Chapter 1
Darkness cannot drive out Darkness, only Light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out Hate, only Love can do that.
-Martin Luther King Junior
Something deep inside sparked. This one felt itself slipping, descending into the cold clutches of death, the never ending darkness threatening to swallow it whole.
No.
It would not it end like this.
Flashbacks raced through it's head, the memory of hatching, the memory of it's turmoil. It was never easy during it's life time, being the smallest of it's pack. It was considered a nuisance, never being able to fight, or even defend their hives. The Ancestors themselves never approved of it being allowed into combat. So desperately it fought to be like it's bretheren, but all in vain to itself. This was it's end...
The scout's eye cracked open slowly, desperate to stave off the darkness.In place of it, bright yellow light flooded his vision.
Is this death.. The cryptid thought to itself. Thought.
It could think, it could feel. No longer was the harrowing hive mind of the Ancestors, banished away by this new sensation. The feeling of freedom.
The scout rose to it's feet, rather ungracefully, a feeling of nausea rushing over it. The last thing it could remember was the wave of energy rushing towards it. Terror filled it's last few seconds of consciousness, as it's brethren fell and vanished from the hive mind, consumed by the blue death sweeping though the land. The very last thing it saw as it's life was snuffed away, or so it thought.
Around it, everything had changed, the ruined human buildings replaced with green luscious grass. The smoggy brown sky was replaced by clear blue one, much like how it was when the Cryptids emerged from their ARKs. This wasn't right, far from it. Even though the sky, the grass, even the soil beneath it's very claws seemed very much real, it could not have been. Something nagged at the back of it's mind, as it now realized, with it's new found independence from the hive mind, also brought with it the feeling of pure isolation. Heree it was, in this wonderous world, but there was nothing there with it.
Getting a better perspective of it's area, it took into account the fact it was in the middle of a flowing grassland, not a hint of civilization for miles. Further off in the distance, giant green mountains sprung sharply upwards from the ground, reaching towards the heavens. The edge of the plains was dominated by an abundant tree line, with a thin mist covering the ground.
Even though the scout was never the brightest, it knew one thing it had to do to survive, find food. Without direction, or any particular aim, it set off into the forest, letting's it instincts guide it, oblivious to the three pairs of green eyes watching it intently.
*****
Fluttershy smiled down at the little mouse family, their new baby being born just seconds ago. "Oh my! It's a baby girl!" She exclaimed, looking down at the tiny little white fuzz ball.
The family cheered with excited squeaks, the mother looking down at the newly born. Even though the Pegasus and the mouse were nothing alike, the mice could understand her, and Fluttershy could understand them. The little mouse gave a small squeak, feeling it's way around it's new world. Fluttershy could only d'aww at it, but was promptly drawn from the family when a little white bunny ran up, tapping her repeatedly on the leg.
"What is it Angel?"
The rabbit made a scary face, and pointed towards the Everfree Forest.
"A monster in the Everfree Forest?" She asked, worry beginning to creep it's way into her mind. At that moment, she heard a loud roar from outside, along with shrill cries from her animal friends. There was another roar, but it was nothing like anything she had heard before. It sounded alien, and foreign. She rushed outside to her backyard, and saw it. Standing atop her chicken coop, was a monster, about the size of a large wolf. It had four legs, and gray scales covering it. It's underbelly was bright orange, so was it's mouth. Large claws lined it's feet, and menacing teeth and fangs were bared, as it gave off another roar. It's tail swished from side to side, and it was clearly angry and bent on hurting anything that came to close.
The bear that lived near Fluttershy's cottage was on it's hind legs, swiping at the creature, letting out loud roars at it. The creature's head seemed to grow larger, as two big scales sprang up from it's face, making it seem much more threatening. Fluttershy flew up at the creature, as it turned to face her, screeching in anger at the yellow Pegasus.
"Hey! Stop it!" She yelled at it, in any attempt to tame the wild beast. This only made it angrier, as it jumped over her head, with unnatural ability. It landed on her roof, screeching again as the animals ran, but the bear stood on it's hid legs, gripping onto the roof with it's claws, snapping at the creature. Fluttershy flew to intervene, but before she could, a flash of cyan and rainbow slammed into the side of the creature, sending it barreling of thee roof onto the ground.
"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy squeaked, as the cyan Pegasus stood on her roof, looking down at the monster, as it scrambled around on the ground.
"What the hay is that thing?" Rainbow yelled, ready to tackle the thing again should it try hurting anypony. Before she could, it came to it's feet, screeching at Rainbow, before fleeing into the Everfree in a panic. Rainbow pursued it to the edge of the treeline.
"Yeah, you better run!" She yelled after it, as it disappeared into the dark forest. The pegasus waited until the orange glow of the creature faded away deeper into the forest, choosing not to follow it in; as she then turned to her friend. "Care to explain what in tartarus that was?"
Flutttershy was busy tending to Mr. Bear, who had obviously taken some rather deep cuts from that monster. "I-I have no idea, Angel ran in telling me about it, but I've never seen anything like it before!" She cried in panic, focused more on her bear friend than her explanations at the current moment. Even so, she'd rather try not to think about the beast that nearly mauled her friend.
"Well, should we tell Twilight? She of all ponies would know who, or what, it is." Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes, checking over her shoulder every so often should the thing come back.
"Y-Yes, I think we should." Flutters answered, looking anxiously to the forest.