Seeker sighed wearily as he settled into bed for the night, the earth pony having done as he'd previously said and rented a room at the Mareweather Inn, having to admit that the hot bath and soft bed were a marked improvement compared to his bedroll and cold dips in streams when he could get them. Night had settled over Ponyville, the town just as quiet as he remembered it once all the good little ponies were tucked into their beds.
You'd have never guessed it had previously been the site of a titanic magical battle between demigods were it not the fact the wreckage from Tirek's opening attack was still being cleared up, though clean up efforts had stopped for the night. His gaze was inexorably drawn away from what he could see of the town towards the heavens, where the moon hung low in the starry night sky. He had to be out of town before tomorrow night, otherwise he didn't even want to think about what would happen. The stallion shook his head to clear it of old memories, the first night he'd changed, the screams...no, best not to dwell on it.
Seeker let out a low groan, burying his head under his pillow, wondering if he'd made the right choice in coming back. Really, though, what other option was there? He'd wandered as much of the world as he could reach on hoof, searching for a cure, and had come up empty even after five years of effort, effort that had apparently been wasted. His one and only hope was a train ride away in Canterlot and if he failed this time, his people would be extinct within less than a single generation.
There just weren't enough of them left anymore and those that remained refused to pass on this curse to another generation of ponies. Frankly, though, he could hardly blame any of his relatives for this choice, for if he failed again...well, he didn't like thinking about that much. Too many times his hopes had been crushed, too many times some ancient doodad had turned out to be a useless piece of junk. He couldn't fail again, he just couldn't.
0o0o0o0o0o0
The next day Seeker found himself at the train station, staring blankly at the wreckage of what must have been the ticket booth at one point, the tracks themselves a twisted, gnarled mess. “By Luna, what a mess,” he muttered, his plan to just take the train to Canterlot thoroughly trashed by the same incident that had wrecked a portion of the town. “So much for getting there quickly.” He swiftly trotted away from the ruins of the train station, frowning as he went. “Guess I'll be needing those supplies after all.” He'd been hoping just to skip the need to hide out for three days, but with the battle having taken out the train station there was no way he could avoid the need to hoof it all the way to Canterlot. “My bad luck has once again reared its ugly head.”
Oddly enough the town was fairly quiet, the clean up efforts having been put on hold for some odd reason. “Where is everypony?” Seeker wondered aloud as he wandered through the market, not a single pony in sight. “Did they suddenly decide to abandon Ponyville or what?” She looked in through store and home windows, his concern only growing when no one seemed to be home. “What in Tartarus is going on around here?” First the rainbow light show and now the place had turned into a ghost town. What next? Chocolate rain and dancing clouds of cotton candy?
“Hi!” Seeker just about fell over as the bubbly, cheery voice greeted him from out of nowhere, the stallion stumbling a bit before regaining his balance. “I was looking all over for you!” He turned his head to look, one eyebrow arched in confusion as he saw that pink mare from the day before. Pinkie if he remembered correctly.
“Can I help you?” He asked, his frown deepening as she seemed to start bouncing, an excited grin on her face. Note to self: keep this one far away from any source of sugar within a ten mile radius. She looked like she might explode otherwise.
“Oh, no, silly,” Pinky, at least he was pretty sure that's what her name was, said in response, giggling at him like he'd said something incredibly amusing. “In fact, I'm here to help you!” She was suddenly behind him, Seeker blinking rapidly, having not seen her move. “Come on, come on, you're already late as it is!” She gave him a light push with her hooves, the stallion stumbling again as a result.
“Late?” Seeker was definitely lost on this one, the pink mare's words only serving to worsen his confusion. “Late for what?” This earned him another bubbly giggle, making him feel like he was the butt of some joke that only she was privy to.
“For the party, duh,” Pinkie replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Now come on, come on, move it or you'll miss out on all the fun!” She was pushing him again, urging him along towards Ponyville's newest landmark, the castle that had sprung up in less than five minutes the day before.
“Wait, hold up, I don't have time for a party!” Seeker protested, unable to resist her forceful shoving. “Are you even listening to me?! I said no!”
0o0o0o0o0o0
“...I can't believe I let myself be roped into this,” Seeker muttered, standing on the sidelines as ponies mingled and had fun together, apparently celebrating the defeat of the one known as Tirek due to the efforts of the new princess and her friends. There was also something about welcoming him to Ponyville in there somewhere, but right now he couldn't care less. He didn't have time for this sort of nonsense. He'd tried leaving the party twice before this, but each time Pinkie Pie had suddenly popped out of nowhere and he'd immediately caved in to that innocent, questioning look on her face. Cuteness, his one weakness!
“Ya'll gonna hold up the wall all night?” He was brought immediately out of his reverie by a voice he just barely recognized, not having had much of a chance to speak to the ponies that had been accompanying the new alicorn princess the day before. Apple...Apple something, her name definitely started with Apple.
“I don't do parties,” Seeker replied, glaring off to the side and doing his best to not look like he was pouting. He didn't pout, he brooded, damn it.
“Don't let Pinkie Pie hear ya say that,” the stetson wearing earth pony remarked, a smile on her face that he did his best not to resent. He'd forgotten how normal ponies interacted with one another, all smiles and cheer. He hadn't had cause to be cheerful for a very long time.
“I tried, but she didn't seem to hear me,” he grumbled, the pink mare seeming to have some very selective hearing. “Is she a unicorn in disguise? Because I swear she can teleport.”
“Heh, well, that's just Pinkie being Pinkie,” she told him, which didn't help his confusion in the slightest. “Ya know, ya'll keep frowning like that and folks will start thinking yer not very friendly.” Seeker let out a semi-annoyed huff.
“Let them think what they want,” he remarked carelessly, their opinion of him not really high on his list of priorities. “I won't be in town long enough for it to matter.”
“So what's got ya in such a hurry anyhow?” She asked him, frowning herself now, probably put off by his attitude, not that he could blame her really. He was moody at the best of times and today had not exactly been a good day for him overall.
“Sorry, but it's private,” Seeker replied, feeling a little bad for having to be so short with her when all she was doing was trying to be friendly to a complete stranger. “I just need to get out of town before...before...” When had the sun gotten so low in the sky? How long had he been at this damn party?! “I-I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me!” He took off at a dead gallop, hardly hearing her concerned shout as he took off at top speed. “Excuse me!” He said, dashing right past Pinkie Pie, hearing something about the fact he was going to miss the fireworks. “Damn it, damn it, I can't believe I wasted so much time!” He glanced upwards, making for the edge of town in the direction of the Everfree forest, the sun seeming much lower than when he'd started out. “Stupid, Seeker, damn stupid!”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Rainbow Dash had been enjoying the party Pinkie had thrown to celebrate the defeat of Tirek and, of course, to welcome Heart Seeker to town. She wouldn't be Pinkie if she hadn't. Still, something about that stallion made her itch in the worst way, like he was hiding something major, and she wasn't even the element of Honesty. She'd been keeping an eye on him since he'd arrived at the party but so far, and much to her disappointment, he'd been pretty boring to spy on.
She'd stayed up above the action, missing another great party thrown by Pinkie Pie, and now she was wondering if she'd made a mistake. Now that was funny. Her, Rainbow “Danger” Dash, making a mistake? It was unthinkable! She sighed and fluffed her wings a bit, trying to make herself comfortable, lazily watching from the corner of her eye as Applejack went to try and talk with the newcomer, who had been standing pretty much in the same spot since the party had started. “So boring,” she groaned, crossing her forelegs and resting her chin on top of them before closing her eyes.
“-have to excuse me!” The sound of his panicked voice minutes later immediately drew her attention, the pegasus looking over with a frown on her face as Seeker took off at a full gallop, brushing past several stunned party guests and completely ignoring Pinkie when she tried to stop him with the mention of fireworks.
“What the buck is going on?” Dash questioned aloud, taking off from her perch and following the fleeing stallion from the air, able to guess where he was heading given his chosen direction of retreat. “Why in Celestia's name would he head for the Everfree?” Especially when it was getting this late. Very suspicious. “Okay, pal, time to see what you're up to.”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Seeker galloped as if his life depended on it, eyes constantly flicking upwards towards the sky, his fear making the sun seem like it was dipping lower and lower with each passing second. In reality it would be a few more hours before the sun would fully set, but panic had set in and he wasn't thinking very clearly as a result. Eventually sense gradually began to return, the stallion slowing as he looked around, realizing he was now within the outer edge of the Everfree forest. The orange glow of the slowly setting sun cast eerie shadows among the trees, Seeker panting for breath as he forced himself to relax.
“Okay, we're fine, it's fine, there's still time,” he huffed and puffed to himself, sides heaving with every breath. “Just gotta be calm and head deeper into the creepy, monster infested forest.” He glanced back over one shoulder, groaning softly. “Without any supplies and completely unarmed...great.” He must have lost his saddlebags in his panicked rush to get clear of Ponyville but there was nothing for it now. If he went back he'd be bombarded with questions and demands for answers regarding his flight from town, something which would only waste precious time.
As it was there was no way he could get far enough away from the town to be sure he wouldn't wander back to it during his transformed state, so he'd just have to get himself lost within the twisting, overgrown mess of a dark, spooky forest that he currently stood within. “Well, guess I better get trotting.” He started heading deeper in, shivering as the eerie atmosphere of the place started setting in. “Well, if nothing else I'll certainly fit the decor.” He chuckled softly. “I'm just glad nopony was stupid enough to follow me.”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Rainbow Dash's frown deepened as Seeker made his way deeper into the forest, having a hard time keeping track of the stallion through the dense canopy, which was only getting worse the further on they went. She growled as she resigned herself to descending below the trees, doing her best to be quiet, wincing as leaves were inevitably disturbed, landing on a tree branch and trying to remain hidden from sight.
The stallion had stopped, having apparently heard her, crimson eyes scanning the trees, though the dense foliage worked in her favor now. He eventually stopped his searching for the source of the noise, remaining tense as he continued onward. She descended to the ground, ducking from tree to tree, putting everything she'd learned about being sneaky while playing pranks with Pinkie to the test.
Seeker seemed to be following no set path, winding his way through thickets and climbing over gnarled old roots, seeming to be doing his utmost to get himself lost. But maybe that was the point. If he was some sort of spy then he might be trying to make his trail harder to follow in case anypony had caught on to his act. But that presented a problem for Dash's theory in general. Why had he left town in such a panic if he was trying to remain inconspicuous? The only explanation that made any sort of sense to her was the fact the stallion was late for some sort of deadline, like a meeting within the dark heart of the Everfree, for example. Yes, that had to be it.
They wandered for over an hour, Rainbow Dash growing more and more frustrated as they went. Where in Equestria was Seeker even going? The fading sunlight barely even filtered through the canopy anymore, making it even harder to navigate the twisted mess the wild forest presented them with. As her frustration continued to mount she began to get sloppy, the snap of a twig breaking underhoof echoing loudly through the nearly silent forest. Seeker spun about, on guard for anything, Dash having to duck behind to bush to keep from being spotted.
“Come out where I can see you!” The stallion ordered, causing her to curse under her breath. “I saw you duck behind that bush, whoever you are, so make things easier on yourself and come out!” She remained silent in case he was bluffing, a quietly muttered expletive reaching her ears. “Fine, suit yourself.” Without warning Seeker came barreling through the brush, slamming into her and knocking her to the ground, their positions from when they had first met now reversed “You?!?”
“Yeah, me!” Dash snarled, lashing out with her right forehoof and catching him across the muzzle, knocking the startled and now dazed stallion off of her and allowing the pegasus to get back on her hooves. Seeker staggered back upright, shaking his head to clear it, the mare readying herself for a fight. “I don't know what scheme you and your friends out here are planning, but I sure as heck am gonna put a stop to it!” She then rushed him, pumping her wings for some added speed, only to cry out in surprise as he ducked under her and slammed his head into her diaphragm, sending her flipping end over end into a wild rose bush. “Son of a bucking donkey!” She wheezed, wincing as she ripped her way free of the thorns, losing a few feathers in the process. “Okay, gotta admit I might have underestimated you, but-”
“SHUT UP!” Heart Seeker roared, glaring heatedly at her, anger mixing with something surprising within his crimson eyes: fear. “You moon addled idiot! Of all the stupid, pig-headed stunts to pull you chose one of the worst by far!” His words caused her to grind her teeth, Dash glaring at him in return, though confusion mingled with the anger stirring in her chest.
“Me?!? You're the one that chose the bucking Everfree as your stupid meeting place!” She spat, his eyes narrowing as she spoke on, not caring about his opinion of her at this point. “Of all the foalish places for a secret spy hideout to be it has to be one of the-”
“Spy? SPY?!?” Seeker cut her off again, causing her to growl softly. “Oh, Luna preserve us, if it were only something as harmless as that!” He laughed then, the sound slightly crazed as he looked at her with pity in his eyes now. “You have no idea what you've actually managed to stumble into you reckless foal.”
“What the hay are you even on about?” Rainbow's confusion was outweighing her anger at this point, his behavior not exactly what she expected from a spy that had been caught red hoofed like this. “If you're not a spy then what in Tartarus are you even doing coming out here like this?” Seeker lowered his head, his main falling over his eyes, a bitter smile on his muzzle now.
“You'll find out in just a few minutes, Miss Dash.” He raised his head slightly, eyes peeking through his bangs. “All I can say to you now is that I'm so, so sorry for what will happen to you once the moon rises.”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Seeker couldn't even believe what horrible luck he had, the pegasus mare named Rainbow Dash having apparently stalked him all the way from Ponyville with some half baked idea of him being a spy of some sort, her imagination doing her no credit this fell evening. She was obviously more confused by his behavior now than anything else, though she bristled at his apology.
“Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?” She asked, baring her teeth and raising one hoof as if preparing to fight him. “Listen, pal, Rainbow Dash doesn't take threats lying down. I'll have you know I'm a fully trained black belt and that I can kick your flank any day of the week!” He could only chuckle mirthlessly.
“Oh, Miss Dash, I wish that mattered,” he said sadly, eyes turning upwards as the orange glow of the setting sun dimmed and faded, the blazing disk slipping below the edge of the horizon at last. “Can you feel that? The burning itch of it creeping across your coat?” He shuddered, dreading what was to come. “The moon's starting to rise.” He looked back at her, frowning deeply. “Please, for the love of the princesses and Harmony itself, please run away. If you're quick you might be able to lose me in the forest and make it till daybreak.” He sighed wearily. “Though I don't much care for your chances.”
“You are threatening me!” Dash exclaimed, taking a step towards him, likely trying to intimidate him, though at the moment it only came across to him as sad, misplaced bravado. “Okay, that's it, I'm gonna beat a confession out of you and drag you back to Ponyville!”
“Please, don't be stupid, just run!” Seeker shouted, only to tense as pale silver light began to filter down from above. “No, no, Luna, please, don't!” The first stabbing burst of pain flared through his barrel, causing him to stagger and Dash to halt her advance. “T-too late now, got to...got to get away.” He stumbled away from the pegasus, wet, cracking sounds filling the air as things inside him twisted and reordered themselves, fresh agony plaguing his every step. Rainbow Dash was now blocking his path, concern warring with suspicion on her face.
“H-hey, are you okay?” She asked, flinching as he shuddered with another series of popping, tearing shifts under his skin, the flesh roiling with it now. “Oh, crap, that ain't right!” She started towards him. “C-come on, we'll get you back to Ponyville and-”
“No, please, stop!” Seeker hissed, his teeth having shifted to razor sharp incisors and fang-like canines, causing his speech to be slurred badly as a result. “G-get away, while there's still-” He was cut off, a ragged scream ripping its way out of his throat as the changes slammed through his body in earnest now. “Luna, Celestia, someone, please, make it stop!”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Rainbow Dash was, for once in her life, completely at a loss. She didn't know what to do, backing away as things shifted and bulged beneath Seeker's coat, the stallion sweating and cursing lividly as he seemed to struggle against whatever the buck was happening to him at the moment. Whatever it was, though, no way it was natural. She could get Twilight, have her take a look at him, see if she could figure out what the everliving buck was wrong with the stallion. Before she could put her plan into action, however, fate intervened in a horrible way.
“Rainbow, please, RUN!” He roared, literally roared, the last word twisting into a bellowing whinny that sent a chill down her spine, the wet crack of bone breaking and resetting filling her ears as the stallion actually began growing, his coat changing from a dark blue to a black darker than the night sky itself, fear clutching at her heart as she saw his eyes. Draconic in appearance and all too familiar, they glared at her as the stallion grew to rival Princess Celestia in terms of sheer height, though he was much more muscular by far, another bellow of a whinny sending her heart to racing as his mane and tail burst into white hot flames.
He towered over her, her wings folding tight against her sides and ears pinning themselves to her head as fear paralyzed her for a second. That second nearly cost her, a scream soon joining the nightmarish stallion's hungry war cry as he lunged, the pegasus managing to kick herself into gear just in time to miss having his fangs claim her throat, his teeth snapping off several locks of her mane instead.
“Oh buck, oh buck, OH BUCK!” Dash cried as she sought to escape, the monster that had once been Seeker crashing his way through the underbrush in pursuit. She had to find somewhere she could get into the air, lose him that way, but the canopy was too dense here for her to even consider trying to break through it. While she would be struggling against the branches and leaves, the fanged horror chasing her would snap her up for dinner in a heartbeat, so her only option was to run for the time being. One advantage she had was that his size was working against him, though the branches and thick shrubbery only seemed to be an annoyance to the beast as he charged his way through the forest after her.
Never before had Dash been so afraid, the creature Seeker had become awakening some primal instinct that sent her fleeing where normally she would have tried fighting him off, something telling her that doing so would only end with her death. So she ran, ducking branches, dodging thorny brambles and leaping over roots, the monster chasing her simply barreling his way through them like they were made of wet paper. She could practically feel the heat of the flames of his mane and tail, sweating and panting harshly as she ran on, heart pounding against her ribcage rapidly now. She didn't know how long she ran for. Minutes? Hours? Her perception of time was really skewed at the moment. She risked a look back, eyes widening as he was closer now than when she'd started. That one look cost her dearly.
Pain flared through her as she ran straight into a nest of brambles, crying out in pain as she became tangled within the thorns, struggling frantically as she heard the beast closing fast. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she ignored the pain, desperation and adrenaline allowing her to rip her way clear, blood running in rivulets down her coat in a dozen different places from long, ragged cuts, her wings having lost primary feathers as well, hardly registering any of it as she suddenly stumbled into a small clearing...and straight into a pack of timberwolves.
“You gotta be bucking kidding me!” Rainbow gasped, the wooden monsters snarling and baring their teeth in hunger, the smell of her blood enticing to them. “Doesn't matter now. Later losers!” She gave a mighty flap of her wings, cringing as pain flared through them, getting only three feet off the ground before she suddenly dropped like a graceless brick. “What the buck?!?” She looked back at her wings, eyes widening in horrified realization as she saw the missing primaries. Without her primary feathers intact there was no way she'd get enough lift from flapping her wings, meaning she was pretty much grounded, not to mention dead meat. The timberwolves were circling her, the cyan mare trembling as she gritted her teeth, steeling her nerve and getting ready to fight. “Okay you mother bucking twig piles, let's dance!” But then, something amazing happened. Her pursuer caught up with her at last.
With a now terribly familiar whinny, the beast that was Seeker entered the clearing, growling fiercely at the timberwolves, the monsters snarling and snapping their teeth in response to his challenge. With a snort of white flames from his nostrils, the beast of a stallion charged them, Dash quickly dodging out of the way as he slammed into a pair of the wolves, scattering branches, leaves and other parts with a downward slam of his cloven hooves. Rainbow watched in awe as the pack fought with Seeker over her, both the beast and the wolves wanting her for themselves. It was a chaotic dance of flashing hooves, snapping jaws and howling snarls, the pack bleeding their foe at cost, the shattered remains of several more timberwolves joining the first pair Seeker had caught in his opening rush.
The pegasus didn't know why she kept watching, the contest a brutal affair, the pack having numbers while the black coated beast had brute strength and resilience, the crack of wood preceding another fallen timberwolf that had snapped at the stallion's hind legs. There were five timberwolves left now, warily circling Seeker, the beast bleeding from slashing claws and terrible bites, limping a bit as his left hind leg had been caught during the last rush.
The timberwolves readied themselves to come at him from several different angles, the black coated stallion suddenly rearing and drawing in a great breath before blasting one of them to ash with a jet of white hot flame from his mouth, the remaining timberwolves scattering with fearful yelps, Rainbow Dash's eyes wide with shock at the display. Seeker had won against the pack, though he had paid for it greatly, panting and wheezing a bit as he turned towards her, coat glistening in places under the moonlight where he had suffered injuries from the pack's attacks. The mare tensed, ready to make a break for it, but, instead of going after her, Seeker snorted wearily and sank to the grass, sides heaving with every haggard breath.
“Come on, Dash, this is your chance,” she urged herself, glancing toward the treeline as she spoke. “He's injured and tired, you can make it.” She shuddered slightly. “But it's pitch black in there and there's more than just timberwolves prowling the forest.” She groaned, wracked by indecision again. “Damn it all, he wasn't even trying to save you! He was just trying to keep his fellow predators from stealing his prey!” She started to pace, keeping an eye on the black beast of a stallion all the while. “You're not the Element of Kindness, stupid, so just run!” She stopped pacing, frowning deeply. “But I don't even know where I am...son of a bucking donkey, I'm stuck here with the crazed horse from Tartarus!” She laid down herself, glaring over at Seeker as he watched her warily. “Okay, buddy, one twitch out of you and I'll break your nose!” The stallion only snorted at her, lowering his head and closing his eyes. “Hey, I'm talking to you!” He, of course, didn't respond. “This is going to be a long night, isn't it?”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Meanwhile, far from the Everfree in Canterlot, a certain alicorn princess of the night stared out towards the direction of Ponyville, deeply troubled by something, something she hadn't felt since one fateful night several years before. Luna had been in the middle of holding the night's court, only receiving a few petitioners, mainly those troubled by sightings of nocturnal monsters and others seeking to curry her favor in some fashion, when she had sensed a surge of dark magic from the direction of Ponyville, where her sister's former student now dwelt in a castle of her own as the princess of friendship. Normally dark magic was nothing to shake a hoof at under the best of circumstances, but this had felt intimately familiar, Luna having been bound to it, and it to her, for a thousand years.
“It cannot be the Nightmare,” she said softly, a worried frown on her muzzle as she continued to gaze out into the night. “The Elements saw to its destruction when they freed Us from its influence.” But the feel of it, the malicious, insidious nature of this magic was too similar for her to simply dismiss it out of hoof. “Night guard.” A half dozen thestrals joined her on the balcony within moments of the words leaving her mouth, the lunar princess turning her head to regard them with a gravely serious expression on her face.
“One of you is to inform the seneshcal to attend to Our court in Our absence.” One of them immediately complied, the rest looking to her for further orders. “The rest of you will accompany Us to Ponyville.” She turned her attention back to the view beyond the balcony's railing, her frown deepening as she did so. “We only pray that Our concerns prove to be unwarranted.” With that she took to the air, her guard following close behind, the princess intent on finding out just what was happening out there in the dark.