//------------------------------// // Calm Before the Storm // Story: Final Fantasy VII: Darkness in Equestria // by Axel IV //------------------------------// It was a scream. One of those high pitched screams out of a horror movie, the ones where the girl's voice actually cuts through you like a knife. One of those screams that can be heard anywhere, and when you hear it you know that something is definitely wrong. Your instinct, either curiosity or the need to save somebody, will typically lead you right to the source. And in this case, it was the need to save somepony. Rainbow Dash had been laying back in a little cloud, resting her head on her front hooves as she daydreamed. Her daily flying practice was over with, and her breaths were coming out in short pants. Her wings felt a little heavy, her muscles tensed up and sore. But she almost lived for this feeling. She never felt more alive when she flew, and when she would join the wonderbolts she knew she could never be happier. Ever. She heard the scream, and she snapped out of her thoughts. She recognized that voice. Most ponies would. "Fluttershy!" She gasped out, her wings spreading wide. Ignoring the protests from her aching muscles, the blue pegasus pony dived down from her cloud, the white cotton-like object poofing into thin air. Her wings changed into a glide position, and Rainbow Dash soared faster than any bird could ever hope to be. The scream was coming from the Everfree Forest, and the worst thoughts entered the blue pony's mind. "Oh no!" She gasped, an image of Fluttershy being trapped by Timberwolves racing through her head, "I've gotta go faster!" She gritted her teeth, her speed only climbing. And in a few short seconds, it happened. *BOOM!* Her sonic rainboom echoed throughout Ponyville, the giant rainbow explosion splashing all over the sky. Windows clattered, birds scattered, and Ponies were surprised right out of their horseshoes. No one was expecting something like that so early in the day, but they appreciated the beautiful rainbow beam soaring through the sky. Normally, Dash would be gloating about it. But her friend could be in horrible danger. Within seconds she had smashed into the Everfree forest, the blue pegasus dodging trees by the slightest distance possible. She needed to reach her friend. She needed to reach Fluttershy. And before she knew it, a small yellow dot was seen in front of her. "FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow screeched, her wings fanning out. While she had the ability to create a sonic rainboom, she still did not have the ability to stop correctly. She crashed head on into a bush, the branches slapping her in the face as she sped on, colliding with a few thin trees before sliding into a hault, her face imbedded into the dirt. She looked rather silly... She yanked her head out, flying right away to Fluttershy's side. Strangely, her friend didn't seem like she wasn't in any trouble. Tears were streaming down her face, her mouth slightly open. Her ears were flattened against her head, and she looked as though one of her treasured bunnies had passed away before her. "Fluttershy!" Rainbow squeaked, placing her hooves on her friend's shoulders, "What's going on?! Are you hurt?! What's the matter?!" Her friend said nothing, her eyes not moving from where she was looking. Blinking curiously, Rainbow slowly turned her head around. Immediately, she gasped, her body freezing. What she saw...was mass carnage. The trees directly in front of the two ponies looked chopped up or ripped off, branches and leaves scattered across the ground. Deep slash marks and tears littered the forest floor, showing the signs of a terrible struggle. But that wasn't what had caused Fluttershy to scream. It was the manticores. Manticores were deadly creatures, but they almost never attacked anypony unless their kin or themselves were harmed. It was rare to see them together because of their territorial nature, but every once in a while you would see a small pack of them making their way around the forest to find some food. If you stayed away from them, you would be just fine. But something wrong happened. Three manticores were lying in the debris, their bodies motionless. Red blood was flowing from their bodies, their eyes open as though they could still see. They almost looked like they could just get back up and brush themselves off. But they would never move again. Rainbow had never actually seen something dead before her eyes...besides insects of course, but killing something...was just...Wrong! These manticores had been slain, their lives taken away from them. They would never breath, see, eat, sleep, or fly ever again. They had been killed, and by the looks of it whatever killed them had left almost unscathed. Rainbow looked back at Fluttershy, pulling her friend into an embrace. "I'm...I'm so sorry...she said, her high pitched voice shaking." It was frightening, seeing something like that. And Fluttershy, a lover of animals...Rainbow couldn't even image what she was going through right now. She wished this was a dream...but it wasn't. The manticores had been slaughtered, and they didn't even know why or how. But Rainbow Dash had an idea who. The creature from the meteor. *BOOM!* The noise shook the ground beneath Cloud's feet, and the warrior instantly held his sword out in front of him, ready to fight off whatever would be coming at him. That had been the loudest and most shocking noise he had heard in the world he had been sent to, and he was on his guard 24/7. A few seconds turned into a few minutes, and Cloud was still in his battle ready position. After a while, he loosened his guard and slipped his humongous sword back into the harness on his back. It had been a week since he had ''landed'' on the strange planet, and he was already getting sick of it. He stole apples in the daytime, drank from a stream in the forest afterwards, and then he would sit and watch the creatures that called themselves "ponies." He found the town they lived in, and he still couldn't take the name Ponyville seriously. Who would ever name a town that?! Even in this strange cartoonish world that he was in! It just didn't make sense! Anyway, he discovered a few things about the residents of the world. The population was practically all ponies, save for a few donkeys he had seen earlier a few days before. He hadn't seen any other creatures that had a human-line intelligence other than those two, but he wouldn't be surprised if there were more. By the way he saw it, the ponies were all peaceful creature. They stood a bit below his waist height, and he was a bit clueless to how they managed to build their towns. They don't even have hands or fingers...and when they grabbed something it was either with magic or their mouths. And that was when he discovered that only unicorns could really use magic. The other, the pegasi, from what he had seen, was somehow in charge of the weather. They moved clouds when it was time to rain, and they cleared them out as well. That was baffling...and he still had a hard time getting used to the strange new reality. The normal ponies that had neither wings nor horns all seemed to be hard working land ponies. He knew the ones that worked at the farm where he stole apples from were constantly tending to their fields, and others had gardens or small little farms of their own. Altogether, he was impressed with the fact that none of them seemed to be prejudice. They were all ponies, and they treated each other the same way as any other pony. Sure, there were a few arguments here and there, but in all honesty it was about something stupid...Like about which cake tastes better, or if they prefer cupcakes to muffins. It was just ridiculous. He had to hand it to them, though. They were peaceful creatures...there was no fighting. They always forgave each other, and they were all smiling and laughing all the time. Cloud would feel a little jealous of this world...if only his planet was like that. And it was for that reason that he stayed away from them. He was a warrior, and they were peaceful citizens. With his presence he would only give them fear and alarm them all. He couldn't hide the fact that he has killed...and ponies seemed to treasure the gift of life over anything. He felt like a bad spot in a perfect apple. He just couldn't mix with this world without violence. But regrettably, he would have to soon. He would have to find someone who could possibly get him back home...and plus he really wanted his motorcycle back. He would have to talk to one of them sooner or later. But that was the hard part...A few days ago, guards had come to the peaceful town. They were patrolling the streets and the outskirts of the forest he was in. He had not wanted to mingle with the world, but he was causing a bit of a panic without even showing his face. With a sigh, Cloud leaped high in the air, landing on the highest branch he could find. He was still a little stiff, but he no longer felt the pain and exhaustion his body had gone through. He felt almost perfect, and at least now he was able to swing his sword and run. He continued to leap up the tree until he reached the top of the forest, his head peaking out from the trees. His mako enhanced eyes were able to make out the figures in the pleasant town before them. And he instantly cursed. There, standing near the entrance of the forest, was a pink pony. She was glancing around, her eyes locking on to anything looking suspicious. She was the only thing that worried him. Every day she would walk around the forest, hunting for him. She didn't know what he looked like or what he was, and he was sure of that. He usually spotted her right before it was too late. She was silent, and if he lost sight of her she seemed to teleport close to him. She was a weird one. His eyes found a familiar purple unicorn, sprinting towards a small cottage that wasn't too far away from the forest he was in. She, he found out, was the town's sole librarian and magical expert. She would have to be if she teleported his bike to where he heard it was. He still hadn't caught her name, but it didn't bother him. Maybe eventually he would find out. Shooting out from the trees in a blue blaze was the Yuffie incarnated pegasus. He recognized the big headed immaturity that the blue pony gave off, and was too familiar with how the big egoists worked. He had been around enough in his time. But, just like Yuffie, he could tell that the blue pegasus had a good heart. He just hoped that the pegasus wasn't a thief like a certain ninja... Cloud leapt down from the tree, hitting up dead leaves from the ground when he landed. Cracking his neck, the blonde warrior sighed lightly. He would need to reveal himself eventually...but how? And when? There was a slight growling noise...and for once, it wasn't his stomach. Cloud reached back, his hand clutching the large sword behind him. He didn't know what was making that noise, but he wasn't going to risk anything. Fluttershy had crammed herself into the corner of the couch in her cottage, holding a mug of nice warm tea in front of her. With shaky hooves, she occasionally took a quiet sip. It was obvious that she was still very shocked from what she had seen...It was almost like seeing the left over of a murder for her. Who would do such a thing? Who would dare to the life of something? It didn't make sense...It was horrible. Her friends were crowded around her, and they were really helping her at that moment. Twilight had sprinted over as fast as she could when she heard, and Rainbow had gone out to look for the perpetrator. Of course, she couldn't find who did it. But they all had the same suspicions. "Should we tell the guards?" Applejack asked, "I know that we don't want to start a panic or anything...but this is pretty serious. It was really close to Ponyville." "I don't know if I want to...." Twilight said quietly, biting her lip, "That monster...what a terrible thing to do." "We should take matters into our own hooves." Rainbow Dash exclaimed angrily, "That...That thing can't be forgiven for that! I saw we should kick its butt ourselves!" "Rainbow Dash!" Rarity growled, "We don't know what that thing is capable of, darling! It could be an ugly, disgusting, slimy and not to mention dangerous! Why, it would be simply dreadful if it suddenly attacked us! You saw what it did to those..." The white unicorn gave a sad glance at Fluttershy and didn't say anything more. "I know..." The blue pegasus sighed, "It's just that- Suddenly, she blinked and slowly turned her head to the pink pony staring outside the window. Pinkie had been quiet all this time, and none of them had really noticed. Actually, throughout the week she had been like this. She would strangely disappear from Sugarcube Corner, and return with a sour look on her face. What she trying to find the creature? Before Rainbow could say anything to her, the pink earth pony spun around, her eyes holding a strong glimmer of determination. Attention immediately turned to Pinkie Pie, and the partying pony cleared her throat. "I have been looking for the alien this entire week! And from what I know, it could be afraid of us! Why else would it not show its face to any of us?! Obviously, if it wanted to hunt us down it would have done it already!" The five other ponies contemplated Pinkie's sudden burst of intelligence. "Think, guys! That alien has come to a world were it knows nothing at all! It's probably scared, confused and hurt! Maybe it didn't hurt those manticores! Maybe that was something else! I don't know! But whatever it is..." Pinkie looked back out the window again, "It could be friendly." The cottage fell silent, each of the ponies deep in their own thought. Maybe Pinkie was right. Maybe that creature...whatever it was, just wanted to go back home without any troubles. Even Fluttershy seemed to brighten up a little. The monster was just afraid, right? So they needed to go out into the Everfree Forest and coax it out, make it feel comfortable. "Then I guess y'all know what we gotta do." Applejack said, nodding to her friends as she turned to Fluttershy, "Stay here, sugarcube. I understand what you've been through. Sit tight...we'll get this thing sorted out." The yellow pony nodded, taking a light slip from her tea silently. The pony friends nodded to each other, each of them heading to the door. Today would be the day they would finally find the creature from another world. The sun was still high up in the air, but in the forest the sunlight could not even touch the earth. The five ponies trotted on, following Pinkie's direction of her close encounters with the strange kind. She claimed hear the creature, running along the forest floor or jumping through the trees. She had been so close to finding the creature, but in the end it would always fool her. But it was a matter of time. Nothing could stay away from Pinkie Pie forever. Twiight herself was anxious about meeting this creature. Meeting something from a new world just sounded awesome, and there could be so much more to learn! Maybe it knew something about space that couldn't be reached with Pony technology, and maybe it had a vast knowledge of the universe in general. She could learn so much!...If it would only speak her own language... Applejack was pretty good at hiding the fact that she was the most afraid of the bunch. She wasn't one for scary things, and scary alien horror films had ruined it for her. She was shaking in her hooves, and she was telling herself that she was strong as long as she was with her friends. Nothing would go wrong...right? Rainbow as curious about the creature's physique and athleticism. Even if it was a super soldier from space, it couldn't be cooler than her....right? Nothing could be more awesome than she was! And she was out to prove it to whatever was in the forest! Rarity...made a gross face as her hoof narrowly missed a grotesque puddle of mud. Why would something like that even exist around her! Such filth...It just made her shudder! "Hey! Alien space creature!" Twilight called out, "Do not be alarmed! We are not here to harm you! We just want to talk to you!" "Yeah!" Rainbow called out, "Get your butt out here before I kick it out here!" "Rainbow! We're trying to ease it out, not force it out!" "Like what?! A fart?! C'mon guys! I think the best way to deal with this thing is to scare it out!" "Now don't be hasty there, sugarcube. Threatening something you haven't even seen before is just stupid in my book" "Grrr...I guess you're right..." "Sh!" Twilight hushed, lifting a hoof to her face, "Do...do you guys hear that?" The five ponies froze, and Applejack had to keep her teeth from chatter. Quietly, they heard what appeared to be a low groaning. As though someone...or something...was in pain. Nodding to each other, they snuck around a tree to take a quick peak at whatever was making that strange noise. They each gasped audibly. The scene was almost similar to the one with the manticores. The earth was ripped up, trees were slashed, and it appeared that there had been great carnage in that area. Only two things were different. One: The creature was still alive. Two: It was...an Ursa Minor. The almost completely translucent blue bear was on its back, groaning and rolling in pain. Twilight recognized it as the same bear that she had put to sleep after the Trixie incident...and seeing it again was frightening. What was it doing outside of its cave?...Why was it wounded? And where was the creature that had caused it this much pain? "Um...Twilight?..." This didn't add up. But whatever fought the Ursa minor...was strong. Twilight began to have her doubts about the scared, confused space creature. "...Twilight?..." "Rainbow!" Twilight snapped quietly, "I'm absorbed in my thoughts! Can it wait?!" There was a deep, insanely loud growling coming right behind the ponies. Twilight's eyes grew wide, and she completely refused to look behind her. "Hey...that wouldn't...happen to be an Ursa Major...would it?..." The monster roared, and the ponies scattered.