//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: A New Way In The Everfree // by Cookie_Girl //------------------------------// In the darkness of the Everfree Forest at near midnight a unicorn stallion was sneaking around the trunks of some impressively sized trees. He was a pale sickly green, and his hair a greased black with two thin white lines in his mane and tail that looked suspiciously like stitches. He was wearing a dirty torn patched lab coat. At present he was carrying a burlap sack on his back. He walked with a slight limp in his left foreleg as he stealthily made his way through the forest. He paused every so often to leer over his shoulder, and check to see if he was being followed. The sack got snagged on a thorny branch, and tore open spilling body parts onto the forest floor. "Damb it to Celes-" he clapped a hoof over his muzzle, and cast a wide eyed gaze around at the trees. He did not know if the rumors about the princess being able to hear her name whenever wherever it was said, but he certainly was not going to test them. He quietly picked the organs, and limbs up with his magic, stuffed them them back into the sack, and mended the tattered fabric. The stallion continued on his way, all the while thinking about how he could improve his experiment. The three Spinda siblings watched him go, and promptly invented a short song about him. "He digs up dead bodies and sews them together. Him and Hannibal Lecter are birds of a feather. He's Dr Shocktor Frankenstallion the Everfree freak." Dr Frankenstallion was nearing his home when he heard someone trotting not far away. He preferred not to bump into somepony, but he would not say no to some fresh parts if he could get them. The doctor followed the sounds until he came across a trio of odd looking creatures. One was a pony of some kind that he had never seen, it had fire sprouting from its, no her! "Yes that will work just fine." Nurse Joy was leading the way through the darkness. Her flames burning bright enough to let them see their way. Rusty had gotten the hang of floating through the air like Dunsparce are able to do using their small wings, and could keep up with her easily. The Mankey who had identified himself as Monk, was swinging from tree to tree, following the one that was his soul mate. "Oh, my it's getting late." Joy looked up at the impenetrable canopy of tree branches. "I think." "Late or not we need to find someplace to rest." Rusty told her. They turned a corner around one larger tree, and came face to face with the doctor. They all screamed like little girls. Monk, and Rusty both clung onto Joy's neck as she reared back, and waved her forehooves in the air. "My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you." Dr Frankenstallion spoke in a strange accent that made him sound like a cartoon villain. "I saw your light, and was wondering if you'd like to stay at my home for the evening." They talked amongst themselves for a minute, agreeing that he was indeed very creepy. They came to the decision that they simply needed a place for the night more than he disturbed them. They nodded at him. "Oh, good, good, follow me." He resettled the sack on his back, and it gave a slight squishy noise. Dr Frankenstallion lived in a small stone castle atop a lone mountain. He led them inside, and showed them to their rooms. It was an hour after they had settled down that a shadowy figure flew through one of the windows. She was Scary Story, and she was a thestral, a bat pony. Her coat was midnight black, her eyes a luminous orange that made the slit pupils look like they belonged to a feline, and her mane and tail hair was the color of silver moonlight. Her cutie mark was of a lit candle, the wax dripping down into the shape of a pony skull. Scary Story was talented in fear. She could figure out what frightens anypony within moments, and craft a chilling tale that would leave them shaking. Currently Scary Story was stalking these strange creatures. Of course there were plenty of other creatures in the Everfree Forest just like them, but these three intrigued her. Especially that firey mare that looked so much like a pony, yet was not one. Scary Story quietly made her way through the dark corridor. She eventually found what she was looking for, just not how she expected. The mare, who she knew to identify as Nurse Joy, was laying unconscious in the middle of the hall next to her open chamber door. Now Scary was not the type to be overly concerned about somepony that she had never actually met before, but she still felt the need to help. Before she could do anything however there was the slightest hum of magic behind her. "Uhh!" she grunted, and collapsed to the floor. Standing behind her was Dr Frankenstallion. It was a mad laugh that woke her from her slumber. Scary Story looked around to see that the one that had captured her was trotting around, and laughing at something. She looked over and saw that he had strapped the other mare to a table, and had complicated looking equipment hooked up to her. "Hey, nut ball!" Scary yelled. "Oh, you're awake already I see." the stallion answered with a crazed smile. "Allow mw to introduce myself, I am Dr Shocktor Frankenstallion." "Yeah yeah, what the Tartarus do you think you're doing to her?" Scary growled at him. "Oh, just my experiment." he laughed a little too long at that. "Riiiight, and that would be what exactly?" she had a feeling that the answer would be something bad. He walked over to Joy who was starting to come around. "You see for several years I've been trying to unlock the secrets of life, death, and immortality." he stopped to point a hoof at Joy. "This one possesses the inner power that I need to give my creation life." "What creation?" Scary was curious at this point so keeping him talking was rather easy. Now if she could just get her hooves free from this rope, not really an issue when you have fangs. Dr Frankenstallion moved to a larger table that had a large something on it covered by a white sheet. He pulled the sheet off to reveal a stallion that had been stitched together from dead pony body parts. The sight made both mares sick. "So what do you need her for exactly?" she just needed him to look away and she could cut through the rope in one bite. "Her inner fire will provide the life force necessary for my monster to live, so I am afraid that I will have to drain it from her." "But that will kill me!" Nurse Joy screamed. "HAHAHA!" the doctor laughed, and turned away from them to his equipment. Scary Story quickly bit through the rope, and flew across the room. She plowed into him, smashing his face into the machine causing it to turn on, and raise the table holding the dead monster pony up through a hole in the roof. She then threw the unconscious mad scientist out the window. Scary quickly untied Joy. The fire pony was unharmed, but still rather shaken. "Thank you." The thestral looked at the Ponyta in fascination. "What are you?" she asked. That question led to a discovery that they were of two different worlds. Which led Nurse Joy to explain about pokemon. Which led Scary Story to tell her new friend about Equestria, and the royal sisters, and the Elements of Harmony. Eventually Joy asked Scary how she could understand pokemon if she was not one. Scary explained that her necklace, a simple silver chain from which hung two interlocked horse shoes, was enchanted to let her understand anyone no matter their language. "So Princess Luna was on the moon for a thousand years for real?" Joy just could not believe it. "Yes, I can only imagine how lonely Luna must have become, if she was even aware at the time." Scary could not for the life of her figure out why she was still talking to this mare. Yes it was interesting to actually have to explain the history of Equestria to somepony who didn't know it, but she wasn't that interesting. It! It wasn't that interesting. "And your sure that that Discord person isn't evil? I'd really hate to run into someone that can turn me into me into a chocolate statue, or make it rain exploding milk." Joy shuttered when she tried to imagine a pokemon that mischievous that had that kind of power. Scary Story suddenly felt very protective of her new girlfriend, FRIEND new friend. Scary thought for a moment. "Oh buck it." "Um, Joy, I know we only just met so please don't think I'm some kind of loose mare or anything, it's just that we ponies are naturally affectionate, and you're rather attractive." "... Oh." Nurse Joy blushed. Far away in the Crystal Empire the alicorn Princess Cadence smiled in approval of a newly blossomed love.