//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two. “The EverFree Forest” 
// Story: Ashes to Equestria. 
// by Pedro-Paramo 
//------------------------------//

Ash jumps, as a noise from the basement, startled him. "That doesn't sound good." Ash reaches for his gun but he doesn't feel it. He panics, "This can't be happening", did he just went back in time? What is going on? He starts to freak out. That basement didn’t bring very pleasant memories. But, he doesn't have a choice. So, he starts to walk slowly, carefully to basement's entrance.

The head of the moose on the top of the fireplace stares at him in expectation following across the room like a vigilante. Ash stares at the moose back. But Ash tries to ignore it.
He's getting closer and closer to the basement. As the moose follows him with its eyes. He finally gets there, standing in front of the little wooden door. He hesitates to open it as he remembers all the bad stuff from back then. The moose laughs maniacally at Ash's memories. Ash tries to ignore the moose as he opens the door. Only to be met with darkness, Ash stares at it for a few moment thinking whether or not to enter. The moose intensifies his laugh. Ash can't think straight so he just takes a step on the first step. The moose stops. Ash looks behind him, the moose just looks lifeless as it should. He starts to descend, remembering he used to smoke, he takes out a lighter to make way. Step by step, he goes into the unknown. When all his body, toe to head, is in. The door closed. He gets startled, looking back at the door. "Maybe I shouldn't have." It's too late to regret. He continues on. When he reaches the floor, he remembers the tape about the dead wife on the basement.

A grandma appears right in front of him, smiling knowingly, "I hope, you haven't forgot about US Ashley Williams." Ash tries to play it cool, "How could I ?", the grandma then smiles wider, "that's good, really good, follow me." The grandma then turns and walks away. Ash, hesitant, goes behind her 

^^

Pinkie Pie is poking Ash’s body with a stick to search for a response. Ash doesn't respond. Pinkie looks at her friends, "Do you think he's ok?"

Twilight responds, "He's just sleeping. But we're running out of time, try to wake him."

^^

Ash and the grandma enter a small room covered in spider webs, and at the center of the room lies an old filming camera. Two chair on the side, the grandma motions him to take a sit, "Take a sit dear." Ash complies as the grandma sits on the other chair, "We are going to watch a movie." Ash couldn't respond anything as he sat at the cabin again.

What just happened? Well, he wasn't going to find out. Much to his luck, it is broad daylight. He wasn't goint to let this opportunity slide. Ash makes a run for it but then behind him...


The evil spirit...

He starts to run from it, avoiding trees trying to block his way. But it's not enough. The evil spirit takes possesion of Ash as he flies though the woods, until, Ash hits on a tree.  Ash stays still on the ground for a moment unconcious. He sleeps all day until night. The darkness goes again, trees begin to move, fog covers the ground, deadites could be heard. Ash wakes up and he feels oddly powerful, almost electric. He stands up and looks around, the deadites. He's feels oddly calm. And looks at his only hand, a spark. He breaths as he closes his eyes and he leaves the power to take over...

^^

The six ponies around Ash started to look at each other. 

Rarity asks to Twilight, "What is it Twilight?" 

Twilight answers with a sigh, "His name is Ash and he is the chosen one. The one supposed to stop the evil."

Twilight looks at Ash's face for a moment, "I believe in him."

Rarity does not agree, "I don't know Twilight. He looks gross and he smells."

Pinkie Pie agrees, "Well, he does smell kinda funny. But I fought at his side. He really knows how to do it!"

Applejack jumps in, "Rarity, he does look muscular. Believe me when I tell ya when I see a strong fella."

Rainbowdash agrees with Applejack, "Come on Rarity, give him a chance."

They all start arguing . Except for Fluttershy because she didn't like trouble. But, she notices Ash's body emanating some sort of power, red fog comes out of his nose everytime he breaths. Fluttershy tries to tell the girls, "Uhmmm.... Girls?" But she failed since her voice low compared to the noice they are making. However, it didn't stop her from trying louder, "Uh... Girls?" Another failed attempt. She loses her patience and with a boost of confidence yells, "GIIIRLSS!!!"

They say in unison, "Yes, Fluttershy?" Flutters points to Ash's body, "Look at him!" All of them turn their attention to the red aura surrounding him. Applejack screams in perturbation, "What in Tarnation?!" No one else had the time to say another word, because, as the last word left Applejack's lips an immense power send everyone flying through the ceiling and into the bottom floor.

The only one strong enough to maintain on that floor is Rainbow Dash as she struggles to not get pushed on the release of power. Her face cheeks move furiously as she flaps her wings trying to maintain her position. Once the release stops. Rainbow Dash, the only pony who could watch what happened, takes notice. Ash looks red, more muscular and some little lightnings of power cross his body sporadically. Rainbow Dash stares at him in confusion. She calls her friends, "Uhmm... guys? Come over here! Quick!"

Twilight could hear Rainbow Dash as she recovers from the fall. 

Pinkie is backwards but with a quick movement, she puts herself in four again. Applejack is helping Rarity to stand up and Fluttershy couldn't be seen anywhere. Pinkie takes notice. So, she let the other ones know,  "Oh, my sugary lord! Where’s Fluttershy!?"

All the ponies around Pinkie take notice as well and they start to look around the mess.

Rarity approaches a vase and she sticks her head in it, "Fluttershy! Where are you, darling?" (sorry) Pinkie Pie takes notice tries to hide her laughter. 

Applejack is walking around the library in search for her lost friend, "Fluttershy come out wherever you are!"

Pinkie, on top of a book mountain, hears a little voice asking for help. She puts her hoof inside the books and like a rabbit in a trick show, she gets Fluttershy.

Fluttershy is heavily breathes and looks at Pinkie Pie with a weak smile, "Ah, thank you very much, Pinkie! I don’t know what could have happened if I kept down there any longer."

Pinkie laughs and replies matter-o-factly, "You could have choked by the lack of air. But, anyways, you are welcome!" Once, she finished that last sentence in a sing-sang voice. Fluttershy stares at the reader with a face saying. 'She is kidding, right?'

^^

Ash slays the deadites around him with his bare hand. He takes them by the throat and torns their throats like sticks. His bloodlust becomes evident as he takes their spine and Ash starts using it as weapon, swinging it around like a mad man.  He reaches for his gun, this time, it's there much to his relief. His double-barrelled looks demonic. The gun now is capable of shooting lightnings every time he presses the trigger. The power alone makes multiple ponies explode, every piece of them goes around in a rain of blood. Evil trees do not stay out of the battle as one of them grabs him by the torso looking to destroy his ribs. But, Ash takes its fingers and brakes them one by one, until, it let go. When he lands, he aims his trusty sawn-off killing the tree as black savia rains. The deadites are the last of his problems as the forest itself attacks.

He gives no barracks as he shoots his gun. Destroying every tree, leave, deadites, all receives a dose of pain. Finally, while fighting the last horde. He finishes the last one kicking it on the floor, pointing the gun at the beast and shooting it. The shot covers him on blood. Demonic Ash looks at the dead pony and screams to the heavens in challenge. The transformation runs out after the scream. 

Ash looks confused at his environment. Then at himself. He is covered in blood and on his surroundings, there are lots of dead deadites.

^^

Twilight is carrying a glass of water with her magic. When she reaches Ash, she pours its contents on Ash.

Ash breaths like he's missing air. And looks around like he isn't wet. The six ponies look at Ash but this time in surprise, hope and expectation. Twilight takes the lead with a question, "What happened to you Ash? You didn't tell me you could do that!" 

Ash is confused, "Say what again? What did I do?"

Rainbow Dash yells all excited, "The thing! The transformation you made while you were sleeping! It was so cool! How did you learn that?!?" 

Ash really didn't get it, "Hold on a minute. Are you saying I transformed?"

Twilight explains the situation to clear it once and for all, "Ash, you were emanating some sort of power, also, your physical appearance changed."

Ash looks at her, "Now, that you mention it. I was at the cabin were all this started. I ran through the woods and then I didn’t know what happened. But when I regained conscience. There was blood, lots of it."

All six ponies looked gloomy for a moment. 

Ash stares at them. Uncomfortable silence involving the environment. Fluttershy trembles; Twilight has a worried expression; Applejack looks at Ash in distrust, getting at the defensive by any movement; Rarity is disgusted; Rainbow Dash looks at him defiant; Pinkie has a pokerface.

Ash tries to disperse the heavy environment and talks, "Heya… listen…" 

All the ponies get jumpy. Applejack gets a defensive position; Fluttershy gets behind Rainbow. Rainbow puts herself in defensive mode. Twilight prepares her horn. Rarity summons a diamond sword and Pinkie gets her canon out of nowhere.

Ash puts his hands on the air and with a not-do-any-harsh-decisions on his face; he removes his chainsaw and shotgun far away from him as he tried to stop the treat of the ponies with his only hand, "Wait, hold on a minute." He points to himself to make a declaration, "I’m not the enemy. I would never hurt anyone without a good reason. I’m not the bad guy and you know it!" 

The ponies look at him examining his words and face. He looks in concern and respires heavily.

Twilight stares at Ash for a moment and in accusation mode, she starts to deliver her response, "Do you? How can I trust someone that turns into a demon?" 

Ash tries to convince them again, "I don’t know what happened. Honest."

Applejack talks this time, "That’s more reason! How can we know for sure we will be safe, if, you turn again in that thing?!? Even in your straight head you tried to choke me!"

Ash didn’t know how to answer that one and he proposes, "If you don’t trust me. Then, let me go to the forest alone to resolve this situation and I'll disappear forever from your lives. You won't worry about me, anymore. Deal?"

He extends his hand for a shake to close the deal. Rainbow Dash slaps his hand with her hoof, "How do we know that you don’t work for them and you are just going to tell them our secrets!?!"

Ash starts to lose his patience as he makes his hand a fist to let them know he is frustrated, "I don’t know anything about you other than you are talking horses! For god's sake. Just let me go!"

Pinkie corrects, "Ponies! We are ponies!"

Ash backs her out because, she got too near, “Okay, okay. Talking ponies! But please! You got to listen to me! I’m not the enemy here.” And pointing to the window, Ash ads, "Those things out there, are. And, they are not going to stop until all of you are dead or worse." 

All the ponies exchange some glances. The ponies finally take a decision.

Twilight takes the word from there and tries her best to maintain a good demeanor, "Okay, Ash. We'll believe you. For now..." She changes to a gloomy expression as she says the last statement, "We have better business than trying to figure out if you are one of them."

She summons a pipe with tobacco as she lits it with magic taking a good hit, smoking into Ash's face, "For now, we are going to take you with us and you’re going to follow our every command. But, if you try anything funny... "

Ash dismisses the idea with his hand in annoyance, "Yeah, yeah... You'll kill me. I got it."

Twilight smiles at him with pipe on mouth.

Ash stands up and he searches for his weapons, putting them on. He licks his lips and puts a serious gaze, "Alright, let's go."

Twilight took the lead and asked to everyone, "Okay, is everypony ready?" 

Every one had serious expressions and they nodded in confirmation.

"Good." 

She looks at them with a grin.

"Let’s go to the forest. A long trip... await us."
Twilight was leading the way into the forest while the other ponies were covering Ash in an organized formation.

The forest was creepy before this started. But this turned out to be worse.

The moving shadows and evil looking trees looked horrible.

Ash got a bad feeling about this… The trees were moving and he could hear the sound of the deadites around. From the bushes dead ponies started to appear as all the ponies present freaked out. 

One of the deadites said. 

"Give us the Necronomicon!"

Ash going in front of the ponies said. 

"Come and get it"

Ash quickly took the sawed-off shotgun out of the holder, quick shooting the arrogant one. After that, the deadites begun to attack.

Pinkie took her cannon out of nowhere ready to blow to pieces those zombies as Twilight made the magic flow from her horn ready to make some powerful spells. Dash and Applejack ran into the horde bucking like crazy bulls. Rarity with no other option than fighting; took a crystal that turned into a sword with her magic and with a war scream she joined the fight. Fluttershy didn’t know what to do; they were fighting already and she was being saved by the others as they saw her in danger. She was being useless for combat.

Dozens of them exploded to pieces by Pinkie’s canon and quick sparkles destroyed multiple ponies, courtesy of Miss Twilight. Rainbow Dash couldn’t be seen anywhere but a quick dash was ending with dozens of them. Applejack was removing heads with her bucking abilities. Swings of chainsaw breaking bones and multiple booms of the shotgun made skulls explode. 
One of them nearly took Twilight from behind but Ash managed to bump into him with the chainsaw while the shotgun blew its head. 

Twilight looked at him with surprise. 

She couldn’t believe it! Ash had the perfect opportunity to get rid of her and instead of doing it, he saved her life.

Twilight stared for a moment to Ash's eyes. He did the same. Until the sound of a deadites interrupted.

After minutes that felt like hours of fighting. The deadite-ponies were killed.

They were exhausted and when they were recovering some air Twilight formed a question to Ash.

"Do you really do this all the time?!?" 

Ash answered with a smile of irony.

"Yeah! What I tell ‘ya?!? This isn’t easy as it looks like."

Twilight smiling back answered. 

"You were god damn right, back there. I think we can really trust you Ash. I hope I’m making the right decision."

And looking to her friends everyone nodded in agreement. 

Ash felt really relieved. Now, he got their trust.

Pinkie quickly took cupcakes out of her pockets. 

"Here! Eat this! It will restore your energy!"

She gave one to everyone and she ate one herself. Everyone ate it quickly to restore their energies. When they ate the cupcakes. They felt revitalized. Ash yelled to the skies 

"Come for me, you maggot horses! I’m not afraid of you!" 

Rainbow Dash joined the yell hugging Ash with her hoof. 

"Yeah! Come here! We are gonna beat the manure out of you!" 

Pinkie yelled too.

"Yay! Come, we’re waiting!" 

Twilight joined them. 

"Yeah. I will destroy you!" 

Applejack didn’t stay out of the play 

"I’ll smash you like apples for my breakfast!" 

Rarity got excited by the moment. 

"You brutes! I’m going to slash you with my sword!"

Even Fluttershy got the spirit of the fighter.

"This time I’m going to make you pay!!!"

All the others got really surprised by Fluttershy’s statement.

Fluttershy saw them with a cute frown. 

"Yeah, they’re gonna regret the time they tried to hurt my friends!"

Everyone laughed as everyone followed Ash who walked leading the little group.

A while had past and in laughs everyone was forgetting the rough time Equestria was having but the objective was still clear.

On the distance a spooky looking structure shows itself.

At the eyes of Twilight this was seen. Opening her mouth to talk got interrupted by Ash.

"That must be it. I recognize an evil looking Tower when I see it."

Twilight got angry. 

"Hey. I’m trying to talk here. I was the one to find the book, remember?"

Ash argued. 

"No time for talking. I want to get out of here. I can’t stand you anymore."

Twilight made a rage spell. 

"ME NEITHER!!!"

Pinkie tried to stop them once more.

"Come on guys! We have a world to save here!"

Ash looked to Twilight in a cynical expression.

"Pinkie is right. Shut your mouth or I will make you!"

Twilight in rage argued.

"What?!? Who do you think you are?!?"

Ash stood in an arrogant pose and answered. 

"I am the chosen one, baby, and  I’m telling you to shut up."

Twilight with all her anger began to attack smashing Ash with her horn. Ash received the attack on his stomach. Quickly, he grabbed her head with his right arm and started to punch her with his left fist on her sides. She gave a quick buck with her free hoofs hitting Ash’s head causing him to bleed while he felt backwards. Ash rubbed his head with his left hand and saw the blood.

"This is serious business."

He turned on his chainsaw and posed a fighting style.

Twilight prepared herself as her horn started to spark.

"Bring it on!!!"

Pinkie stopped the duel putting her between them. 

Applejack holds Twilight and Rainbow Dash holds Ash.

Pinkie talks with a pleading expression on her face.

"Please. Stop guys. I don’t want my friends to fight. Or to lose them."

Applejack still holding Twilight from the imminent fight agreed

"Yeah partner. That’s no way to treat a friend and a lady."

Rainbow Dash holding Ash added. 

"Yeah, Ash, not cool. I think you’re a great pony… or whatever the hell are you. But if you’re hurting my friends. Then I’m not gonna hesitate on finishing you."

Rarity and Fluttershy were watching in a passive mode but their eyes were expulsing the poison and hate Ash’s action provoked.

Ash turned off his chainsaw as he stopped the struggle. Rainbow Dash left her effort for holding him as he walked his way to the tower. 

"It’s better for me to do this alone. I can’t risk another fight like this. Besides, I always end up alone lately."

Twilight quickly talked to Ash with an apology.

"Stop! I am so sorry. I don’t know what got into me. Please. Don’t go on your own. We can be useful on the way and you just saw the amounts of zombies out there. Now, imagine the quantity of them in that Tower!"

Ash looked at the ponies for a moment. All of them had serious expressions on their faces. 

He looked to the skies as memories of his first encounter with the evil started. The book, His girlfriend dancing as he touched the piano… and her return from the dead, people that died without mercy on his travels around the universes and different enemies he encountered at the end of the world. 

He got his feet on the ground once Twilight got close enough to touch him and with consideration on her eyes said. 

"I can’t possibly know the pain you been for all this time but I can assure you something. We are getting through this together and if we die; will be together as it should be."

Ash stared at her eyes for a moment and then looked at everyone else. He saw determination and courage on all of them. Then, looking at Twilight again, he added 

"Okay. It’s okay. If you really want to come with me. Let’s go."

He started to lead the way to the tower in silence.