Fear.
It wracked you brain, clouding your thoughts, flooding your body with adrenaline.
Left, right, right, left. Dodging and weaving through trees, your legs pumping, hot blood flowing through you aching muscles.
"Can't stop...keep going." you think.
Behind you, shrouded by the black, inkinesss of night, was the source of your fear, the man who wanted you dead. While you were ready to give out at any moment, he looked like he could do this all night, scaring you more. As you tried to go faster in a burst of speed, pain ripped through your arm, right at the bicep. You scream in pain, and stumble to the ground. He had a gun.
'I have to keep going.'
You get back up, and start running again, the man closer than before. You can hear his footsteps pounding their way forward, closer and closer to you. A spike of pain then erupted in your thigh, then your midsection. You fall to the ground. Your body, wracked in pain, couldn't move anymore. Your vision was blurry with tears and tiredness. Suddenly, a shadow fell over you.
Barely able to see, you only see the dark outline of the man against an even darker night. Then, he does something that haunted your mind, scarring it. He smiled, impossibly wide, showing white, almost glowing teeth shining against the blackness of night. He raised his gun, then shot you in the other leg, then the other arm. You scream in pain, unable to do anything other than watch and endure more pain than you have ever felt in your life. Finally, he raised the gun, right at your head. Almost whimpering, you shook your head as much as you could, hoping he wouldn't do it. Somehow, his smile got even wider and brighter, before a bang went off, and everything went blacker than the night you were in a moment ago.
Equestria
POV Tempest Shadow
It was a bright, sunny day, and while everypony was enjoying the normal day, Tempest was not as happy. She went to the market for some food, going stall to stall for different items. Unfortunately, she was constantly stared at in fear and discomfort. It had been about a month since the Storm King fiasco, and everypony still didn't like her. Not that she could blame them though. She had expected this kind of reaction when she was first introduced into society. It still bothered her that even after all this time, people still didn't like her. It darkened her day and depressed her. The fact that people were also staring at her broken horn and scar didn't help her mood either. Finally getting all of the things she needed, she quickly walked back to her house, where she ran in and closed the door as fast as she could.
When she was proclaimed a citizen, Celestia knew that Tempest would have a hard time getting a job, so she supplied Tempest with a house near the edge of town, near the Everfree forest, and a monthly salary to keep her going. Tempest slid from her hooves to the floor dejectedly. She laid there, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, before she pulled herself together, her soldier-like training kicking in. 'I won't cry.' She put away the groceries, before heading back out again.
She made her way over to the border of Everfree forest, heading for her favorite spot. It was a tree that was taller and thicker than most, making it the perfect place to relax. Laying down on a grassy spot, she took out a book, that she had borrowed from Twilight, from her saddlebag and started to read, turning the pages with her hooves. Because her horn was broken, she had learned through her life how to do things the way earth ponies did them.
She was thoroughly relaxed, forgetting the day she had been having and becoming absorbed in the book. Suddenly, a large form materialized on the ground, dots and splotches growing and joining together, until it became a large creature sprawled on the ground. Slowly inspecting it, she noticed it was big, with clothes and no fur except on the top of its head.
It wasn't like anything she had seen before, but before she could check it out some more, it gasped, taking a deep breath. Startled, Tempest stumbled to the ground, while watching the creature slowly stand tall. It looked much taller than she thought, creating a silhouette against the sun, while its shadow stretched over her. It opened its eyes, and Tempest saw fright, confusion, and other emotions she couldn't quite place at the moment. It looked back at her, its eyes widening before they rolled back into its head and it promptly fell over.
Tempest wasn't sure what to do. On one hoof, it was an unknown creature that could be dangerous, but on the other hoof, it could be a creature in need of help. She decided that she shouldn't leave it alone in the forest. She walked over to it, squirmed her way under it to get it onto her back, then slowly made her way back home.
It was a good thing her house was close to the Everfree Forest. That meant that it was unlikely that she would come across anypony, who would be frightened of the creature she was carrying. Seeing this would certainly cause a whole lot of problems and questions that she wouldn't be able to handle. She also made sure to steer clear of Zecora, who lived in the woods, and Fluttershy, who would probably tell her friends about a "monster" she had seen. Finally, she saw her house in the distance, so she quickened her pace to her sanctuary.
She walked through her door swiftly closing it by kicking it slightly, walked over to the couch, then laid the creature as gingerly as she could onto her couch. Covering it with the biggest blanket she could find, she then went up to her room to lay down and get some rest. 'Tomorrow is going to be a weird day'. With that, she dozed off, excited, but also dreading the next day and it's problems.