Years in the Past
/.'.'.'I'.'.'.\
Shining Light was pulling a carriage, his wife and newborn laying in the back. They had planed to be to Canterlot, the former Unicorn capital city by now. But they have faced complication after complication, and now his daughter was born on the side of the road like some lowly Earth Pony.
The unicorn noble was fed up and irritated, not only were they a week late in getting home but he had to take a path along the Everfree so as to get there faster. All because his younger sister, Twilight Shimmer, refused him accesses to the family's money to hire ponies as carriage pullers and guards on his business trip to Manehattan.
If anyone asked him he would deny it, but he was currently planning a way to replace his sister as the patriarch of the family. They wouldn't be the only family with a patriarch instead of a matriarch after all.
What really bothered him now though was that his wife insisted that they follow his family tradition of naming their first born daughter Twilight, and to leave every thing in her name when they died.
Unfortunately his fuming distracted him from keeping a look out for dangerous creatures from the Forest and he was none the wiser as a pack of Timber Wolves stalked them from just out of his sight and in the shadows of the forest.
"Shine, it is getting late. How about we stop here for the night?" Pearlessence's voice came from the carriage.
Already late Shining figured that another day would do no harm and unhooked himself from the carriage. "Alright, we'll stop here for the night."
Hearing a twig snap he turned his head towards the Everfree but he couldn't see anything so he just shrugged it off and climbed into the carriage.
No one saw them again until a month latter when a ruined carriage was found in a ditch half a mile from where they stopped, a rib cage still hooked to the harness and a rotting mess inside it.
/.'.'.'I'.'.'.\
Heart of the Everfree
A young foal woke up in a room with glowing green light, she felt hungry so she began to cry trying to get her mother to come to her. For hours she cried and no one came to feed her, so still crying she attempted to stand and try to find her mom.
Looking around the room she saw only a glowing green something in the center of the room and a doorway that showed the outside, and so she went towards the door. The moment the sunlight fell on her she stopped as it felt like someone was feeding her. But there was no one there.
The foal sat there unmoving until she felt full and her infant curiosity got the best of her and she began to explore her surroundings. Her hunger no longer distracting her she felt a pull and moved towards it finding her self at the glowing green object. Reaching out to touch it she felt many things far beyond her understanding, but one stuck out among them all. She felt a mothers love.
She laid down next to it and fell asleep, the now comforting presence of the thing luring her to dreamland.
/.'.'.'I'.'.'.\
Unknown Years Later
Thorn, that's what the first one she met called her. Thorn had kept the name ever since.
Now she was watching another one of countless stumble across her home, trying to hide or looking for something. That's what they were always here for.
This one was not a young one though, so Thorn was wary of her. This one was one of the winged ones. She, based on looks and actions, was a tan color with a monochrome mane and tail. But what made Thorn wary of her was what she was wearing.
The strange headdress and coverings were things Thorn had only ever seen worn by those that search for and take her wooden allies, or to hunt and eat the non-wooden beings.
As she watched this one stumble she saw a Timber Jack cross her path and all this one did was glance at it with no other reaction.
As the light finally began to fade this one began to set up some kind of mobile shelter to rest in. It seemed flimsy and looked as if it would provide no real protection. It then went inside and stayed there.
After the light had fully faded and all Thorn was left with was her natural night vision and the glow of her eyes she moved closer to inspect the flimsy structure. It seemed to be made of the same material as what this one was wearing, and sticking her head in the flap she saw that it was holding its shape with nothing more than small sticks.
Looking at the one she was flowing showed it was asleep, or at least pretending to be. Its eyes kept trying to flutter open, but that wasn't as notice able as the fact that its breathing was wrong compared to one that was asleep. Thorn was unsure what to do, she had helped others in the past. But this one, this one was wearing the items she had learned to avoid and yet had no reaction to the Timber Jack she saw.
But before she could make a decision it spoke. "I know that you've been following me. So, who are you working for? Ahuizotl or Dr. Caballeron?"
"Who are they?" Thorn questioned in her leaf on the wind voice.