have been possible, considering it was a fucking rock.  It brought it's arm back and swung at me again, slamming the ground hard enough to cause little shockwaves to radiate out of the ground.
"Hold still, Corrupted!  I shall cleanse you!"
It's lower body began to flow towards me, reaching out for me.  I tried to jump away, but as soon as I jumped so did the gravel, and I was snatched out of the air like a bird caught in a spiders web.  The gravel slowly began to cover me, hardening painfully before I lost feelings in my limbs.  This was a rather shitty way to end.
"Maybe now would be a good idea to use your powers?"
I mentally face palmed, realizing that I could have just blasted the creature the moment it tried to attack me.  Focusing on my power, I shot it out of my skin, blowing up the parts of me that had been caught in the creature's gravel.  The explosion knocked the Lír back, and I decided to try something new.  I imagined that wings grew out of my back, and channeled as much magic into the thought as possible.  After a second of thinking, a huge pain grew in my back, and I fell some sort of bulges spread out, ripping through skin and reattaching bone as they forced their way out.  I nearly screamed in pain, but thankfully I finished the transformation without sounding like a wuss.  I flapped my new wings and managed to gain some altitude.  I knew it wouldn't be enough to beat him, but it was a good start.  Turning around, I tossed a ball of shadowflames into his face, and threw myself even higher.  I had to be careful because I didn't actually know when the ceiling ended, but being higher was better than being near him.
His screams of pain sounded like music to my ears as he tried to swat the flames out.  I took advantage of his lapse in attention and attacked again, hitting his body this time.  While it didn't do as much as hitting him in the face, it was a nice start.  I decided to try and do something tricky.  Focusing all my power into my hands, I closed my eyes and imagined a ball of energy forming inside of it.  While I was busy focusing on this, he had managed to get most of the flames out, and lowered his body for a launch at me.
As soon as he kicked off the ground I threw the ball of energy, hoping it would be enough to stop him.  It slammed into his face, and kept going, causing him to be thrown back in pain.  The ball went all the way through him, and when they hit the ground, it became solid, forcing the elemental to stay on the ground.  Panting, I allowed myself to smile, hoping that that would be the end of the fight.
I turned around and began to flap my wings, hoping to get a decent way away before the creature broke free, or before I touched the ground.  You could never be too careful after all.
"Did you really think I could be so easily bested Little One?" it rumbled behind me.
I swallowed loudly and turned to face the creature once again.  It's wounds were healing in front of my eyes, and even worse it was already breaking free of the trap I had set it.  I knew I couldn't wait for it to get back up before I attacked, so I did the only thing I could do.  Using my magic I summoned a giant magic hammer, and flew towards the creature.  As soon as I got close enough I summoned a shield around my body and swung the hammer.  The Lǐr raised its arm and blocked the attack, but it managed to crack his arm and break several small pieces off.  I felt myself getting weaker, and decided I needed to end this fight.  Focusing, I sent huge bursts of power into my arms and chests, forcing the muscles to get bigger.  As soon as I looked like I had tree trunks for arms, I flew back and began swinging again.
Being forced to pay attention to me as opposed to healing itself and getting free, I quickly began breaking the Lǐr down.  Small pieces came off first, and then larger and larger ones, until eventually its chest was bared towards me.  lining up my shot, I brought the hammer back and swung like a golf club.  Striking the thing in the chest, I launched it backwards, making it slide across the floor.  Losing the wings, I touched down on the ground and walked towards it.  Its chest was open and inside stood a crystal, pure brown.  Light flickered dimly inside it, and I could see the creature wasn't going to survive another hit.  I readied my hammer, but something inside me made me stay my hammer.  If I was correct, the thing wasn't evil, I was.  It only went after things that were corrupted.  Which meant that if I let it live it would probably chase after me until it got me.  Weighing the pros and cons of the each choice in my head, I lowered my hammer.
"Here's what is going to happen, I said to the creature, "you're going to go to the Crystal Empire and fight off the corruption, and you're going to leave me alone.  In exchange I spare your life.  Do we have a deal?" I asked, hoping it said yes.  Otherwise I'd be forced to kill it.
It moaned, causing the ground around us to shake.  Before I could lower my hammer and crack it's gem open however, it spoke to me.  "I shall do as you ask, corrupted one.  Beware however that other likes me shall hunt you down to put an end to your corruption."	
I sighed and willed the hammer to disappear.  To my surprise, it didn't.  Instead,  it seemed as though it had taken on an actual form of its own.  I guess I had a new weapon now.  
_____________
I left the underground chamber following the markers I had made, and before long I found myself back in the courtyard.  To my surprise it seemed as though only a few hours as had passed.  It felt like days since I had been outside.  Sitting down on the grass I decided to look give my new weapon a look.  It only took me about two seconds to realize that I could never bring this back to Ponyville.
At the bottom there seemed to be some sort of small rounded ball, or gem.  Looking closer I realized that it was glowing bright red and then switching out to black.  The shaft was some sort of chain connected to an obsidian handle.  However, the chain seemed to be able to hold the weapon up.  Closing my eyes and focusing I heard a soft noise, and looking back, the weapon had fallen, becoming a flail.  Focusing again, it righted itself, and I kept the inspection going.  Where the chain connected to the head small spikes kept blades away, insuring it couldn't just be hacked off.  The back of the head had long spikes covering it, making it a useful weapon to swing either way.  It had one long spike that seemed sharper than the rest as well.  The face is what made me never want to bring it home.  The front had teh face of a demon.  Long, open jaws gave it a monster-like appearance, and the sharp teeth didn't help.  Horns and curved spikes came from the front as well, making sure that you didn't even need to get a direct hit to do damage.  But the worst was the spike coming out from the mouth.  Where the rest of the weapons was a balanced mix of red and black, the spike was gray, and sharp.  Very sharp.  All along it runes were inscribed, and it glowed faintly.
Yep, no way this was coming home with me, at least not with how it looked now.  Focusing on the shaft of the weapon, I tried to get it to shrink down.  As I watched, the chain contracted, pulling the entire weapon together, before somehow swallowing the head, until all that was left was the small handle.  I kept focusing and tried to make it expand.  The weapon shot right out, becoming the hammer in a blink of an eye.  I kept switching between the two modes to make sure that I wouldn't have any surprises.  As soon as I felt I had practiced enough I sheathed the weapon and began walking home.  I realized that I'd have to go back through the small underground tunnel and I almost cried.

> Welcome to Nerd-town, nerd. 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Making my way through the small underground tunnel, I began to wonder what that stone courtyard was doing out here in the forest, and why no one had noticed it before.  Or maybe they had, and after finding that they couldn't open it, they left it alone.  Even more puzzling was the Corrupter and Lìr, how did they get there, and how long had they been there?  I knew what the Crystal Empire was after reading some of the recent history books, but I couldn't figure out what those two had to do with it.  Or what would happen to me if someone found out I had released them.  After all, a giant black monster and a huge rock monster flying through the air and travelling beneath the ground should be pretty easy to see.  Especially if everyone else can sense the energies they released like I could.  Still, I'd worry about that when I got home and could shower.  I stopped for a second and took a small breath.  The water, and myself, still smelt as bad as it did when I came here the first time.  I knew it would be hard to lie about where I came from, and where the Hell I got this hammer.  Still, I'd do what I have to.
As soon as I exited the tunnel I removed the wetsuit and put on casual clothes again, noticing that a lot of the smell had disappeared, thankfully.  I decided I needed a shower before I did anything else, and began making my way to Twilight's house.  I got maybe half way there before I heard a voice above me shout out "Look out!  Incoming!"
I immediately jumped to the side instead of looking up like my instincts demanded, and I was rewarded by not getting splattered by a rainbow shaped ball that screamed through the air before slamming into the ground.  Shaking myself a little I walked over to what I assumed would be a smear on the ground, only to jump back in shock when the smear in question stood up and shook her mane.    Noticing me staring, she glared at me and asked " What are you looking at?"
As much as I wanted to be a smart-ass I just shook my head and said, "Are you ok?  That looked like a nasty spill.  I'm surprised you're in one piece after that!"
Holding her head up proudly, she declared "I'm Rainbow Dash, best flyer this side, no on this whole planet!  A little fall like that wouldn't hurt me.  But nice try their new guy!" 
After noticing who I was she shifted to a more aggressive stance, which still looked adorable as hell on a Technicolor pony, and lowered her head.  "But after what you did to Spike, and what you did to me, I shouldn't be surprised!  I dare you to take me on now, tough guy!"
As much as blasting her into pieces would have made my day, a thought which disturbed me greatly, I decided to try and go in for tact.  "Look, I'm sorry about what happened, but look at it from my point of view.  I get attacked by what appears to be a vicious animal, pass out carrying him to a hospital, get woken up by an insane mare, forced to exhaustion by healing the thing that nearly killed me, and then get attacked by you.  What the Hell would you have done?"
She narrowed her eyes at me and opened her mouth for a retort, but nothing came out.  After a few moments she sighed, and drooped down.  "Look, I'm sorry about what happened.  I can be a little...hotheaded.  But I was just protecting my friends!  And that I won't apologize for!"
"That's fine, I don't expect you to.  But, as fun as this has been, I need to go.  In case you hadn't noticed, I don't smell so great."
She sniffed the air a few time and recoiled.  "Ugh!  What is that smell?"
"Some nasty-ass water."
"What does a donkey have to do with it?"
Ugh.  "Forget about it.  I'll see you later."
Before she could say anything I turned and began walking as fast as I could towards the library, praying that she ignored me.  
Rainbow Dash shook her head.  "What a weirdo."
I managed to make it to the library without anyone else trying to stop me, and I quietly opened the door.  Peering inside the door, I looked both ways before gently opening it and sprinting up the stairs.  Just before I got to the door I stopped, reminding myself to knock.  I slammed on the door a few times, and hearing nothing, I threw it open and jumped right in.  I didn't want to wait, just in case something went wrong before I got in.  As I turned the knob all the way on, I realized just how gross I was.  All around me floated little bits of plants and scum from the river, not to mention the leaves and dirt.  Even worse, I had tons of little rocks covering me from the elemental I had fought.  I knew I'd have to clean the tub before anyone else got a chance to use it, or else I'd have to face some pretty awkward questions. Hell, after what had happened, I knew I'd have enough of those. 
I laid in the tub for what felt like hours, but probably ended up being all of thirty minutes.  I switched into and out of clothing several time, making sure that I had gotten completely clean before getting out and toweling myself off. I then did the most manly thing I could think of: I sat down on the toilet and thought long and hard about what I had been through, and cried a little bit.  It's not every day that you fight a raging elemental in a forest on another planet. 
I felt like this was almost too much to take in, and if suicide wouldn't have landed me back in Hell I would have probably taken my own life right there and then.  No one should have to face what I'd gone through so far, and I had a feeling that my trip through Shitsville had just started.
______________________________________________________________________________ 
After crying like a small, frightened child at a carnival funhouse I got dressed, but instead of just a shirt I added a layer of armor underneath, and let the chains wrap back around my arms.  My mace was tucked into a pocket that I had made just for it, and just in case anything went bad I had the amulet that Zecora made for me ready to be ripped off at a moment's notice. All in all, I looked well protected and styling, if not a little paranoid.  I knew I still had one thing left to do today, and as much as I didn't want to do it, I knew I had to go to SugarCube corner and see Pinkie Pie and all the rest of Twilight's crew, otherwise they'd hate me forever and blah blah blah. Honestly, what a waste of time. Maybe I should just move to the forest forever and avoid people, that might make not sinning a little bit easier.  Which brings up another question: does he mean everything that God said was a sin in the bible, or just the obvious ones, like murdering and raping the corpses?
"Hey nerd, did Satan mean all sins or just the ones that would be big no-no's to anyone else?"
"....Did you just call me a nerd?"
"Yep, I did, nerd. Now, answer the question before you get an atomic wedgy."
"You do realize that I could just kill you and drag you back down to Hell, yes?"
"Try it nerd, and I'll pray so hard you disappear forever."
"As useless as that would be, this is even more so.  I have no idea what he meant, but based on his past deals, I assume just the ones that would bother anyone else.  No killing for no reason, no stealing, etc.  He's a little more forgiving about lying however, because he made it part of your contract."
"Well, that's a relief."
As soon as I finished the conversation I stepped outside again, and immediately got several looks from frightened ponies.  Some things never change.
"That's because you've been here for a day.  Maybe if you actually waited a while it would."
Ignoring the nerd in my head I kept walking, looking for the shop.  I knew I had passed it this morning on my way to the town hall , but that seemed like such a long time ago that I couldn't remember where I had seen it. Still, the walk itself was a nice reason to be outside.  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and despite the fear in the air, ponies still did whatever they did with their shallow and meaningless lives, just like I was doing, and just like every other living being.
Turns out I had a better memory than I thought I did, because I found the store rather quickly. It sat right in the middle of a main street, surrounded by drab houses, at least in comparison. I could see that it was already packed inside, and resolved to try and scare as many people out as I could. After all, who knew if I would get any cupcakes at all with how many people were there? (I knew I would, but hey, why not mess with the locals right?) Striding up to the door, I grabbed it and pulled. And pulled. And then tried one more time for good measure. Letting go of the door, I looked around and noticed a mare staring at me strangely. Nodding towards her I smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in my shirt, cleared my throat and pushed the door open.