Chapter 1 : Aftermath
Ponyville 13:00 pm
Celestias's was shining bright in the sky, a gentle breeze blowing trough the air, it was was a perfect day.As nothing seemed to disturb the tranquility of the small town, ponies went about doing their business and everything felt just right.
That is until an explosion occurred, while it wasn't loud by any means it was strong and the wave of energy it sent, created
a small earthquake, that shook the town for a few moments. Ponies were on the verge of panicking until they noticed it came from the Everfree forest. It was a peculiar place, most unnatural and very dangerous, horrible things took residence in there but never came close to the edge. After the commotion settled, the ponies went back to what they were doing as if nothing happened. And while it did raise a fewquestions nopony was brave enough to enter the Everfree. But one pony , with a curious personality and concern for her friends, was a bit shaken.
At the library - Twilight's home moments after the earth-quake
Up the stair of the town library on the bed, reading a book about advanced unicorn magic, sat a purple coated unicorn with a lust for knowledge. In a basket nearby taking a nap was a baby dragon. However the peace would not last as a muffled explosion followed by a short-lived yet powerful earth-quake shook the entire town including the library. The shake made Twilight fall out of bed and on top of Spike causing the small dragon to yelp in pain and wake up.
''Oof, oh sorry Spike.'' Twilight said after getting off the small dragon.
''Huh, oh my head. Twilight what happened?'' Spike shook of his dizziness and asked confused.
''I don't know Spike, but I think I heard an explosion of sorts followed by an earth-quake.'' She said.
''Do you think its something dangerous?'' Spike scratched his head.
''I'm sure it is nothing, but I better make sure the others are alright, maybe they know something.''She answered.
''Sounds good, *yawn* I don't have to come do I ?'' Spike asked tiredly.
''I guess not, you can go back to bed while I take care of things.'' Twilight assured as she walked towards the door.
''Ok, tell me how it went.'' Spike waved and went back to sleep.
Twilight exited the library and and closed the door,the warmth of the sun hit her purple coat and she closed her eyes briefly.She contemplated who to see first, and ultimately decided to see Pinkie Pie as she and her senses might provide insight on what had happened. She walked trough the peaceful town, seeing ponies going about their business like nothing happened, that might be the case but she still wanted to check on her friends. She reached Sugarcube Corner and as she was about to open the door, a pink blur tackled her to the ground with a loud thump. She was about to question her friends behavior, but dismissed it as Pinkie being Pinkie, that and before she could voice her opinion she was barraged with an onslaught of incorrigible words. She got back to her hooves and stuck a hoof into her friends mouth.
''Pinkie!'' Twilight screamed''Calm down, I came here to see if you are alright.'' She explained.
''Oh Twilight of course I am fine, why wouldn't I be? Oh did something bad happened? Did the library catch fire? Ohmygosh are you hurt, is Spike ok? Do you want some cake to cheer you up?'' The party pony said in one breath.
''PINKIE.'' Twilight screamed frustrated, the pink pony smiled and cocked her head. '' Did you or did you not hear that weird explosion and for that matter, do you know anything about it?''
''Nope not a clue.'' She cheerfully said.'' Can I interest you in a cupcake?''
''No Pinkie, maybe later, I need to go check on the others, maybe they know something.'' Twilight sighed and thought about her next destination.
''Okie dokie loky.'' She bounced back into the store.
'Well Pinkie is definitely fine. Now, where to go next?' She pondered a few moments. 'I better check on Rarity, she probably needs help.'
With that she was off, new destination in mind. Though determined she kept a relaxed pace, the walk was peaceful and she reached Carousel Boutique in a few minutes. The store seemed unaffected, so she walked to the front and knocked before entering. Everything seemed fine though it was cleaned recently, before she could inquire about what happened a worn out unicorn stepped in looking like she just ran a marathon.
''W-welcome to *huff* Carousel Bouti... Oh hello Twilight.'' Rarity said trough pants.
''Oh my gosh Rarity are you alright?'' Twilight asked, concerned for her friend.
''Oh, I'm fine darling, but that little earth-quake from earlier leaved my wonderful shop in a complete mess and I guess I pushed myself too hard.'' Rarity said.
''Oh, I'm glad you are alright. I think you need to rest though, but if you say you're fine than I guess I can go check up on the others.'' Twilight wondered for a moment who to visit next, she would have volunteered to help Rarity out but the shop was spotless.
''Oh I will be fine darling, nothing a long bubble bath can't handle.'' Rarity then walked upstairs to take said bath, while Twilight showed herself out.
'Hmmm I guess I should go visit Applejack.' And so Twilight went to Sweet Apple Acres to search for her hard-working friend.
Upon reaching the farm, she noticed a familiar red stallion pulling a cart full of apples into the barn so she began trotting in his direction. Half way there she was met by a small filly with light yellow coat and an adorable accent.
'' Oh hey Twilight, whatcha doing?'' Applebloom asked.
''Oh hello Applebloom, can you tell me where your sister is I want to ask her something.'' Twilight replied.
''Applejack is in the orchard.'' She said pointing a hoof in the direction of her sister.
''Thank you Applebloom.'' Twilight went straight to her location and sure enough Applejack was expertly bucking trees getting all the apples to fall in the buckets from under them. She went to her friend and spoke.
''Applejack.''
''Howdy Twilight what brings you here?'' Applejack asked in her southern accent.
''Oh hey Applejack I just came by to make sure everything is fine, with that earth-quake from earlier today I thought I'd see if you girls are alright.'' Twilight explained.
''Thats mighty nice of you Twilight, we're fine and so is Rainbow, she slept trough the whole thing in of the trees.'' Applejack still find it hard to believe that she managed that.
''Thats weird, but before the earth-quake did you see or hear anything? I could swear I heard an explosion of sorts.'' She added.
''Now that you mention it, ah remember a strange green light comin from the Everfree, like anything that comes from that place, it sure wasn't natural. Do you think it might be anything dangerous?'' Applejack asked.
''I do not think so, but it is certainly weird. Just in case I will go and see if Fluttershy is alright, she lives closer to the forest than anypony else.''
''Sounds like a plan Twi, we dealt with things way more threatening than a small earth-quake. Ah reckon she will need help with the animals though.''
''That sounds about right, I best be going now, bye.'' And with that she left once more towards her pegasus friend's house.
***
Half an hour after the explosion from the Everfree. In a cottage on the outskirts of the forest a butter-yellow pegasus was preparing to head out.
Fluttershy had just gotten the supplies she might need for any injured animals she might encounter. Though brief, the light which emanated from the explosion gave her a very good idea where to begin searching, After calming down the animals residing in her home, she gathered what she needed and decided to head out. As she couldn't stand the idea of an animal being hurt and not be able to help, so she decided to brave the dangerous forest to help those poor animals in need.
***
In a clearing in the Everfree forest a being materialized dry blood staining its white shirt where the bleeding occurred. As time went by, it woke up.
Darkness everywhere, no sound, no feeling just darkness. What happened to me? Did I die? Is this what its like to be dead?Its not so bad... Moments after that I felt a burning pain go trough my entire body, like someone changed my blood to acid. I was definitely not dead, but why was I hurting so much? I gasped for air a few times, before I found the strength to open my eyes. I instantly regretted it as the sunlight hit my eyes adding to my discomfort. ''God damn sunlight.'' I felt like I was run over by a truck, I decide to play it smart and just lay there a few minutes before trying to get up. What the hell happened to me? I couldn't remember anything. I waited one more minute and tried to get up, surprisingly the wave of pain never showed, I instead just felt a bit of discomfort. ''The hell?'' I ask no one in particular, but best not look a gift horse in the mouth.
I open my eyes and after a few moments they adjust to the light. I was in a forest and that confused me even more, if I did go camping where is the camp? And what happened was I attacked by a bear or something? Why can't I remember? I hope this isn't permanent. Now... what should I do? I better check for my belongings. Lets see, a half eaten energy baton, my keys, wallet, my headphones and my... phone. I can call for help, but theres no signal and the emergency line doesn't work. I looked at the last call received and saw the caller ID : Joshua. That moment something clicked in my brain, and last night's events come crashing down like a ton of bricks. The bar, Joshua, me getting drunk off my ass, stumbling on a different route home, the alley. Oh Jesus H Christ, THAT ALLEY, THAT GUY. My eyes shot opened and I looked at my stomach, sure enough, there was dry blood on my shirt and there was a barely visible scar from just under my neck and all the way to my belly button.
''HOLY SHIT!'' I screamed, how in God's name did I survive getting impaled by a blade that size? And for that matter why the hell don't I feel pain anymore? This is all happening too fast, and I think I'm loosing it. Ok, I need to calm down, deep breaths, deep breaths. First things first, I need to find civilization, then I can freak out! I get up and chose the direction I hope will lead me to some people.
Fluttershy slowly trotted towards a clearing in the forest where the green light seemed to have came. As she made her way trough some bushes, she saw something heading deeper into the forest. It disappeared before she could get a good look, she was to afraid to head deeper but she did notice the small spots of blood on the green grass as she got closer. She turned to head back to town albeit reluctantly. She reached her home and met Twilight there, they talked about what happened and they were glad nopony was hurt. After a while Twilight went home, to catch up on her reading. The day went by uneventful after that and everypony was happy.
***
'Gah, stupid goddamn forest.' Needless to say, I hated the forest, while there was some sort of path, it was narrow and frustrating as I was hit from time to time by stray branches. Trough some trees I notice a patch of blue plants, I swear those things look like the poison joke from MLP. And this was probably a sign that I was hallucinating, but bright colored things in the middle of a forest usually meant poison. Listen to this music while reading!The brighter the colors, the deadlier it must be so I steered clear from those things. But as faith would have it I bump into something, something with...'' Ah BEAR, run run run run, I'm sorry I didn't mean to bump into you. Oh pissing blimey I'm gonna get eaten by a bear.'' I sprint in a random direction as fast as I could, I can't possibly outrun a bear but I can try damn it ! I run and don't turn back, considering I am not dead yet maybe the bear got stuck in some branches or something. I'm not going to question good fortune right now, there is something a bit further trough the trees I notice some sort of building, a tower maybe. It didn't matter, buildings meant people, people meant safety and they could help me to not be eaten.
I keep my direction as steady as I can, its very hard to run trough the forest-line, but it cleared and I could finally see my destination, an abandoned castle. It looked familiar somehow but I had more pressing matters at hand, as I was sure the bear would catch me at any given moment. To make matters worst there was a huge pit between me and relative safety, combined with the fact that I was still running I now had 2 choices: 1. Stay and get eaten by the bear or 2. Jump and risk certain death. Since the bear option was out of the question I decide to try my luck, if I died then at least it would be quick.
So I ran as fast as I could... and jumped. By some miracle I actually made it and rolled away from pit that spelled certain death. While I stood there trying to catch my breath and calm my heart the bear finally came out of the woods and looked at me. I smiled triumphantly and gave it the middle finger, the bear walked around the pit and my heart sank as I saw a bridge.
The bear ran and I was frozen in fear.
But as luck would have it, the bear didn't get five feet before the bridge collapsed under his weight and he fell to his death. I started laughing like a maniac, and after calming down the realization that I would need an alternate exit hit me like a freight train. I get up and dust myself off, I was still pretty much in shock and wondered how I managed to make such a jump, but the last thing I wanted was to jinx my luck, so I concentrated on what I needed to survive the night. I had a roof over my head and any animals that would want to eat me would have to go over that pit. As I work my way trough the castle, looking for a place to make camp, my thoughts wonder to the person I met that faithful night. His words becoming clearer and clearer as I gather necessary materials. At first I was angry, but very slowly I tried to understand his situation. Pursued, hunted, hated and wanted by the military, he didn't want to hurt an innocent I'm living proof. So a mutant that shapes his limbs into dangerous weapons was at large in the city, no not mutant more like shape-shifter. So the military kept it hidden, that means that I would be executed if they found out I was there.
He chose to give me my life back, but what did he mean by giving me a fighting chance? I think he knew I would also be hunted, so WHAT did he give me? I guess I can find out in the morning. Still can't believe he stabbed me, I should give him a piece of my mind if I ever meet him again 'Yeah, great idea, anger the guy with a giant blade arm! I got so absorbed by my thoughts that I didn't notice I set up a small camp already. Looks decent, makeshift leaf bed, small fire pit which I need to light. After a lot of trial and error I get the fire going and search for some wood. Outside were a few trees but they weren't usable, so I search a bit in hopes of finding wood. And as I reached two giant double doors, my jaw dropped and I fell to my knees, painted on the doors were two alicorns circling each other. My brain took forever to process the information, and after it finished I screamed in a mixture of panic, delight, happiness and anxiety it came of as a shriek of sorts.
''Christ in a hand basket I'm in EQUESTRIA. Holy mother of GOD if I ever meet that guy again, I'm buying him a beer.'' I squealed and pranced like an idiot for half an hour before finally returning with some wood from an old table. A huge grin plastered on my face as I still couldn't believe where I was. Thankfully the fire kept going and I had enough to last me the night. As I stared into the bright flame and as my mind cleared, I began to feel panic going trough my body. Not because I couldn't return home mind you, it was because of the way I arrived. If Twilight had made a mishap and getting here was an accident then I would get positive reactions. And I can guarantee this was going to end bad no matter what. I began piecing scenarios and so far the best, which was downright impossible, was me becoming best friends with the main cast and everything sorted itself out. Too bad life doesn't work that way, so the worst case scenario, that didn't ended in death for me was the most plausible. I began thinking out loud.
''Argh, this is not going to end well. I can say with utmost certainty that Celestia will jump to conclusions and try something like killing me or imprison for no god damn reason and then expect me to forgive her without any sort of payback. Luna, yeah it depends, I can't truly guess how she would react, though I doubt it would be too different from her sister's. As for the elements : I know Fluttershy wouldn't do anything against me, and if she was alone, I could work something out. But if her friends are there and I retaliate she would use the 'Stare', so annoyingly predictable and then I would need to forgive her but I would still feel the need to choke something to death. Twilight, oh dear God I'm going to end up on the dissecting table faster than you can say Cthulhu fasigyn, I can only imagine she would also jump to conclusions. Pinkie Pie... Jesus Christ NO ! I value my sanity too much to try and guess her actions, I can only realize that she will drive me insane, and the last thing I want is to go on of her parties, beyond the fact that I would not fit, the music would be horrible.'' I needed to get this stuff off my chest, I knew I was just thinking of the worst possible outcome, but if I expected less then it would end even worst. I took a breath and continued.
''Applejack, oh sweet dear Applejack I can only imagine how fast she is going to go for my family jewels. Such a quick temper. The first thing they're going to do is associate me with Discord or some other annoying evil. *sigh* I wonder in what time line I am. Thanks to the last episode I now know how to disable a unicorns concentration. If I live long enough to get to said horn. But I'm going off topic, Rarity, oh god why? Beyond the fact that she will complain about fashion, and annoy me to no end about things I could care if my life depended on it, she has that annoying voice like the snobiest of snobs. God its like nails on a chalkboard. Beyond that, Spike annoys me to no end, its disgusting how he clings to her every word, its pathetic and makes my stomach do back flips. And finally Rainbow Dash, Christ almighty, the first thing she will do is attack me aiming for my nuts and say something stupid and annoying, not necessarily in that order. I won't be able to stand her annoying boasting and self centered attitude. Just like Rarity but maybe worst, I swear to God if she asks if I'm a spy I will kick her head in!''
I let out everything I had, my mind racing and I didn't mean most of those things, I tried keeping a positive attitude, maybe these were the ponies I loved and cherished. Maybe I was the idiot here and simply working myself over nothing. But, I better play it safe, tomorrow I need to find out what that guy meant by ' fighting chance', some sort of physical augmentation maybe? Its too late to think about it now and I need to clear my head tomorrow I'm making a plan. Tonight I'm playing some music to clear my head and then sleep. I decided on one song that always cleared my head, I plucked my earphones and chose Monster - By Skillet, and closed my eyes. After the song ended I felt tons better and decided to go to sleep. I used my jacket as a blanket and drifted into sleep tomorrow was going to be interesting to say the least!
End chapter 1
A/N:Special thanks to my preproof reader!