//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Crookedstar // Story: My Little Warrior: Prophecy of Six // by TheOriginalSS //------------------------------// “Come ON guys, it’s this way!” Pinkie called out to the group rushing to keep up with her. “Just what the hay is this thing you keep telling us about, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash called out, struggling to dodge trees that continued to pop in her path. “Darling, you really shoul-“ “Oh stop being such a worry wart!” Pinkie giggled, “I’m telling you it’s super cool!” “I hope she’s right, otherwise she’s just been wasting ‘er time!” Applejack huffed. The mane six were rushing through the Everfree Forest. The branches threatened to tear them apart as they rushed into the deeper sections. They’d long passed the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, and by this point they were heading into uncharted forest. “Listen, Pinkie!” Twilight called, “We understand that you feel really strongly about this, but this is getting dangerous!” Pinkie only gave another giggled and she continued to run. Rainbow sighed and she flew up above the tree cover, snapping a few branches as she did. The bubbly mare only paused in her stride for a second, “Now where did Rainbow Dash go?” It was at that second that a blue blur crashed headlong into the mare, sending them tumbling head over hooves into the nearest tree. The two disconnected and rolled away from each other. “Owh…my head…” Rainbow whined, rolling onto her stomach and rubbing a sore spot from where she’d hit Pinkie. Pinkie, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine and simply bounced a little into the air, laughing, “Oh come on sillies, we are almost there!” “Y’ve been sayin’ that fer the past twenty minutes!” Applejack panted and stopped, leaning on a tree and sucking in gulps of air. “Um Pinkie?” Fluttershy finally spoke up, “I’ve talked to my animals and they say this part of the forest is really scary. I don’t think we should go there.” The party pony cocked her head to the side and she sneezed, sending bits of confetti into the grass. “… Not that you would understand but…” “Pinkie, just tell us what this darn thing is!” Rainbow finally snapped, standing up and her wings unfolding to their full length. Rarity panted and she looked back at her coat, “Ugh, my fur!” She started to rub at her hair, trying to remove the branches and leaves that had caught in it, “This forest is an atrocity!” “Fer once, I gotta agree with ya’.” Applejack stated flatly, “Ah think we should just turn tail and head home right now!” Twilight took her chance to speak to them, “Pinkie, we can’t keep running like this! Who knows what might be out there? Nopony has ever gone this deep into Everfree!” Pinkie nodded, “Well DUH, that’s because like nopony is ever brave enough to try! We’re gonna be explorers!” “PINKIE PIE!” Rainbow shouted, “Tell us what this little secret is of yours or I’m going home!” Pinkie looked a little hurt, but she kept her happy face. A bit of disappointment seeped into her voice, “Awh, but I wanted it to be a surprise!” “I think we’re done with surprises.” Rarity said again, using a twig to dig out some stray vines from her prestigious coat. Rainbow snorted, prompting Pinkie to quickly speak up. “Well so I was bouncing around the castle and just listening for birds, you see? Then I hear this weird meowing! Kinda like your kitty, Rarity, but a little deeper! Then I started following it and I found…THIS!” The six of them all stepped into a large clearing, presumably natural. However, the trees all grew around it, as if there was a ward preventing them from growing inside. The grass was a deep shade of gray, yet that wasn’t the only strange thing about it. To the edge of the clearing was a large pool. It looked to only be a few inches deep, yet the way the light hit it betrayed its depth. The pond was a crystal blue, set inside a small basin which housed it. “I see Pinkamenia finally brought you here.” Came a rough voice to the edge of the pond. Twilight whipped around to see a cat standing on a rock. However, this wasn’t like Opalescence. He was tall and had a light brown coat and lighter stripes of brown in it. His eyes were bright green around two black slits. Unlike Opal, he was longer and had a busy coat, yet a small face and legs. The strangest thing was his jaw, which looked as though it was bent on the left side upwards into his face. Twilight took one look at the cat and she shook her head, “Did that cat just talk?” The tom chuckled, a low deep sound that registered through the clearing, “Yes, ‘that cat’ did just talk.” Rainbow ran right up to the cat and she stuck her face in its own, “Who are you? How can you talk? Why are you here in Everfree? Where did you meet Pinkie?!” Suddenly, she was yanked back by her tail. Applejack put a strong firm hoof on it and she sighed, “Let this… erm cat speak, Rainbow.” That cat in question smiled and he narrowed his eyes, “The prophecies didn’t tell me I was getting ponies…yet I am not surprised.” Fluttershy looked as though she had died and gone to heaven. She jumped forward, getting a little closer, “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I didn’t know cats could talk! I have a few cats, but they’ve never spoken to me! Oh, oh, oh, you have to tell me all about yourself!” The tom sighed and he reclined himself against the rock, “In due time, Fluttershy.” “How do you know our names?” Rarity asked, tilting her head, “And why is your jaw so…angular?” Rainbow threw in her own two cents, “Yeah, are you a spy?! Where’s the princess?” The feline shook his head, “My dear pony, I have done nothing to Celestia nor Luna. I simply come with a message to ask of you six.” Twilight finally managed to push Rainbow away from the cat and she sat in front of it, “Quiet down girls, I’ll handle this.” “Mhm, I would like to see you try.” The tom laughed in his deep tone of voice once more. Twilight coughed before she spoke, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, but I guess you already know that. We’d like to know how you know our names and why you are here.” The tom laughed again, “My goodness, you’ve taken over my job already, young one.” “We are not young!” Rainbow yelled before Applejack stuck a hoof in her mouth. Twilight turned and gave Rainbow a stare in order to silence her. She turned back to the tom, “So sorry, they can be a little noisy at times. May we ask your name?” “My name is Crookedstar, former leader of Riverclan, now member of the proud Starclan. Simply put, I'm dead.” He said with pride, “I’ve come to deliver a message?” Pinkie had been surprisingly silent the entire time. It may have been attributed to the fact she’d been blowing up balloons and stringing them around the clearing. When she spoke, it startled everyone but Crookedstar. “Oh so you see girls I met this little tom in the woods and I had, HAD to show him to you guys! He lead me to this pond and he asked me to come and find you all, so I did!” She laughed and she threw up some confetti, “We need to have a party!” Crookedstar shot a look at Pinkie, somehow getting her to sit still, “Unfortunately, we don’t have time for whatever a ‘party’ is. If the prophecy is correct, then we have little time.” “You have been going on about a prophecy for quite a long time, Crooked…star?” Rarity spoke up in her posh accent, “We’d very much like to know where you’re going with this.” Crookedstar pointed at the pool, “this is a portal. I’m sure you know very well about portals, considering from where you are from.” Twilight nodded, “Yes, we’ve had our fair share with portals.” The tom smiled and he looked at them, “Remember this, my dear ponies: A time has come for six to done the forms of feline. They will thwart the plans of an evil one, and thus save the clans.” At that moment, a gust of wind started to roll through the forest. Suddenly the trees looked very tall. And close together. The mane six were huddled into the clearing when suddenly Crookedstar had vanished. “What’s going on!?” Twilight yelled, feeling the wind tug at her fur. Applejack was going to reply when a particularly strong gust sent her hat rolling into the pond. It disappeared into the void.