As weeks passed by, Everfree Forest became somehow worse. Now, it was known far and wide the danger it had already entailed, like Timberwolves, but after the black sky, it became… mentally exhausting the whole time you were even near it. Ponies reported feeling a sense of intense sadness and loss, and would no longer go near it, and other reported seeing a giant black elk in the forest as they passed. The residents who lived in the nearby town of Ponyville were nervous that something, someone, would come out of that forest to hurt them, and their friends.
“What would you have us do Celestia?” Luna asked her sister, “We must do something about whatever is in that forest!”
“What would you expect us to do? Whatever that thing is, its far to strong for us to defeat!” Celestia replied. The two were arguing over what should be done about the panic their subjects were feeling, and how to deal with the ‘Dark Deer of the Everfree’ as they had started calling it.
“We defeated Discord did we not? That thing can not be more powerful than him!”
“That is when we wielded the elements, and if Discord simply did not just sit on his throne at the time, we would not have been able to defeat him!” Celestia yelled, and as she took a deep breath, “Don’t tell me you cannot feel that? That sorrow, that anguish. Whatever it is, it can feel, and its in more pain than anypony has ever felt, even you.”
“I doubt that…”
“Thats is how your wrong Luna.” Discord said. Both sisters turned to see him drinking some tea in the corner with himself. “You see, that thing is more powerful than I am, and by more than even I could know. When that darkness appeared in the sky I felt a new feeling. Fear, not of imprisonment, but for my very life. My mood as well has been off... ” Both sisters stared at him in shock, he just confirmed their worst fears, that it was extremely dangerous. At that very moment, a letter from Twilight had just appeared with a flash of green flame. Celestia started to read the letter, more intensely as she got further in.
Dear Princess Celestia,
We have an emergency, Zecora has just arrived at my doorstep with an urgent message, but will not say anything until both you and Luna have arrived to confirm that… whatever she saw was not possibly real.
Sincerely yours, Twilight Sparkle
“What could have happened?” Luna asked her sister as they flew by carriage to Ponyville. “Hopefully…” she said as she turned to her sister, “Nothing dangerous.” As they pulled up to the library, the royal sisters could swear they felt something staring right at them. As soon as they stepped through the door, they saw Zecora, in a panic not befitting her past calmness. “Princess Celestia, I’m glad you got here as soon as you could.” Twilight said, her nose stuffed in a history book, with dozens of history and mythology books scattered around her. As she finished the book, with her hair in a mess, she said, “Sorry for the mess, but I was seeing if there was any history on what this could be.”
“Did she tell you anything about the incident?” Celestia asked.
“A… rough description, even with her constantly speaking in rhyme.”
Celestia slowly walked over to the zebra, and sat down. “Tell me everything about the event.”
And so Zecora started explaining what had happened just two hours ago, in a very difficult way.