As Twilight Sparkle left the library to search for clues regarding the Everfree Beast, Spike couldn't stop feeling like if something bad was going to happen to Twilight, he only hoped to be wrong about it but, the more he thought about it, the more his mind created distorted images of Twilight being slain by the monster that resided inside the cursed forest.

Images of Twilight being frozen to death, images of Twilight being crushed or just being captured by It. The idea of having someone as close to him as Twilight getting into the Everfree Forest without any type of help was something that only she could think about, but Spike just couldn't come up with a better idea or, at least, not at the time. He wasn't strong, he couldn't make a plan to defend Twilight from a creature nopony knew about and, had he decided to go with Twilight, he would've just been a burden.

He wanted to make a letter to Celestia, but Twilight may get angry at him for she wanted to prove Celestia how capable she was to solve this kind of problems on her own so, despite knowing what was the best idea, Spike decided to accept and just wait for Twilight to come back with any information she could gather.

That way, as time went on, Spike became more and more anxious, for Twilight was taking more and more time to get back to the library. At the beginning he was thinking that Twilight just got sidetracked on some conversation but, when he saw the sun setting down and the moon rising from the ground, Spike was starting to wonder if Twilight found some kind of problem inside the Everfree Forest.

The idea, at the start, sounded ludicrous for Spike but, as time went on and the moon got higher and higher, the more fear and worry started to root deep within Spike's mind, Twilight was on her own, she didn't ask any of her friends for help and if she had any type of that she could solve on her own, she would've fixed it by now. And, that way, Spike accepted defeat towards his fears and left the Library in search for Twilight's friends for help, with each of them receiving the news in their own distinctive ways.

The stern Applejack, once she heard of Twilight going into the Everfree Forest, felt a mixture of guilt and anger towards the friend that decided to go into the timberwolf's mouth to help her friend but repeating the same mistake the apple farmer committed not too long ago during the Applebuck season and Applejack wasn't going to allow Twilight from receiving the same consequences, if not worse, that she got back then.

Rainbow Dash was the most concerned about Twilight, not that she would let anyone know about it, for she was sure that the unicorn was unable to fight whatever lived inside the forest. Rainbow would never forget the ursa and the dragon and how destroyed where their respective bodies when found and the last thing the brash pegasus wanted, was her friends suffering the same fate. No, she would go into the Everfree if necessary and rescue her friend from any danger that were living in it.

Pinkie Pie was worried as well for Twilight's safety, but her choice of words couldn't be more poorly. Talking about how many parties would Twilight miss have something bad happened to her and how important it was to find the "big meanie" living in the forest. It was quite clear she had the heart in the right place but it was unknown how aware she was regarding the immediate danger Twilight was right then.

Rarity was the one who felt the guiltiest regarding Twilight, having created a drama in front of her and prompting the loyal student to dive into the danger without help of any kind, she wanted to go and help her friend and hope that she wasn't responsible of any type of evil befalling poor Twilight and, should that be the case, she would show the monster what a lady was capable off.

Mysteriously, or rather a case of fear, was met when a tired Spike and the girls went to search for Fluttershy, the animal lover and found her cottage abandoned with five series of prints, one of a chicken, three fillies and one mare, going into the forest. When this happened, the mares found themselves worried that Fluttershy and the three fillies she was taking care off went into the Everfree and met the same fate that Twilight did.

As the four mares went into the Everfree's entrance and prepared themselves to get into the forest and save their friends, with two of them preparing a big scold towards the fillies that decided to enter yet again into the Everfree Forest, relief came into them in the form of the mentioned ponies, leaving the forest in good conditions and talking to each other. Such relief was met in Spike that he fell victim of tiredness and sleep, no longer having to worry about the potential danger coming to one of the figures he cared the most about.

When Twilight found her friends in front of the Everfree Forest, the first thing that came to her mind was wonder as to why they were there, making her ask what they were doing. Surprisingly, their answers weren't what she expected, although she should have expected them.

"Twilight, are you insane!?" - Asked a very concerned prismatic pegasus. - "Why did you come into the Everfree Forest if you knew how dangerous it was?"

"Yeah! Why didn't you ask fer help to any of us? We would have helped you with no question."

"Well" -. Interrupted a white unicorn. - "I need to finish a commission tonight so..." - Seeing how her friends were looking at her, Rarity decided to quickly fix the situation. - "But I would have totally helped you, had you ask for help first."

Twilight looked at her worried friends and realized how dumb she was for this idea but, considering the end results she had from this, it probably was very worth it. No matter how Twilight thought regarding her experience on the forest, she doubted that having her friends with her would have actually helped her to meet Raziel once again, speaking of which.

"You're right" -. Said a humble Twilight, recognizing her error. - "I should've asked you for help, but I announce you that I managed to get the information I was looking for and I will talk about it as soon as we manage to gather up in the Library."

As soon as those words were heard, Twilight's friends perked up and now wanted to hear whatever Twilight managed to find, even Rarity was considering on listening to this first and grounding Sweetie Bell later.

Once the girls were in the library and Spike was in the bed, with the three fillies in the library since no one was avaiable to care for them while this meeting was being held, the six mares decided to speak regarding what Twilight found on the Everfree Forest and said information freaked some more than others.

"Let's see if I understand this" -. Repeated a prismatic mare. - "You were turned to stone and your soul almost got eaten by a monster in an alternative version of Equestria, then you got saved a creature that, according to you, managed to fight Nightmare Moon herself, cannot die, can live between this two versions of Equestria and has been the same creature that defeated the Ursa Minor and the Dragon?"

Granted, Rainbow Dash was the most excited about this, the other girls were feeling a mixture of creepyness and worry regarding this creature but they were letting Twilight finish her report before making any comment.

And, again, Rainbow Dash was the only one that wasn't feeling fear from all of this.

"That's so cool" -. A quick angry look from Fluttershy reminded the fastest pegasus alive the problem with that statement. - "I mean, yeah, it was that it killed those creatures, but its so awesome. I wish I could've gotten a chance to fight Nightmare Moon as well."

"Right. As I was saying, after meeting with Raziel, I've come to the conclusion that Raziel isn't a bad... pony?" - Twilight quickly debated herself whether or not she used the right term for Raziel, for he wasn't a pony but she wasn't sure of what exactly he were. She would ask him later. - "Anyways, Raziel is good and I think it would be good for us to let him enter into Ponyville so we can properly meet him."

"Ah', Twilight" -. Said a very young and tired voice. - "Are you sure that's a good idea? Ah've seen part of Raziel's body and the reactions he would get from the ponies would be much worse than what Zecora got."

Twilight gave it a thought and it was true, Raziel's appearance wasn't a very friendly one, in fact, she remember getting scared the first time they met as well due to his ghastly form, so she got a better idea.

"Can we do that another day, Twilight?" - Said a very tired pegasus. - "It's very late and none of us want to return to the forest. Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, Ah' have to ground Apple Bloom fer disobeying and right now Ah'm too tired to do so."

As the mares were starting to get a consensus, Scootaloo called them all towards the window.

Right as they heard this, the girls quickly went to the library's windows and saw, to their horror, the cockatrice running on the streets of the peaceful town of Ponyville on a frantic state. It went from side to side as if trying to evade something and it looked on every direction as if it were being chased by something.

All the mares and fillies inside the book fortress were wondering why was such a dangerous creature running through the streets of Ponyville, considering how deep into town it was and how rare it was for the everfree creatures to leave their home, this was an extremely rare occurrence. The other thing that they didn't expected was their answer, moving at an outstanding speed and quickly reaching the cockatrice.

The speed of said thing that hit the monster was so sudden that the mares couldn't get a proper glimpse at what it was and all they could see was a sudden flash hitting the stone turning monster that lasted less than a second and, when it dimmed out, all they could see was a burned crater in the place where once stood the creature that petrified Twilight Sparkle.

As five mares watched this and felt a mixture of fear, terror and amazement. They tried to wonder what they could do to protect themselves from it just as they heard little Apple Bloom screaming at the open window.

In that moment, the five scared mares picked the little filly, closed the window and started to look at Applejack's younger sister with anger.

"Young filly" -. Said a very angry Applejack determined to ground her little sister. - "Do ya' have any idea of what you're doing? Besides, didn't you said that it was a bad idea to bring him here."

"But, sis" -. Said a very concerned filly. - "He's already here and if we're going to discuss about meeting him, shouldn't we take advantage of him being in the town?"

Applejack was about to disagree but, in that moment, she heard a loud noise coming from the upper floor, which had Twilight's observatory, with its windows still open so the stars could be better watched with its chilling air passing through it reminding all the mares of how easy they made for that creature to enter. It sounded as if a large creature just landed in there but, when Rainbow went to check in the upper floor, she found nothing.

"What do you mean by nothing?" - Said a worried Applejack. - "We just heard something entering here and Ah' doubt that whatever entered here it's invisible."

"Actually" -. Interrupted the scholar unicorn. - "He actually can turn invisible" -. As she saw the scared faces of her friends, she tried to diffuse the situation. - "But, don't worry, if he wanted to take you down he would have done it by now."

Once they heard that, the five terrified mares grouped together in the center of the library, chilling out in terror for the idea of having that beast taking them down. Except for Rainbow who will ever swear that she was just making sure that no surprise attack could get her by staying on the same position as her friends, even though she was shaking just as hard as Rarity.

"My coat has just been brushed, it would be a tragedy if something wrong happens to it!"

"Twilight" -. Said Fluttershy in a very quiet tone. - "Are you sure that he wouldn't attack us?"

"I'm not scared, if he tries to do something to us, I'll kick him out of here and show him how dangerous the fastest pegasus in Equestria can be."

That male voice freezed the mares in that spot, for it didn't belong to any of them and they knew it but Rainbow Dash, being the courageous mare that she was, decided to jump high up into the air, high enough to not be reachable to a normal pony, once again ignoring Twilight's warning regarding the fight against Nightmare Moon, and challenged her invisible enemy.

Once her challenge was done, a green aura surrounded her and moved her into Twilight's bed but, right before she could even touch the bed, she felt something holding her in the air. The mares watched in panic as her friend was being held by an invisible force, but the one who was scared the most was Rainbow Dash as she felt a claw holding her neck but it was impossible for her to know where was the one holding her.

Before Rainbow could calm and try to kick into the air, the force holding her threw her into the air once again, giving her little time to regain the air balance. Once she stabilized herself, the voice came back.

"To be honest, I wasn't intending entering in Ponyville but the petrifying monster was a problem that had to be eliminated and Apple Bloom's invitation was something I couldn't miss."

Rainbow Dash charged in the voice's direction, Twilight's bed, but this time she hit the bed, leaving her confused. While she was recovering from the crash, the voice continued.

"But, I will say, Apple Bloom, that you shouldn't be inviting anyone to a house that doesn't belong to you and especially without your elder's authorization."

Hearing Apple Bloom listening more to a stranger rather than her big sister made Applejack feel angry.

"Apple Bloom! Don't speak to strangers!" -. She then looked on the upper floor's direction and responded to the figure. - "And you stay away from mah' little sister, fer all Ah' know you might be a bad influence fer her!"

"But sis" -. Responded a sad Apple Bloom. - "Raziel was the one who escorted me to Zecora's and has helped me and mah's friends in more than one occasion, he even told me to not get into the Everfree by mah' self."

"Not only that" -. Interjected Twilight. - "But I can also verify by that voice that this is the same Raziel I met in the Castle of the Two Sisters and helped me against Nightmare Moon."

Hearing those arguments, Applejack decided to calm down for a bit but she wasn't the only one worried.

"But wait! What about the dragon and the Ursa Minor?" - Said a very upset Fluttershy. - "You killed those creatures for no reason and you entered here even though I told you to not come in."

The voice remained silent, giving enough time to Rainbow Dash to go back up and search for the voice once again, this time she heard the voice in the stairs.

"Regarding the dragon, I politely demanded him to leave the cave first and he responded by trying to incenerate me, its murder was just a matter of self defense" -. Once Rainbow heard the voice, she dove right into it but, once again, she was stopped by the green aura and she was thrown right in front of her friends. - "I recommend you to stop doing that, you'll only end up damaging your own body" -. In that moment, the mares heard the same heavy noise landing right in front of them while still being unable to see anything in their sight as whatever they were talking to gave the last part of his response. - "The Ursa Minor tried to attack me and, should I have run, the pony passing by in a caravan would've been capture in the attack radius, I had to do it."

Once Rainbow reincorporated, she went up once again and tried to show her bravery one more time.

"Oh yeah! Does that mean that you would destroy me or any of my friends if you found me too dangerous?"

After giving her challenge, silence greeted Rainbow Dash once more for a little amount of time, then the voice responded to her again with a very confident tone of voice.

And in that moment a figure appeared out of nowhere right in front of Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash and seeing its disfigured form, its destroyed wings, its lack of flesh, its glowing eyes, its half hidden face and its claws, it made them all scream of terror, although Rainbow Dash would swear that she never screamed that day.

Once they calmed down and saw that the figure hadn't moved from its position, they started to take a better look at it and noticed how relaxed it was, its arms weren't flexed and its eyes gave it the looks like it was peaceful instead of an evil monster wanting to harm them.

"Well" -. Rarity interjected first as she gave it a better look -. "I think you would need a huge makeover but, otherwise, I think you look just fine sir."

"While I think that no makeover would suffice to make me look presentable for any of you, I appreciate your efforts on my person to make me more adjusted to your society. Sadly, I doubt the ponies are ready to meet something as ghastly as myself."

"Oh please, sir, don't say that. With those fine modals, I'm sure you would just fit into Canterlot's society, after all, you already have the charming personality."

"Much appreciated, but I doubt the equestrian high society would agree with your opinion, I speak as someone who once was the second in command of a whole empire."

"Really? Tell me more, please, what happened to you to fall from grace, dear gentle... stallion?"

But, before Raziel could respond, Rainbow Dash decided to stop the conversation before it became too girly for her taste, something Applejack appreciated a lot.

"Hold on! You just threw me in the air and at my friends and you expect me to sit quietly?" - To her surprise, Raziel's figure remained stoic. - "What can you really say about that in your defense?"

"You lack the concentration to find your enemies even though they're holding you, your wings may allow you to fly but you lack the coordination to quickly react to an enemy attack and you're standing close enough to me to tear you apart" -. Rainbow was starting to get angry, but Raziel's final words let her cold. - "You seem to lack a lot of training necessary to defend either you or any of your friends and you ask for others to defend themselves? I recommend you train first before demanding anything from others."

As Rainbow Dash blushed and her friends laughed, Scootaloo went in front of Raziel and tried to defend her personal hero.

"Hey, you were invisible. Try to fight Rainbow Dash on equal grounds and see if you can actually beat her."

While Rainbow Dash was happy for someone to defend her, she wasn't sure if she was ready to fight a creature capable of using telekinesis although that didn't mean that she wasn't capable of defeating this Raziel, she just needed some time to prepare herself for a fight like that.

But, before the meeting could get out of control, Twilight decided to take the lead.

"Well, before any of you start beating each other out, girls, I would like to introduce you to Raziel, the friend who helped me against Nightmare Moon before you arrived. Raziel, I present you Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, my greatest friends for life, I wouldn't trust my life to more capable friends."

After thinking a bit what she just said, she tried to make sure Raziel didn't misinterpreted that information.

Hearing that calm voice, Twilight felt a bit shocked but she decided to get along with this and hope for her friends to act just as well. Thankfully, for Twilight, Applejack decided to be the first one stepping in and showing her right foreleg.

"Howdy Raziel sir, Ah'm Applejack" -. Raziel shook her hoof with his claw and felt Applejack's strength shaking him with force, an image very familiar to Twilight. - "Me and mah' family are the owners of the Apple orchards, the best apples you'll ever taste in your life so, if you ever need a good apple, you know who to ask."

"Greetings, Applejack. While I doubt I'll ever need an apple, for my body cannot consume them, but I appreciate the offer nonetheless. Now, please tell me, why the sudden change with my presentation?"

Applejack looked at Apple Bloom, then at Twilight and then at Raziel before responding.

"Ah' guess that, if mah' little sister and mah' best friend can give you the benefit of the doubt, then so can Ah' but Ah'll be watching you" -. She said as she gave him one big eye to emphasize her comment.

Then came Rarity and, with the same finesse she talked to him minutes earlier, she greeted him.

"Greetings mister Raziel, my name is Rarity and I appreciate your concern for my little sister's well being and thank you so much for protecting her whenever she got into the forest, although I won't be asking you to do so for I wouldn't like her close to the Everfree Forest."

"Greetings lady Rarity, your concerns regarding your sister's well being are understandable in all sense and I'll also advise you that I've warned Sweetie Bell to not get into the Everfree itself which, sadly, I cannot guarantee she has followed through considering that she has entered into the forest trying to contact me."

In that moment, Rarity eyed her little sister, who was now trying to hide under a table, thinking once again what kind of punishment could suffice for her lack of a nice behavior and, while she was at it, the timid pegasus known as Fluttershy got close to him to greet him while always trying to avoid looking directly at his face.

"Hi, mister Raziel" -. She said in an audible and secure tone, to the surprise of many. - "Thank you for saving the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Twilight but don't think I won't forget what you said about the dragon."

In that moment, Fluttershy looked directly at Raziel with a concentration that the girls never saw before and wondered from where did she got that bravery a few minutes ago. To their surprise though, Raziel looked unfazed, as if he had seen more intimidating stares and responded with the same tone and neutrality as he did with both Applejack and Rarity.

"Hello Fluttershy, I find it much appreciated that, at least, you'll be open to my presence once more. While I cannot guarantee that our relationship will be a solid one, I will promise that I'll seek to have a better one compared to our last meeting."

All the ponies started to look at each other, wondering what were they talking about but, before any of that could be explained, Pinkie Pie got in front of Raziel and started to verbally assault him with a fast paced shooting of words.

"Hi mister Raziel! My name is Pinkie Pie! Its that how you actually look or its just a disguise? Why are your wings limb? Do you like chocolate and strawberry? Why do you look like a meany pants but act like a hero? Are you-"

"Pinkie!" - Interrupted a very tired Twilight. - "It's too late and most of us have other stuff to do tomorrow, please make this quick."

"Oh! Sure! Well, if I have to pick a question or line that could define how our relationship will be developing through the following days, I suppose it would have to be:"

In that moment, she breathed in and said in the most serious tone she could make while looking at Raziel with the fierceness of a Hydra and the toughness of a chimera which was followed with a stoned tone of voice that showed how serious she was at that moment.

Once she made her question, a deafening silence was followed as all the ponies in the library awaited for Raziel's response, knowing full well that his answer could make or break his friendship with Pinkie Pie. After several seconds of total anguish, he responded in a solemn tone.

"Hello, Pinkie Pie, I used to enjoy parties that were only housing the individuals I held the closest to me, sadly, that was over a millennia ago and I've never been in a party ever since."

Shock and tragedy filled Pinkie Pie, who gasped at the torturous life her newest friend was suffering from and responded with the trust and sympathy of a long time companion.

"That's horrible, nopony deserves to live so much time without a party. Quick! I'll make you a 'Welcome to Ponyville and your first party in a lifetime' Party to help you out" -. She then looked at her friends, who were looking more and more tired as the night went on and concluded. - "In another day, to make it a surprise for you because surprise parties are the best."

And, before Raziel could say no or anything of the like, she quickly banished from his sight, just to appear right beside Twilight as if she never moved in all this time, much to the mare's confusion.

Once that was done, only one mare was left to talk to Raziel. Said mare then started to get closer to him through flying so she could be eye to eye with him and speak directly at his face with a determination close to Fluttershy's and trying to be just as intimidating.

"Well, if Twilight doesn't have a problem with you, then I'll give you a chance" -. She then offered him her right foreleg as she presented herself with a level of self confidence that only showed how easy she was to beat. - "I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest and most awesome pegasus in all Equestria and I'm ready to prove you that, if you dare to do something bad to my friends, I'll kick you back to whatever realm you came from."

As Twilight and the other girls were about to facehoof, Raziel responded with a neutral tone but that, somehow, still managed to show a level of confidence towards Rainbow Dash.

"Hello Rainbow Dash, nice to meet a mare who's confidence reminds me of my brother Dumah, who would always brag about how strong his skin was, thick enough to make him invulnerable to any kind of physical attack."

Rainbow Dash felt some sort of subtle warning, so she tried to find out more as she responded with all the smugness she could have while putting as much confidence in her face as she could muster.

In that moment, Raziel responded in a cold tone, telling Rainbow Dash all she needed to understand just how little threats meant to him, shattering her confidence while she tried to keep her smug face so nobody could see her understanding Raziel's subtle message.

What Raziel wasn't aware off, was that, while the response was understood by Rainbow, it also brought a series of questions to both members of the Apple family and Twilight herself, wanting more than ever to understand the life of this enigmatic figure and his intriguing family.

With all the presentations done, Twilight decided to say her goodbyes to her friends, so they could rest (or finish their work in Rarity's case) and discuss a bit more tomorrow, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders willing to enjoy their stay in Fluttershy's home as her last time of freedom before the punishment would come to them. Once they were all gone, Twilight looked at Raziel once more and talked to him one last time.

"Well, that was quite a night. I didn't expect it to end this way but I wouldn't like it any other way, for I've found an old friend."

"I suppose I must agree with your statement, for I doubt there could have been a better moment to build the relationship between ourselves, even if said moment came with your life being at risk."

Twilight scoffed that, assuring Raziel that it was nothing, and continued with her speech.

"Well, I admit it could have gone a little bit better, but now I can rest well knowing that you're alright. I just hope we can have a better moment to meet but, sadly, I doubt that you could to Ponyville in the morning, right?"

Raziel looked at her and then turned his face toward the streets of the desolated town, illuminated by Luna's moon, knowing full well that the ponies wouldn't accept him that easily.

"You're right" -. Responded the lost soul. - "I doubt that we can meet in the morning or at any moment of the day, but I doubt that could stop us from having more encounters."

Twilight wondered what he meant with that as he started to point out at her window.

"While there's no form for me to enter here through shifting planes, as long as you leave that, or any window in particular, open, I'll have a way to enter here in the night, ready to talk to you whenever you feel like it."

Twilight's eyes started to daydream around the idea of knowing such a foreign but, at the same time, delightful creature. She wondered what kind of powers he had and how did they worked, how was his homeland and why he was here in the first place. This dreams, typical of a young scholar that doesn't understand the burden of knowledge over the mortals, filled her with anticipation for the next night, hoping to meet him once again.

"Sure, I'll be waiting for you tomorrow night and maybe you can finally meet Spike" -. She said as she pointed at her draconian friend, peacefully resting on the basket. - "Is that alright to you?"

Twilight looked at Raziel, hoping for him to say yes, hopes that were achieved with his response.

"It's a meeting then, once time hits the eight hour, I'll come to your home. Is that acceptable to you?"

Twilight accepted and decided to open the door for him to leave, thinking that he would just become invisible once more but, to her surprise, he just shifted planes and disappeared from her sight. Once she saw that, she remembered her experience in the Spectral Realm and wondered if there was a way to help Raziel to shift back without the need of a corpse, she doubted to find anything regarding that realm on a book, but she was sure that she could still get something useful that she could use to understand better what she wanted to do now.

And that way, as Twilight started to get surrounded by books to get a light read on magic and the soul, the Soul Reaver finally met with the six figures he needed to befriend in order to save Equestria but understanding more than anyone how high were the stakes rising.

Celestia couldn't sleep as anxiousness was filling her mind with nightmarish images of Twilight being attacked by a monster from the Everfree Forest, she wondered if she should go to Ponyville herself, considering that the one thing that told her that it would look out for her haven't responded, torturing her mind as it created images of that ghastly creature damaging Twilight with its monstrous claws.

In that moment, she heard the voice that soothed her with the same trickery that has trapped many other powerful figures across time and space.

Celestia!
Your apprentice has been saved from danger.
Sadly, I must announce you that something worse has happened.
Something, that will put the life of Equestria at risk.

Legacy of Kain: Harmony's Rise

by Time Reaper

Chapter 12: Fateful Meeting