Disclaimer: I don't own My little pony: Friendship is magic.

I'm obviously a brony and this idea poped into my head while I was considering something completely different. The idea has stuck and I've decided to write it. Not sure how long this will go and updates will be sporadic. If you like it leave a review and tell me what you think.

Also, I'm going for a unique story here. So, I will be doing things that have never been done before, at least based on what I have found. :D

First chapter isn't my best and I'll be doing touch ups to it and all chapters from time to time. Second chapter is where things really start happening.

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Faster! I have to run faster!

Twilight only noticed the trees of the Everfree Forest as brown and green blurs as she ran as fast as her hooves would take her. She tripped and rolled on the hard ground but was up and running before she had even skidded to a stop. Her front right knee burned with pain and when she looked at it she saw a steady flow of blood trickling down her leg.

Keep going! Keep running!

The Everfree Forest had always been a terrifying place for her but that fear seemed so small to her now with all of the things she had been through, all the things she had done. As she ran that fear grew smaller and smaller with the ominous understanding that she had left him.

No, no. He told me to run.

He had saved her when she was in danger, had held her up when she had lost all hope, and stood as a solid rock that she could anchor to, that she could always trust. However that rock had told her to flee in the face of an advisory that he couldn't hope to win against and she knew that she had left him to die. That pain ripped through her and tore at her very soul but the fear she had of the thing he was fighting kept her hooves from turning to help. They continued on a steady pace born of pure terror, a terror that was more instinctual than anything else, a terror that roared into the depths of her mind.

She charged past the statue of Princess Luna that was erected in the forest and she knew that she was close to Ponyville. Hope started to blossom in her. She could get her friends, return to his side, and fight the monsterosity together. That hope was shattered, however, when a train of thought ran through her head.

Against something like that we wouldn't do anything besides get in his way.

But with the Elements of Harmony we could-

There's no way we could gather those in time.

But there must be-

He said to not look back. He knew that he wasn't going to win.

The last thought caused her to skid to a stop and she looked back the way she came, her body shook with every breath she took and her knee screamed in pain.

He knew that he wasn't going to win...

Despair washed over her and she took a quick step back, to return to his side, but she didn't take anymore than the one. Tears had been streaming down her face as she ran but now they flowed for a very different reason. She was never going to see him again. He-he gave his life for her.

She shook her head and started toward town. The least she could do was gather her friends and...and...do something. Anything!

She ran into the town but ignored all of the ponies that were out in the night. She heard several call out to her with confusion and hope in their voices but she carried on to her home. She would get Spike and then gather the rest.

A small touch of relief and happiness pinched at her awareness when she saw her home but with all of the emotions that were mixing around inside her she barely noticed. Her horn glowed and the door to her home all but ripped off the hinges with how fast it opened and she didn't slow as she bolted inside.

She entered a room she was intimately familiar with. It was round with books on shelves that were carved into the very wood of the massive tree that was her home. She stopped, huffing and puffing when she saw Spike, Princess Celestia, and the rest of her friends staring at her.

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(Two Months Earlier)

Twilight sighed happily as she read a book in the shade of a small tree. It was a beautiful day with a light drizzle scheduled for the afternoon and that meant that it would be pleasantly cool until the rain started. She was rereading the book "The Legend of Star Swirl the Bearded" and couldn't seem to put it down. Where some people couldn't read a book more than once, Twilight Sparkle had no problem with it.

Twilight, a 20 year old mare, had a light violet coat and her mane and tail were purple with dark violet and pink highlights. Her purple eyes shined with interest and curiosity as they scanned the book she had in front of her.

"Twilight!" Spike, her small dragon assistant and dear friend, called from a distance.

She looked up and waved her hoof to him. She marked her page and closed the book since she was pretty sure that he was going to need something that would take longer than a few seconds.

"What did you need, Spike?" she asked.

Spike scratched the back of his head and asked, "Did you want to go watch Rainbow Dash? She's trying a new trick out."

Twilight chewed the thought over in her head and finally nodded. "Sure, I can finish reading this later." She lifted the book with her magic and placed it into her saddle bag.

"Good," Spike said relieved, "for a second I thought you were just going to read that book all day."

"Hey," she grumbled as she followed the small purple and green dragon, "that book is the story of Star Swirl the Breaded, the greatest magic user of all time, besides the Princess of course."

"I know, I know. You've told me that, like, a duven times in the past week."

She continued to talk with Spike until they got to the grassy field that Rainbow Dash was going to perform her new trick in. She could see Apple Jack, Fluttershy, and the rest of her friends gathered around a blanket that was laid out on the grass. Twilight was shocked to see that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna there as well

Apple Jack looked over at her when she got close and said with a large smile, "Well I'll be, Spike managed to get you to come, did he?"

"I can always read my book later," Twilight answered. "What's Princess Celestia doing here? Isn't she supposed to be at Canterlot for a meeting today?"

"The Princess is introducing Princess Luna to new friends. She's doing it slowly so that Luna can learn how to interact with people again."

Twilight nodded her head and then asked, "Any idea when Dash will start her trick?"

"Well, with Spike and you here she should start it soon."

A streak of rainbow flashed by and when the ponies looked up they say Rainbow Dash flying lazily above them.

"You all ready for this?" she called out.

Twilight and her friends cheered the light blue pony and soon they were rewarded with Dash starting her trick. She bolted up and curved down into a freefall to pick up speed and at the last second she pulled up to fly parallel to the ground. She flew past the group and then into a different clearing which was out of sight.

"Come on everypony," Apple Jack yelled. "Follow her."

The group hurried and when they got to the next clearing they saw Rainbow dash flying in tight circles causing a circular rainbow to appear. She then rushed down into the forest and started to weave between the trees at an insane speed.

"She's daring," Princess Celestia remarked as she watched the skilled display.

All was going well until one of Rainbow Dash's wings smacked hard into a tree branch causing her to dropped to the ground. She skidded and rolled due to the speed and didn't seem to slow in the slightest.

Twilight moved before everypony and rushed to the aid of her friend. Fear of Dash being seriously hurt brought her to a new speed but her heart nearly stopped when she saw her friend go sliding off the ledge of a cliff. She focused and with a burst of magic she teleported to the ledge of the cliff. She saw Dash falling and tried to teleport the light blue pegasus to safety but every time she tried her friend would fall just out of reach of her magical calculation.

With no other option Twilight jumped off the ledge. She took control of her fall with her magic and force it behind her to propel her to Dash. If she could get to Rainbow Dash then she could forgo the target calculation and instead focus on the one for location. She powered through the air, only vaguely aware of the ground rushing up to meet her, and caught hold of Dash by the pegasus' tail. She forced her magic to turn them and then focused on the ledge that she had jumped from.

With horror she realized that she wouldn't be able to build up enough magic to teleport the both of them at once but with a calculation that was near unconsciously done she knew that she could teleport Dash and then build up the magic for herself just in time. She glared hard at the spot she wanted Dash to be teleported to and her horn glowed in response. Suddenly Dash vanished and appeared at the top of the ledge.

Twilight then focused on regrouping her magic and forcing it around herself. It was going to be close and with a cry she rushed her magic to move faster and faster. She caught a glimpse of Princess Celestia on top of the ledge, her horn aglow, and then she vanished.

-Return to Equestria: Love and Blood-

Princess Celestia sent out her magic to her student and forcibly ripped her from the deadly fall. She then turned to Rainbow Dash and sent her magic into her. The mare had several broken bones and would be lucky to ever fly again but Celestia was a master of magic. She urged the bones to mend and the many cuts to close and soon Dash was groggily shaking her head.

"Did anyone get the number of the carriage?" Dash asked dizzily.

Celestia giggled and said, "We didn't, I'm afraid, but Twilight did manage to save your life. Isn't that right Twilight?"

Celestia was confused when her student didn't immediately reply and she looked behind her. She was sure that her location calculation had been just to her left but now that she looked, Twilight was nowhere in sight.

"Twilight?"

-Return to Equestria: Love and Blood-

Twilight landed heavily on the ground. She groaned and rubbed her head as she slowly got up. She looked around and found that she was in an alley way with two very large buildings to her left and right.

She felt her heart go to her throat and she asked aloud, "Where am I?"

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Kind of short. Chapters after this should be longer. Everything will be explained later.