Two beings, each hurt and alone, manage to find each other, and regain some of what they have lost.
"Betrayal, betrayal and abandonment. Is that all that awaits me? I only want to help..." When the elements of Harmony cleansed Nightmare Moon, changing her back to Luna, what were they truly doing? The being that fused with Luna has existed far longer than anything else, created with the beginning of existence. Alone for eons, it desperately tries to fulfill its one wish, by helping others achieve theirs. But things always turn out bad, the ones it helps leave it behind or exploit it. It can barely survive now, losing much of it's power to protect the one it was helping, only to be abandoned in it's time of need.
For ten years Apex has been on the run, protecting his parent's life's work, after they were murdered. Turned into a monster in order to protect himself and fulfill his parent's wishes, Apex has been alone. Wishing for another who would accept him, not for what he looks like, but for who he is.
When two hearts cry out for each other, yet without knowing, fate will bend, and worlds will meet. And if one is brave enough to grasp this opportunity, then miracles can happen.
In a dark cluster of trees in the Everfree Forest, one could hear crying.
"Why? Why does this always happen? Am I truly that disgusting? Do I truly deserve this?"
The sobbing continues, stopping only for small gasps of air.
""I thought we were friends, that we could be together..."
Thoughts swirled around the creature's head.
"It has been like this ever since I first help another...I granted her wish and was punished for it. Is it so wrong for me to help? All she wanted was knowlage, all I got in return was banishment."
The creature's thoughts drifted back to the beginning last betrayal.
I could see a young creature crying. It looked like a dark blue horse, with wings and a horn.
"Why are you crying, young one?
The horse looked around,
"Who's there? What do you want?"
"I am ..."
I trailed off, not knowing what I truly was.
"I am a helper. Do you want me to help you?"
The young horse nodded, sniffling.
"Yes."
"Well then, young one, can you tell me your name?
"I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria."
"Well Luna, why are you so sad?"
"All of my subject, my little ponies, they fear and hate my night, but they revel and rejoice in my sister's day. I just wish that they would enjoy the beauty of my night."
"I will help you Luna, but you must promise me one thing..."
"What is it?"
"Please, don't leave me behind."
"I promise, but will you at least tell me your name."
"Well Luna, you can call me Wish"
Wish smiled, remembering these happier times, things had been so nice, so comfortable. Everything had gone well until that day...
"They still fear the night, I have no choice." Luna ranted, pacing in her bedroom.
"Please Luna, tell me what you have planned"
"If I can't convince my subjects to enjoy the night, I will have to force them. I will keep it night forever, an eternal night. Will you help me, Wish?
"Of course, I would do anything for you, but to do this we would need to combine our powers, I cannot affect the physical world much, unless I have a host.
Luna thought for a moment, then reached a decision.
"I will be your host."
"Are you sure? Being my host comes at a high cost. You will undergo much pain, and your body will transform, it will not be pretty."
"I have decided, please, I embrace you."
The stars dimmed as the Night Princess and I melded together, and when it was done a new figure stood.
'We shall be called Nightmare Moon."
"You monster, what have you done to Luna?"
We watched as Celestia stared at us, fear in her eyes and aggression in her stance. We decided to tell her the truth.
"Luna is no more, we are Nightmare Moon, and the night will last forever!"
With this proclamation Celestia lunged at us, tears streaming down her face. Her horn glowed brighter then the sun she controlled, and she sent us flying back. We were confused, why would she attack us, had something affected her? Was she being controlled? We had no choice but to fight back. I poured all my strength into this, I could not allow Luna's wish to fail, but it was not enough. Celestia called out to the six artifacts she had brought with her, pulling their power out and directing it at us. All went white, and when we could see again, all around was a desolate grey landscape. And for one thousand years we cried, we wondered, we planned, and we remembered.
"...the Element of Magic."
The attack came again, but this time it was different. When the lights struck I could feel myself being torn away from Luna. I had to protect her, I poured all my strength into shielding her, all one thousand years of stored energy. I hoped that she would be alright, then I was no longer a part of her.
The six ponies were their, along with Celestia. I was shocked at the things that were being said. We had betrayed her? She had attacked us first! I looked to Luna, the only one who could see me. I pleaded to her, to remember her promise. Then I watched as she turned away, and left me alone once again.
"Do I truly diverse this? All I do is help. I grant wishes, I have granted millions, but will my wish ever be granted? Will I ever have a..."
Apex was a strange sight to see. He was just over eight feet tall, and completely dressed in black. His jacket was black, with its hood pulled up. He was wearing black leather gloves and boots, with black jeans. To complete his outfit was a black kerchief, covering his nose and mouth, and a pair of sunglasses. It was the middle of summer.
'Bet I look strange, " he thought, " Then again, at least they aren't running away screaming, so I guess that the disguise works.'
Apex chuckled to himself, and looked at the species he used to be a part of. 'Humans, rulers of Earth, the most powerful species on the planet,' Apex chuckled again, 'Yet they are more like a virus than anything else.'
Apex glanced into an alley as he passed it, only to stop. There were a couple of men mugging a couple. Apex grunted in disgust. 'They think that they are predators, feeding on the week, but they are only parasites.'
Apex walked into the alley, one of the muggers turned to look at him.
"Ohh, looks like we got a hero. Get the hell out of here before I fuck you up."
Apex merely watched him.
"Alright you asked for it." The mugger raised his crowbar, and took a swing, before collapsing to the ground in pain letting out a terrified scream. He looked at where his arm was, Apex was calmly holding it, before he threw it aside. The mugger blacked out as he saw his arm land several feet away/
The other muggers saw what had happened, and lunged at Apex, intent on getting revenge. It was a bloodbath, and in a matter of seconds only one mugger was alive. He pulled out his gun and started shooting. Apex barely noticed the bullets. He glanced down and said, his voice very gravely and deep,
"Damn, you ruined my shirt." then he lunged at the remaining mugger and tore him in half.
The couple looked on in horror at this blood soaked figure, and then screamed out,
"Monster!" Before fleeing.
Apex grunted to himself, 'No good deed goes unpunished.' Apex thought back to the last time he had spoken to a human, it had been ten years since his last real conversation. Memories washed over him.
Alex looked back to his parents, they were both working very hard. Alex's father was a biologist, and his mother was one of the top researchers in gene therapy. His father glanced over and waved, Alex waved back. Only ten years old and Alex had already decided that he would follow in his parents footsteps when he grew up. The project that they were working on was that using a retrovirus, one could edit someone on a genetic level, this would lead to cures to many diseases and genetic defects, when it was finished no one would have to worry about Alzheimer's, or hypertension, or infertility ever again. Alex ran out of the room at the sound of a ding, going to grab the freshest samples for his parents. Alex was so glad that they trusted him enough to let him help with the resea...
A loud boom interrupted Alex's thoughts, he quickly ran back to his parents to see them desperately typing, Alex's mother ran up to him and handed him a syringe,
"Alex, this is the result of all our research. Take it and run, don't stop running no matter what, and don't let it fall into the wrong hands." she kissed Alex on the forehead and whispered, "I love you."
Alex was running, glancing back he could see thick black smoke rising from the lab, as well as five armed men chasing after him. It was only a mater of time before they had cornered him. Alex glanced at them, he couldn't let them have the retrovirus, he just couldn't. Alex had no other choice, he drove the syringe into he arm, and injected it.
'I can't fight them, they'll kill me. I'm not strong enough, I need to be stronger, I need to be a better hunter, a better predator, the ultimate predator.'
Alex screamed as the retrovirus began to alter him. His bones extended, adding a few feet to his height, and hardened, becoming stronger and lighter then titanium, his nails grew pointed, turning into razor sharp claws, and his skin started to peel, revealing black scales underneath. Glancing up Alex grinned, his teeth now pointed, and he looked at the mercenaries, his eyes becoming incredibly acute, along with his other senses. One of the mercenaries opened fire. Alex looked down at his chest, seeing the bullets ricochet off. Then he lunged. His teeth tore into the throat of the closest one, blood spurting out, before Alex threw the body at another one. Everyone there had begun to fire, but these shots were as useless as the first ones. Alex slowly stalked his prey, before shredding them apart. The last survivor glanced at him and said, "Monster."
"Well I'd rather be a monster, then a human." Alex said before killing him.
Alex looked around at the blood filled battle field, he looked at his new body then grinned.
'Humans always thought that they were on the top of the food chain, I guess that they were wrong, I truly am the Apex Predator.'
Over then next few years Apex, as he had taken to calling himself, began to learn more about his new body. He was now a carnivore, when he tried to eat an apple he nearly threw up. He was far faster and stronger then before, with an almost unlimited endurance. Another thing he discovered was that his scaled were not just for armor, they could also be used for camouflage. Around then was when Apex realized that his mind was being affected as well. Complex problems made sense to him, and he could easily predict what another would do, his mind was constantly growing, becoming stronger and faster, along side his body.
Reality flooded back to him as Apex heard the sound of police sirens, he quickly left using back alleys, and climbing buildings to escape. Within a few minutes he was halfway across the city. Apex thought back to the couples reaction. 'I wish that there was someone out there, someone who accepted me, someone who didn't want me around as a tame monster, someone who wanted me, because of me. Someone I could call a friend.'
When two hearts cry out for each other, yet without knowing, fate will bend, and worlds will meet. And if one is brave enough to grasp this opportunity, then miracles can happen.
Hello all, I had this idea stuck in my head for a few days and decided to get it down. Hope you enjoyed this first chapter.
Please comment and criticize. If you don't like it tell me why.
Apex groaned and leaned against a building, bringing a hand to his head. 'I might have gone a bit too far there,' thought Apex, looking back on the mugging he interrupted. 'I didn't mean to kill them, just break an arm or two.'
Apex leaned his head back. 'I guess its happening again. Can't this damn retrovirus stabilize already? It's had ten years.'
Apex remembered the first time the retrovirus had reacted, 'Well the gills have definitely been useful, but they were painful coming in! At least there haven't been any more reactions, like that.'
Apex shook his head, 'Can't be distracted, have to leave.'
Apex glanced down at his bloody clothes and grimaced, 'Keeping to the alleys I guess.' Before taking off. Only a few minutes later Apex came to a dead stop. He sniffed, then turned around and sniffed again.
'Beer, mold, cats, rotten food, that's not it,' he took a few steps back, 'car exhaust, old cigarettes, blood, wait! There!'
Apex jogged down the side alley following the strange scent. 'This doesn't make sense, there is no way that this sent could be in a city like this. But the nose doesn't lie, so where is it coming from?'
He breathed in deeply feeling the new, yet familiar scent wash over him. 'A forest. A real forest, wild, untouched. Perfect.'
Apex stopped at the source of the scent. There was nothing there. Apex glanced around then took off his sunglasses, 'Still nothing.'
Apex grimaced as he closed his tertiary lenses, filtering out the spectrum of visible light, and allowing him to see in infrared and ultraviolet.
He gasped, there in front of him was an opening. On the other side was the forest. 'How is this even possible? Is this real?' Apex grinned, 'Only one way to find out.' Abandoning all sense of trepidation, Apex walked up to the strange forest, and strode in.
The first thing he noticed was the noise, much quieter than the city, yet filled with the sounds of wild birds and other animals. Apex glanced behind him, seeing the alley he had just come from, before returning his vision to normal, the city fading from view.
Apex removed his bloody jacket and dropped it on the ground. 'No sign of human activity anywhere, so probably no humans around here. No chance of losing it and going on a killing spree.'
Apex inhaled the forest air, and grinned savagely. Right now he could relax, and let his instincts guide him, right now he could hunt.
Wish grimaced as it's form began to solidify. 'I used far to much power to protect Luna,' Wish thought, 'I guess this means I'm going to die. I've never had to survive in the wild before, not without any of my powers. I don't even know what will be safe to eat, let alone how to avoid being eaten myself.'
Wish had never thought about death before, 'Maybe it'll be like falling asleep ... sleep ... it's been so long since I needed sleep. Or food.'
Wish continued to ponder about what it would need with a body, before returning to think about what it would look like.
'Probably something pony-like,' Wish figured, 'Since the last body I had was one...'
Wish trailed off, this line of thought once again reminding it of the recent betrayal, causing Wish to once again begin to cry.
'Why does it always end up like this? I am always nice, I never put myself ahead of anyone. Maybe Luna was right, if you can't get them to see things from your side, you'll have to force them. But how would that even work, you can't force a friendship, not a true one anyways.'
Wish continued pondering this for a while, letting the thought take it's mind away from the dangerous area of Luna.
After a while the thoughts turned down a different path. 'I can't force a friend, but could there be another way to fill the hole in my heart? Something that could offer me a temporary revive from all this pain?'
Wish thought for a moment, 'Revenge?'
Apex was familiarizing himself with the forest. There were several types of trees which he had never seen before, and several tracks which interested him. Continuing his exploration Apex came across a field for pale blue flowers, he was about to continue through it, but something was off.
'I've never seen flours like this before. No sign of damage anywhere, so they aren't a food, and there are no tracks through it. In fact all the tracks I've seen so far have given this place a wide berth. Therefore these are most likely very poisonous,' Apex reasoned. Apex was about to try to collect a sample to experiment with, when his ears heard a distance roar. Apex grinned, this was the roar of a predator, '...and where there's a predator, there's prey.'
Apex sped towards the sound, his hunting instincts and curiosity as to what kinds of animals lived here, spurring him on.
As Apex approached where the noise had come from, he slowed down, and began to stalk. Carefully glancing from his cover, he froze. What stood there was no creature Apex had ever seen before. It looked like a lion with bat wings and the tail of a scorpion. Apex's mind was on two different tracks now:
'That doesn't even make sense! I mean the wings are clearly to small to even lift it, the wingspan should be at least three times larger for it to even take off, let alone fly. And the scorpion tail? The only thing scorpions have in common with lions is their kingdom. There is no way that could be natural. What could have caused it.'
and
'I wounder how that would taste?'
Wish shivered, which was surprising. Glancing down Wish thought, 'I guess it's done, I'm trapped in this body now, until I regain my strength ... or die.'
Wish shook it's head, 'No I mustn't think like that. Now what does a body need to survive... hmmm... right, first I need water. That will also let me see what I am.'
Wish stood up, wincing as it felt. The simple act of feeling was something entirely alien to Wish, and it was confusing.
Glancing down and noting that it was standing on all fours, and that it definitely had hooves, Wish thought, 'Well I was right about getting a pony like body.' Before stumbling off to find some fresh water.
After about five minutes Wish was completely lost and totally exhausted, 'How does anything move around in these things, they weigh so much, and they get tired so quickly.' Wish thought, after collapsing on the ground.
After lying and resting, Wish continued to search for water. Soon the sound of a slight burbling could be heard. Wish climbed over a slight rut, and could see a small brook. Dragging itself over to the brook Wish dunked it's head in, the came out gasping for air.
'Well that isn't how you drink.'
Wish carefully leaned down and lapped up a tiny bit of water up with it's tongue. It wasn't very much, but Wish found it to be the most refreshing thing ever.
After sating it's thirst Wish glanced in the brook, using the relatively calm water as a mirror. Wish was surprised by the image that could be seen. Wish had been expecting some sort of monster pony with vicious fangs, like when it had fused with Luna, but instead it was greeted by a very small pony with a pure white coat and mane. Wish's eyes widened as she saw them, they were also completely white.
Wish had no horn and no wings, but it knew it wasn't an earth pony. It felt none of the inner strength, or innate connection to the ground, which earth ponies possessed.
Wish was a pony. Not a unicorn pony, nor a pegasus pony, nor an earth pony. Just a regular pony. 'A regular female pony,' Wish thought, noting her gender for the first time.
Wish was wondering about this strange phenomenon, when she was interrupted by a low growl.
Wish slowly turned around and saw a manticore slowly crawling towards her.
Wish let out an ear splitting scream, which made even the manticore recoil, before it roared and pounced.
Apex had been stalking the strange creature for a while now. It was definitely a carnivore, the sharp teeth showed that. But what was it hunting for? It moved slowly and lumbering, yet it was definitely prowling. Trying to use stealth to approach a target. Apex nearly laughed at this, 'In a dark green forest, this thing is bright red and orange.'
Apex could hear a gentle burbling, and could smell water. 'Maybe it strikes animals while they are distracted drinking? It's a good strategy.'
Stealthily moving ahead of the creature Apex approached the water source. It was a small brook, with another strange creature drinking there. This one resembled a small horse, yet it clearly wasn't. 'Interesting. The skull is definitely more of a predator's, with the eyes facing frontwards, but the flat teeth show that this creature is a herbivore.' The creature looked up, and what Apex saw startled him. 'It's eyes are completely white! Is it blind? No that can't be it. It's looking at it's reflection, maybe it sees without the spectrum of visible light. But in that case it would have surly seen me. This is most interesting.'
Apex was pulled from his thoughts as he saw the lionesque creature approach the horse like one. The lion one let out a growl, alerting the other to it's presence. The horse creature reacted in a most unexpected way. Instead of dashing away, or trying to hide, it slowly, almost comically, turned around and screamed.
'There is no way any animal would act like that. As mush as I am shocked about the possibility of sentient horses, a I can't discount it. Especially with the lion thing over there.'
Apex leaped at almost the same time as the lion creature did. Apex collided with the very surprised creature, midair, his claws ripping through the creature's hide. Jabbing with an outstretched hand Apex punctured through the creature's ribs and through it's heart. Apex grinned and he felt the hot blood flow over his hand, he always preferred to hunt predators, he found the irony in it helped keep him sane.
As the creature fell to the ground, Apex let out a primal howl of victory. Still grinning he turned to the other creature, which was staring at him, with a mixed look of horror, fear, and awe.
Wish's thoughts were centered on one thing. 'IT'S GONNA EAT ME!' Wish knew she couldn't get away from it. She had seen how fast it killed that manticore. Wish scrunched up her eyes and hoped it would be quick. Wish waited ... and waited ... and waited. Wish slowly opened her eyes, the thing had it's back turned to her, crouched down over the manticore corpse. She could hear ripping noises coming from it. Wish leaned a bit to see around it. 'So, it definitely a carnivore.' Wish wasn't surprised, carnivores were rarely small, and often had claws. Wish had seen many carnivorous creatures before, but this one was different. In her entire existence Wish had never came across anything like this. Wish set about trying to figure out what this creature could be. The closest thing she could think of would be a dragon, at least physically, but it definitely wasn't that. During her examination she found out something else that interested her. What she had first assumed to be some form of fur on the creature's legs, were actually some strange fabric. Clearly this creature was at least partially intelligent. The creature suddenly stood up. Wish flinched. 'Just because it's intelligent, doesn't mean it wont eat you!.' The creature turned around and started approaching her. Wish couldn't move, she was frozen in fear. The creature walked past her, and up to the brook. 'It knelt down and began washing it's hands clean of the manticore's blood. Wish watched it. 'I might have overreacted just a bit there. I guess it doesn't want to eat me.' Wish slowly got up and wobbled forward, still not used to having a body, until it was right behind the strange creature. 'At least I have enough power for this.' Wish reached out her hoof and pressed it against the creature's leg.
Apex watched as the equine approached him, pretending not to notice. 'That's right, I'm not going to hurt you. Just come right up.' Things were going better then he had hopped. Apex had figured that the creature would have ran by now, after his display. But it seemed it was as interested in him, as he was in it. Apex had purposely ignored it, hoping that it would decide that he wasn't a threat. 'Just a little bit closer now.' The creature was right behind him now. It reached up one of it's hoofs and gently pressed against Apex's leg. "AAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGGGGGHHHHHHHHH" The equivalent of 1000 volts of electricity traveled up Apex's leg, and he leaped out of the water, and back into the foliage, landing awkwardly on the ground. "Wait!" Apex glanced back at the small equine, "NO," he shouted. Hopping/dragging himself through the forest, while trying to regain feeling in his leg, Apex wound up where he had dropped his jacket on the ground. 'Alright, that was fun, now let's get back to where things make sense.' Apex changed his visual spectrum, then froze. The alleyway was nowhere to be seen. Apex snapped. Hurling himself at the nearest tree, he began punching it, till it collapsed. He then turned his attention to the next tree. This continued for about twenty minutes. By the time Apex had worked out his irritation there was a huge clearing littered with fallen trees. 'Well, at least I have something to build a house with.'
Wish gasped as the language that this creature spoke flooded her mind. She grinned, her power still worked in this body. But even without the new found grasp of language she had, Wish would have been able to tell that the creature was in pain. Wish winced, she hoped that it wasn't hurt. The creature leaped out of the water, back into the dense cover of the brush. "Wait," Wish called, wanting to explain. "NO." The creature sped away, leaving Wish in the clearing with the manticore's body. Wish thought for a moment, then decided to follow the strange creature. After taking a long drink, she set off, following the trail of broken branches and claw marks on the trees. Wish followed the trail until she came to a wide clearing, full of smashed trees. 'What could have done this? The only thing I can think of would be a hydra, but it would have left a trail to show where it came from, and where it went.' Wish looked around the clearing, trying to figure out which way the creature had gone. After a while Wish felt a strange sensation in her stomach. 'Oh, right. This body needs to eat,' Wish thought, before falling over.
Apex groaned as the strange electro-horse thing came into view. 'Why is it following me?' The creature looked around for a while, then promptly fell over. Apex slowly slid down from his place in one of the few remaining trees, and cautiously approached it. The creature remained laying down. Apex carefully reached out a hand and nudged the creature, fully expecting to have another shock run up his arm. When nothing happened Apex crouched down beside the creature. He started checking it's vitals. There was nothing wrong, Apex guessed. Continuing his examination, Apex felt around the creatures stomach. Apex groaned again, it was empty. 'I better get some food for this thing, so it won't starve to death on me. It may be my only contact with the general population.' Apex picked up the tiny creature, and nestled it in the crook of his elbow. He glanced around, 'I guess that grass won't do, else it would probably have eaten some already. What else could this thing eat? Probably fruit, or some other plant matter, based on the teeth. I'm probably going to have to find wherever it came from, and see what they eat. But before that...' Apex quickly grabbed the fallen trees and assembled a rough lean-to, 'It'll do for now,' before walking in the direction that the brook was, intent on finding some way to keep this creature alive, and getting some answers.
By the time the forest had started thinning, the moon had started to rise. 'How did this creature even get so far out in this forest? It would have taken it at least a few days, based on the speed it followed me at. Maybe it was banished from the society? Possibly a sacrifice?' Apex shook away his thoughts as he came out of the forest. There was a large clearing, with many rows of apple trees. 'I guess that answers the what do these things eat question.' Apex stealthily approached the apple fields. After making sure there was nothing in sight, he quickly grabbed several apples. Cradling the small creature in one arm and the apples in another, Apex quickly ran back to the forest. Once he was about fifteen minutes into the forest, he decided to set up a small camp. After collecting some timber, and finding some flint, Apex started up a fire to keep the creature warm. Apex sighed and glanced down at his jeans, then took them off. After tearing the denim into strips he quickly tied up the creature so that it couldn't run away. Glancing at his last remaining bit of clothing Apex sighed again, 'Might as well get rid of these, not that they cover anything anyway.' Apex let out a chuckle as he remembered his shock upon discovering this. No mater the species males have almost always had the the same weak point, so the retrovirus had removed it. It had also pretty much eliminated ninety percent of waste products his body used to produce, specifically liquid waste, so the retrovirus had removed the primary way liquids left his body. After all it was a potential handhold for an enemy, and it didn't really serve a purpose anymore. Looking down at the smooth scales, Apex gave another chuckle before settling in for a light sleep.
Hello all, sorry for the lack of updates. Stuff happens, yadda, yadda, excuses, excuses.
Ok, I have no real writing scheduled for this story, I just do it when the mood hits me. Just to let you all know.
Any criticism would be appreciated, and if you could point out any mistakes that are found, that would be great.
Writing this chapter was really hard for me. I left off in a really awkward spot, and it's been hard for me to find a good way to start writing it again. That said, I finally got around to actually working it out. So please, all of you, enjoy.
Wish woke up when a sharp pang ran through her stomach. She groaned and curled up. Eventually she opened her eyes and saw in front of her the most amazing, beautiful thing she had ever saw. A pile of apples. Wish made a lunge at them but was unable to move. Looking at her legs she could see that they were bound with strips of some strange material. Looking around she saw the creature walking towards her. It picked up an apple and held it close enough that she could bite it. It was the most delicious thing that Wish had ever tasted. It was also the only thing Wish had ever tasted. She finished off the apple and the creature held out another one. This continued until all the apples were gone, and Wish was full. Looking up to her savior, she said,
"Thank you."
After a few moments of silence Wish tried again,
"Could you tell me your name?"
The creature let out a sigh.
"Apex. You can call me Apex."
"Thank you for saving me Apex. You can call me Wish."
Again silence.
"Could you untie me please? This is quite uncomfortable."
"If I do are you going to attack me again?"
"Attack? I never attacked you."
"By the brook, when you touched my leg. It was like you electrocuted me."
"That doesn't make sense. All I was doing was casting a memory spell so I could learn your language."
"Wait, cast a spell? As in magic?"
"Yes. Is three something wrong."
"Well where I'm from magic doesn't exist."
"That's weird. But speaking about where your from, can you tell me what you are, exactly? I've never seen anything like you before, and I've lived for a long time."
Apex looked at her, and raised the ridge above his left eye.
"You don't look that old."
"Well, no. But I only got this body recently, I've never had one before."
Apex had a look of confusion of his face.
"What do you mean, never had one before?"
"Just that. I've never had a body of my own before, well not a physical body at any rate. I was just ... a force of will I suppose. But enough about me, tell me about you. After you untie me."
Apex shrugged and untied her.
"Well, I was a human-"
"You don't look like any human I've ever seen. That said the last time I saw a human was around eight-thousand years ago, but still..."
"I said I was a human. I'm not anymore."
"Well what happened?"
"Look, no offense but we've just met, and I really have no idea where I am or whats going on. I'm not about to go into my life story with a stranger. Before I start saying anything else, I need to know some things. Where are we? What's the local populace? And are there any other sentient races in existence?"
"Well we're currently in the Everfree Forest, which is in Equestria. I suppose the local populace would be Manticores, Hydras, and the other monsters that live in the Everfree. As for sentient species, there are the Griffons, the dragons, and the minotaurs. But the dominant race would be the ponies."
"Really? Ponies?"
"Yes."
"And they all look sort of like you?"
"No, not at all, the closest type of pony that I can compare myself to would be an Earth Pony. There are also Pegasus Ponies, who have wings. They can fly, walk on clouds, and control the weather. An there are Unicorn Ponies, which have a horn coming out of their head, and they are the only ponies who can use active magic."
Apex took this all in and calmly sorted out his thoughts. What he was hearing now would have both joyed and frustrated his parents, it was just so unrealistic. After a few moments Apex figured out his next question.
"You said that only ... Unicorns ... could do magic. So how did you 'cast a memory spell'?"
Wish thought for a moment, the confusion evident on her face.
"I'm not really sure, I never had a body before so I just used my power the way I always have."
"Oh. Well than is that all for the ponies? Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn?"
"Well, there is another ... but ... well..."
"Another what? Another race of pones?"
"Well yes. The Alicorns. There are only two, and they rule Equestria. Alicorns have wings, as well as horns. They are essentially walking goddesses."
"Thank you for answering my questions, you've been really helpful."
"Now can you tell me what you meant by you were a human?"
"No. You're still a stranger, I really don't know if I can trust you enough to tell you about my life."
"Would you tell a friend?"
"...yes?"
"Well then, let's be friends."
"...that isn't how friendship works."
"Of course it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"Tell me, do you have any friends?"
Wish's face drooped.
"I've had many friends, but they always abandon me."
Apex grimaced, he hated to be the bearer of bad news, unless it was ban news for someone who deserved it.
"I don't think they were really friends."
Wish looked shocked, her eyes slightly tearing.
"Yes, they were my friends. They said that they were."
Apex sighed.
"Wish, can you tell me what you think a friend is?"
Wish confidently replied,
"A friend is someone that you would do anything for."
"Is that all?"
"Yes..." slightly less confident this time.
Apex sighed again.
"No, that isn't what a friend is."
Wish shot a glare at Apex,
"I've been alive since the beginning of everything, what makes you think that you know more than me?"
Apex raised the ridge above his left eye.
"Even if you have been alive for that long, there are probably many things that you haven't experienced. Also, since you've never seen anything like me, as as you admitted, how can you dictate what I know?"
Wish blushed slightly at this and looked down slightly.
"I'm telling you something that I learned after many painful losses. A friend, a true friend, not just someone who wants to be with you for gain, is someone that you would do anything for, and who would do anything for you. It's a two-way flow, a bond that builds up as it moves back and forth between two individuals, until it becomes an unbreakable and undeniable. If you have been giving without taking, never asking for anything in return, then I assume that most would see you as more of a servant or slave, than as a friend."
Wish, who had slowly become less and less sure of herself over Apex's explanation, started weeping. She had been wrong, she had always been wrong. How could she even hope to have a friend when she didn't even know how to be one. Wish's small body was wracked with sobs, and she was slowly giving in to despair, when a strong hand grabbed her and lifted her up, cradling her gently.
"Don't cry. It's all right." Apex said softly, if awkwardly.
After several minutes of crying Wish looked up to Apex's face.
"Apex ... can you be my friend?"
"Maybe someday Wish, but for now we'll just be partners. You help me, I'll help you, is that alright? "
"Mmmkay." Wish murmured into Apex's chest, then after a few moments, "Thank you."
"Your welcome."
Suddenly talking, talking everywhere. And emotions.
Again, this chapter was really hard for me to write. So if it appears forced, I'm sorry. Also, if anyone has any ideas about any shenanigans or how some encounters could play out, let me know. I have some ideas, but I'm just one person, and I'm sure you all have thought about what's going to happen, and try to predict what will happen in the story.
Right? I'm not the only one who does this, right?
Anyways, any comments on the chapter would be great, if you spot any errors please let me know, and don't forget to point out anything that you think might be an error. I know for a fact that the chapter titles for The scent of the Hunt and A Meeting of Two, were both the same as chapter one. This has now been fixed.
That's all for now, but take these words with you:
Every step is the beginning of a new journey, every note holds the makings of a new song, every thought can bloom into a world of creation, and every time you meet someone, it plants a seed that, with special care, will grow into something beautiful, unique, and wonderful.
Readers rejoice, for I have returned! But I'll be leaving in a week to go to the Bahamas, so have this chapter, to tide you over until I make the next one.
Apex looked down at Wish.
"So now what?"
Wish opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by her stomach growling.
"Well, I guess that answers my question.," Apex said with a laugh, "C'mon lets get you some more apples."
"OK."
Apex reached down and scooped Wish up. Wish settled comfortably into the crook of Apex's elbow, and soon they were speeding toward the edge of the forest.
Applejack woke up early, you had to as a farmer, and headed down to check on how the trees were doing. She had felt something strange last night, but hadn't been sure about it, and had decided to check in the morning.
"Well Green Leaves, you are looking fine, and so are you Buder." As she passed another tree AJ glanced up into the branches.
"Bloomberg Sr! What happened to yah?" Many of the tree's branched were broken, and several apples were missing.
'Looks like we've got ourselves a thievin' varmint on our hooves.'' Applejack looked sadly up at the tree.
"Don'tchu worry. Ah'll be sure to avenge ya. Nopony messes with the Apples."
Applejack began patrolling the orchard, searching for any clues as to where the critter had gone.
""Well if you're looking for clues, why don't you ask me for help, you silly filly. Didn't I prove how good of a detective I was during the MMMystery on the Friendship Express?" Pinkie had jumped out from behind a tree, startling Applejack.
"Well shoot, don startly me like that Pinkie, Ah almost bucked ya."
"Soooooo, what're you looking for? Huh? Huh?"
"Well, some critter came to the farm last night and made off with a bunch o' apples."
"How come you aren't following the footprints?"
"What footprints?"
"These ones, silly." Pinkie gestured to a set of tracks which had only now became visible.
"How? But - wha?"
"Oh, come on AJ, let's gooooo!" With that Pinkie grabbed Applejack and started to run, following the tracks. Pinkie slowed down as the tracks approached the Everfree Forest. Applejack found her legs again and slowly started to walk towards the forest. She and Pinkie were very close to the boundary now, and both were fairly nervous.
Applejack quickly whipped her head towards a sharp snap, followed by a rustle. She quickly pulled out her lasso, and began to spin it. Pinkie sat by silent for once, not wanting to interrupt Applejack as she worked. If Pinkie knew two things they were: Don't ever break a Pinkie Promise, and Never, ever, get between an Apple and their apples.
Applejack let her lasso fly, and quickly jerked it back pulling out a small figure. Applejack's anger quickly faded when she saw what she had caught. It was a small filly, even tinier than Applebloom. She could even count its ribs.
'It must've been starving.' she thought.
The filly looked up to her, and Applejack started.
"Are you blind?"
The filly let out an ear piercing shriek and started to flail her free hooves.
"Calm down, we ain't gonna hurt ya."
"Yeah, even though you're a meanie for stealing those apples, I guess that it's sort of alright, I mean you are starving, and there wasn't a sign or anything so I suppose that there was no reason that you thought that you couldn't take them."
The filly shrieked again, and Applejack wondered if they were really that terrifying. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a very deep, loud roar from right behind her. She quickly looked around to see a huge monster.
'That must be what's frightening this filly. Well not on my watch.'
Applejack turned around and bucked the monster with all her strength. There was a dull thud but little else. Applejack looked back to see her hind hooves rested on the monster's midsection.
"What the-"
The monster let out a low growl and grabbed both of Applejack's legs in one paw, and then proceeded to throw her. Applejack landed hard, and didn't get back up. Pinkie who had been watching, mouth open, until this point rushed towards the monster.
"Hey you big meanie, you can't just go aroun-"
Pinkie was cut off when the monster leaned down, so that it's face was right up to hers, and let out a ferocious roar. Pinkie's hair deflated, and she was paralyzed with fear, she couldn't even laugh. Applejack had recovered enough at this point to look up and see what was going on. With as shout she started to gallop at the monster. It glanced at her and growled, before lunging forward with surprising speed and grabbing the filly.
"NO!"
The monster leaped into the Everfree, taking the filly with it. Applejack stared at the forest, as if deciding whether or not to charge after it. Eventually she walked over to Pinkie.
"Pinkie...we've gotta get Twi. There's a foalnappin' monster in the Everfree, and we gotta stop it. We'll get the elements together .. and ... and ..."
Pinkie nodded wordlessly, and picked herself up, and started walking back towards Ponyville, with Applejack supporting her.
"Would you care to tell me what that was all about?" Apex asked Wish as he ran through the forest. He had been gone for only a few moments, and had been about to start collecting some apples when he had heard her shout.
"It was them." Wish said, the venom in her voice almost palatable.
"Who?"
"Them, the ones who did this to me."
"Did what?"
"This!" Wish shouted gesturing at her body with her hoof, "This body, this amount of power, it's all their fault! There the ones who took my form, and forced me into this pitiful body, their the ones who made me suffer, and their the ones who stole away the only companion I had for over one thousand years!"
Apex listened, curious, but not wanting to inturrupt.
"And now they know where I am. What if tey come after me? They tried to kill me once, what if they want to finish the job?"
Wish started crying at this point, and Apex sighed.
'She's really unstable.'
"Look, if they come to hunt you down, I'll stop them, all right?"
Wish sniffled a few more times, before throwing her hooves around Apex.
Wish giggled a little and released the death grip she had on Apex. Then her stomach growled.
"Right, what else can you eat other than apples?"
Rainbow Dash was lazily doing loop-the-loops when she spotted AJ and Pinkie walking into town. She flew down to them and noticed that something was off. Pinkie's normally curly, bouncy mane was hanging straight down, and she looked as if she was about to cry. Applejack had a large bruise on the left side of her body, and was limping slightly.
"Woah, what happened? Did somepony attack you? Where are they? Let me at em."
"Dash," AJ gasped, "Ah need you to fly as quick as you can and get the others. There's a monster in the Everfree."
"Pshh, of course there is. It's the Everfree, just leave it in the damn forest."
"NO! We gotta help. It stole..."
"Stole what? Some apples?"
"NO! IT STOLE A FILLY, YA RAINBOW MANED DITZ!"
Rainbow's eyes widened, and not at the insult.
"Who was it? Applebloom?"
"No, no. Ah don't know who it was, but we need ta help! We can't just leave the poor thing."
"Of course not!" Rainbow said appalled, "Is that what you think of me?"
"No, of course not. But could you hurry up and get the rest of us together?"
"Who?"
Applejack sighed, "The Elements."
"Oh, right. I'll tell them in ten seconds flat."
Rainbow Dash bolted off, and Applejack had one thought in her mind.
'That monster's gonna have anoter thing coming if that filly has so much as a scratch on her!'
Applejack stretched her legs, and wore a grim face. Soon they would be monster hunting, something that the Apple's hadn't had to do since they settle here. Applejack smiled grimly, they certainly were good at it.
How's everyone enjoying the story? Finally some plot progression.
So how was it? I want your honest opinions. Do you think that this chapter was a bit rushed? Were there any parts that didn't make sense? How about grammar or spelling mistakes?
Also did I do alright for the characters. One of my greatest worries is making them act ooc, so if you see anything that just strikes you as wrong please let me know.
I hope you all enjoyed this, and continue to read.
Applejack was waiting at the edge of the Everfree. It had been ten minutes, but to the orange Apple it felt more like ten hours. Pinkie glanced nervously at her, and Applejack realized that she was pacing. She noticed that Pinkie was still distraught by the encounter with the monster.
"Ya OK, Pinks?"
Pinkie silently nodded her head.
"Ya know we're gonna get that filly back, right? Nothin', and I mean nothin' is gonna stop us."
Pinkie brightened slightly at her friends reassurance, and her mane regained some of it's luster. Applejack smiled at her friend, and rested a hoof on her shoulder.
"And after we find her, ya can throw her th' biggest party Equestria's ever seen."
With this Pinkie's mane puffed back up, and her coat regained it's lost coloring.
"D'you really think so? The biggest party! There'll have to be cupcakes balloons andstreamersandpartyhatsandpartyblowersandpnchandcakeandpieandmuffinsandconfettiandsarsaparilland pinatasandgamesandsnacksandEVERYPONYwillbe invited -"
Pinkie drew in a huge breath, and Applejack quickly shoved a hoof in her mouth.
"Woa, calm down there a bit, we sill hafta save her first."
"Of course AJ!"
Applejack forced a smile on her face. Pinkie was a happy mare, she didn't do well in grim situations. Applejack glanced around.
"What's takin' them so long?!"
Pinkie suddenly smiled, "They're right here AJ!"
Pinkie reached behind her and pulled pulled out Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Applejack shook her head in confusion. Twilight looked slightly nauseous.
"Wh-what just happened?"
"We don't have time for explanations Twi! We have a filly to save!" Pinkie struck a heroic pose, pointing into the Everfree.
"But whats happening?"
"Move it Twi, Ah'll explain on the way."
Twilight looked around confusedly, then sighed and resigned herself to her fate. The six ponies trotted of in to the forest, Applejack leading, looking for anything that would indicate a trail.
'Don't you worry, Ah'm comin' for ya.'
""Hmmm, that looks tasty."
"NO!"
Apex quickly grabbed Wish before she could take a bite out of the bright blue flower.
"But I thought we were trying to find things for me to eat?"
"We are, but look at this patch. There are no signs of anything eating it, no signs of a path through it, in fact, all the animals in this forest give these plants a wide berth. When you take into account the bright coloring, I'm almost positive that these flowers are highly toxic."
"I guess that makes sense."
Apex and Wish had spent that last ten minutes searching around for things she could eat. So far they found several types of flowers, which Wish insisted were delicious, and a few berries. Apex had also stopped Wish from eating an array of poisonous things, such as Nightshade, Aconite (wolfsbane), Death Caps, and Destroying Angles. Wish was rather enjoying it, and found it rather ... fun. She was feeling much more relaxed, and had recuperated from her encounter with the ones who hurt her. Apex, on the other hand, was slightly exasperated by Wish's less than cautious approach to finding new food, and was still quietly monitoring their surroundings, taking note of any little movement, and being prepared to grab Wish, and run at a moment's notice.
'Still,' Apex thought, 'this sure beats hiding from the military any day.'
"So, let me get this straight," Twilight said for the fourth time in as many minutes, "There's a strange monster in the Everfree, and it stole a young filly."
"Yep."
"And we're going to find and save her, from a giant creature that took one of your kicks like it was nothing?"
"Yep."
"Just once more, so I can be sure-"
"Um, Twilight? Don't you, um, think you should calm down, if it's not too much to ask..."
"Fluttershy's right, you simply must be quieter, what if you bring this beast down upon us?"
"Um...Applejack?"
"Yea, Fluttershy?"
"Do you, do you think you could, maybe describe the monster to me? If it isn't too much trouble..."
"Well, it was real big, and real nasty."
"...ok...I-I meant what it's, um, characteristics were."
"Oh. Well, like Ah said it's real tall, taller than the Princesses by mah reckonin'."
"Oh dear..."
"And it walked on two legs, actually it sort of looked a bit like Spike, when he got all greedy, bu-"
"Are you calling Spike a monst-?"
"No, NO. Ah'm just sayin' that the monster sort of looks like Spike, not that Spike looks like the monster. And anyways Ah was gonna say that it didn't have a tail, and it's scales were all black. Does all this mean anythin' to ya Fluttershy?"
"Um...well, I'm not sure about the tail bit, but the scales sound sort of like camaflauge, were there any patterns or markings on them?"
"Nah, they were just completely black, bu they were dull, no shine in 'em."
"That's matte, AJ."
"Oh, um ... well that would indicate that this creature is primarily nocuurnal, and hides in the shadows. Did you happen tseitmuht..."
"Pardon?"
"Um, d-di you see it's mth."
"Once more, sugarcube."
"D-did you, um, see what it's mouth looked like?"
"It was terrible! It had big, sharp, pointy, spikes for teeth. And really bad breath."
"Pinkie... d-did it have any teeth like ours?"
"Nope, just giant mean fangs."
"Oh my ... I was afraid of this."
"Afraid of what?" said Applejack wearily.
"It's a carnivore."
"Ya mean ya think it gonna..."
Fluttershy looked rather uncomfortable, "W-well, I don't know. You said that the filly was alive right?"
"Hah, it's probably just saving her, keeping her fresh, so when it gets hungry it can ju-ow!"
Applejack grabbed Dash by the tail and glared at her.
"Less talkin', more trottin'!"
"Aww, why should I walk when I have these babies?" Dash ruffled her wings proudly.
"Cause, sugarcube, we're goin' that-a-way."
Applejack gestured in the direction where the trail lead. Dash looked at it and groaned. The trees were mush closer together, and the branches made it impossible to fly for more than a few feet, before she would have to land.
Dash grumbled, but followed Applejack, as she lead her friends deeper into the forest.
"Hey, Apex?"
""Yes?"
"Do you have any enemies?"
Apex thought for a moment, before replying.
"No, not anymore."
"What happened to them?"
Apex raised the ridge above his eye, a gesture which Wish had matched to raising an eyebrow.
"I did."
"Oh...did-"
"No," Apex sighed, "it didn't make me feel better. Seeking violence like I did was too destructive. I hurt so many who weren't even at fault, they were just in the way."
Wish sat silently, waiting for Apex to continue. This was the most she'd been able to get out of her companion about his past. Apex glanced at her and smirked.
"You aren't getting more than that, for now."
Wish huffed irritably,and Apex laughed. Then he heard a very soft and distant clop.
"So Wish, what would you do?"
"Huh?"
"If you had your enemies at your mercy. They were helpless before you, and there was nothing holding you back what would you do?"
Apex listened carefully as the sounds of trotting got steadily closer, he could even pick up a snippet or two of speech, not that he understood what was being said.
"I...I...I would..."
"Would you forgive them? Befriend them? Would you bide your time, waiting for their trust, before you strike, making vengeance all the sweeter? Would you cause them the pain you felt?"
Wish struggled to think up an answer. All she could get out were some quiet mumbles.
"What would you do, when faced with those you despise the most?" Apex stood up, and turned to where the sounds were coming from.
"What would you do Wish? What would you do?"
"I..." Wish whimpered, "I just don't know..."
Apex smirked, and as six ponies came out of the bush and into the small clearing he said, "Then for now you should run. Face them only when you have made a resolution, until then, run."
Apex turned to face the six, who had spread out. He let out a low snarl and glanced over his shoulder to where Wish was. She had vanished into the undergrowth. Apex cracked his neck and focused on the ponies in front of him.
'Yep, fighting magic ponies sure beats hiding from the military any day.'
A/N
So... I haven't updated for a while, but give me a few weeks and more will be coming.
Anyways, how was the chapter?
Did I get the characters to act properly, it got kind of awkward trying to write the conversation with all of them in there. If you have any suggestions of how I could rework it to improve the flow, don't hesitate to let me know!
The orange pony stepped forward, and dropped into what might be a fighting stance. The two unicorns and the pink pony followed suit. The yellow pegasus was huddles at the back, and the blue one with the dye job just charged at Apex.
Apex swayed out of the way and it shot past him, when it tried to hit him a second time, Apex dodged aside again. The orange one grabbed the pegasus by the tail and pulled her down. Apex looked at the group and raised his fists. If he was going to have to fight, he could at least try not to eviscerate them.
"Rainbow!" Applejack shouted, "What the hay were ya thinking?!"
"Well I figured I'd take it by surprise."
"It was lookin' right at ya."
"Um, girls? I'd hate to interrupt your rather riveting debate, but I believe that we have other issues at hoof, hmm?" Rarity said gesturing over to the monster.
"Uh, right. So, Twi, Rarity, you two use your fancy magics to charge u that spell y'all mentioned, then Rainbow and Ah'll give it a good old fashion smack down. Pinkie, Fluttershy, ya two just fit in wherever y'all can help."
"O-ok, then."
"Okie dokie loki."
Apex looked on as the six ponies had their conversation.
'Maybe I should just leave... 'Apex thought, 'Did they forget about me?'
Apex waited for a while longer, and the ponies turned their attention back to him. They all took up aggressive stances.
'So we are going to fight.'
Apex rolled his shoulders, and cracked his neck.
'Alright, let's go.'
"All right, gals, let's do this!" AJ shouted.
The group sprang into action. Rarity and Twilight, both started to concentrate on their magic. AJ and RD prepared to charge, and Pinkie Pie...
"Pinkie? Where are ya?" AJ looked around for her pink pal.
"Hey, AJ. Over here!"
Pinkie had somehow gotten on top of the monster's head, and was waving to her friends.
"EEP!"
The monster had grabbed Pinke by her tail and threw her back at the group. Pinkie spun around, mid-air, and landed gracefully on the ground beside Fluttershy.
"Pinkie, how in th' name o' Celestia, di-"
"Don't be silly AJ. You told me to do what ever I could to help, right? SO I did! Oh, and you might want to turn around."
"Wha-?"
Applejack turned around to see a dark scaly foot speeding towards her.
'Awww, damnit.'
'Aaaand, Punt-a-Pony!' Apex thought as his foot connected squarely with the orange pony's face, sending her flying into a tree.
Apex heard an angry shout, and turned to see the chromatic pegasus flying at him.
'Damn it, to close to dodge.' Apex thought, as his body automatically moved.
Apex brought up his hand, and swiftly jabbed his fingers through the pegasus' wing. He then swung around, using the momentum of the pegasus to throw it down to the ground. He heard a flitting, turned, and found himself face to face with a very irate pegasus.
"HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!"
Twilight looked at Fluttershy, who's face was just inches from the monster's.
'Fluttershy's always brave when she needs to be.'
Then Twilight noticed something was wrong. From everything that Fluttershy had told her about The Stare, and recounts from the CMC, The Stare wasn't preforming as it usually did. Instead of cowering, or shirking under Fluttershy's gaze, the monster was shaking violently, and a stream of red could be seen running from it's nose. The monster was slowly raising it's arms, but it was having difficulties, as if it was fighting with itself just to get them to move.
Twilight returned her focus to her magic.
'Fluttershy has plenty of experience with the Stare. I'm sure she knows exactly what she's doing.'
'Strange,' Apex thought as he looked at the small pegasus, 'I suppose that this is similar to what snakes do. What ever it is it's making it hard to move.'
Apex had been trying to reach up to the pegasus, but his arms were barely responding.
'I suppose that the easiest way out of this would be to remove the connection. Since for some reason I can't close my eyes...'
Apex quickly switched his perception, filtering out the visible spectrum of light. Suddenly his arms shot up, and he grasped the pegasus by the throat.
'There we go.'
Apex held the pegasus, waiting for it to stop struggling, when he noticed that the purple unicorn shouted something. A beam of light sprung from its horn, and Apex raised his other arm to block. Suddenly a searing pain shot through the appendage.
Apex let out a feral roar and threw the semiconscious pegasus at the offending unicorn.
Twilight winced as the creature roared. She quickly grabbed Fluttershy with her telekinesis, and gently lowered her to the ground.
"Rarity, are you ready?"
"I think so."
Twilight and Rarity had been charging up a large amount of magic. It was in fact Rarity's idea. She had devised a spell that would temporarily numb a pony, so that she could work on their clothing without worry about them moving. Twilight had tweaked the spell, adding a calming effect.
The two unicorns let out the tumult of soothing, pacifying energy towards the monster. The spell left both unicorns drained of magic. Rarity passed out, and Twilight was only to barely stand up.
When she saw the monster she was terrified. The spell should have put it to sleep, or at least made it docile. Instead to was raging, howling, and thrashing about. It turned to look a Twilight, and she felt a cold sensation of dread.
'DAMN IT! FUUVGFICKFUIWHWEGSASDFGHGH!'
Apex was struggling to focus through the immense pain that had encompassed his body. He struggled to walk towards the unicorn, but the pain drove him to his knees. Apex managed to force himself up briefly, before collapsing, giving into the pain.
Twilight looked as the monster fell. She didn't know what had gone wrong with the spell, but she did know that the monster had been stopped. She carefully approached it, preparing the last remaining dregs of her power, in case she needed to force it away. Twilight gave a small sigh of relief when the monster didn't stir.
'Now all I have to do is contact the Princesses. They'll know what it is, and what to do with it.'
Twilight looked over the monster, eager to learn more about it. Hundreds of questions whirled around in her head.
'How did it defeat The Stare? What makes it so resilient, that it could shrug off one of AJ's hits like it was nothing? How was it able to doge Rainbow Dash?'
Twilight's eyes went wide when she remembered her friends injuries. She quickly turned to run to RD's side. When she turned she found herself facing the small filly that they had been trying to rescue. Twilight's heart lifted a bit as she saw the filly unharmed. The filly looked straight at her, and Twilight could see the hatred and sorrow in her eyes.
The filly let out a shriek which shook the forest.
"Nooooo!"
A wave of darkness slammed into Twilight, and her consciousness faded.
Apex woke up, and leaped to his feet, ready to continue the battle. As he scanned the area he noticed that all of his opponents were gone. Apex saw Wish standing next to him. She jumped at him, hugging his leg while blubbering.
"You were out for so long," Wish sniffled, and wiped her nose on her front leg, "I was so worried."
Apex picked Wish up, and cradled her close to his chest.
"I'm fine," Apex murmured, "There's no need to worry."
Apex continued to comfort his companion, while she cried in his arms, and he silently wondered, what had become of those six?
Luna walked slowly towards her sister's chambers, and entered, the guards allowing her to pass through unchallenged. Luna looked at her sister, who was gazing out the balcony window.
"Sister, you have felt it then as well?"
Celestia looked over at Luna.
"Yes," she said softly, "Such a huge surge of magic, and the feel of it..."
"Quite so sister. That magic was very distinct. There can be no mistake about it."
Celestia hung her head.
"But how? How could that monstrosity possibly exist?"
"We... We do not know." Luna looked away. "But We will soon find out. The unicorns of the royal guard have been attempting to locate the source, and We will be departing as soon as they have."
Celestia looked at Luna worry evident on her face.
"Are you sure? Must you do this alone?"
Luna met her sister's gaze.
"Sist- Tia, this is something We must do, by ourselves. Do you understand?"
After a moment Celestia nodded. Luna approached her sister and hugged her with her wing.
"Do not worry for us Tia," Luna murmured, "We shall be fine."
A/N
Hello! It's Back!
I know that this story hasn't updated in a really long time, but I still hope that you all plan on continuing to read it. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, mainly due to the fight scene. I wasn't really sure how it should happen, and this is what I ended up with. If you have any suggestions to better improve the flow than I would be more than glad to take them.
Also I have recently gotten a job, and I am working full time. I still am going to be writing, but I won't be able to get chapters out every week, I hope you all can understand.
And, as always, I am grateful for any comments, criticism, or corrections you may have.
Until next time.
~Eathlome
P.S. I've sorta ran out of ideas for deep/meaningful chapter titles, if you have any to spare that would be great.