A/N: welcome one and all, to my third fanfiction. This one is a My Little Pony fanfiction, and is actually based on a series of dreams I have been having. It takes place just before the episode where Twilight becomes an Alicorn, and it's rated T for minor gore, a little language here and there and mild suggestive themes. the rating may change at a later time to "M" if I decide to give the story a sexual spin. I hope you like this idea and the story. Pairings will be (in order of relevance) TwilightXOC, ApplejackXOC and CelestiaXDiscord. oh, also, i'll be uploading two or three chapters at a time but might not update very frequently, as my car is broken down and I have no internet at home. best possible schedule would be two or three chapters at once every two to three weeks. please be patient. also, Flames will be used to warm my house. lastly, the chapters will get progressively longer as time goes by. Without further ado, let's get this show started!

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Alicorn

It wasn't exactly a run of the mill day in Ponyville. Why? Because Princess Celestia was coming for a n "unofficial casual visit", though nopony was treating this situation as "casual". Twilight Sparkle was checking the decorations and banquet the ponies of Ponyville were busy preparing, Rarity was dressing herself in the finest silk and gems, Rainbow Dash was already finished clearing the sky of clouds, though she kept one to nap on, Applejack was helping with the decorations, Pinkie Pie was baking delicious treats with the Cake family, and Fluttershy was practicing with her semi-famous bird choir. Even Spike was busy cleaning the library (though the mess was entirely Twilight's fault).

As the preparations finally neared completion, an unnatural silence fell over Ponyville. Twilight stopped and looked around, realizing the birds had stopped chirping and the wind had stopped blowing. "Hey Applejack, does it seem… quiet to you?" asked the purple pony. Applejack stopped and looked around, "I guess it does, whatd'ya think's wrong?" before Twilight could answer, a sudden and violent earthquake shook every corner of Ponyville. Twilight and Applejack both dove under a picnic table, Spike fell off a ladder in the library, Rarity had to splay herself out on the floor of her botique to keep from falling over, Pinkie made an amazing dive to catch a falling cake in her hooves, Fluttershy cowered on the ground with her head under her hooves, and Rainbow had no clue there was a problem as she was napping ON A CLOUD. The tremor stopped just as suddenly as it started. Applejack looked around from under the table, "what was that about? That coulda been real bad… let's go see if everypony's alright!" little did they know, there was one mysterious pony who most certainly wasn't alright.

On the edge of the Everfree forest, a black Alicorn with a silver mane was running for his life, Timberwolves pursuing him with an unnatural bloodlust. He tripped, landing on his face and looking over his shoulder just in time to see a Timberwolf lunge at him. Letting loose a pained scream that echoed throughout Ponyville, making Applejack's sensitive ears twitch. "huh? What's that?" she asked as she looked towards the Everfree forest with concern… The alicorn's wing was caught in the beast's jaws. The alicorn yanked his wing free, causing blood to spurt from the now shredded flesh as he once again took off and tried to fly, but to no avail, as some of his feathers had been ripped from his left wing by the Timberwolves. The wolves were gaining and he was too tired to maintain a full sprint. Just as all hope seemed lost, a flash of orange passed him and he collapsed, turning his head to see his daring rescuer Applejack kick one of the wolves so hard it was sent flying. Applejack shouted at him to keep moving, so he did, and though his body was wracked with pain, he kept going towards Ponyville…

Twilight and the others were eagerly awaiting the Princess's arrival, she was due any second. Twilight looked around, noticing the lack of a certain apple loving pony. Turning to Pinkie Pie she asks "Pinkie, have you seen Applejack? She should be here! What if the Princess notices she's gone? What if-" she was cut off by the princess and her escort swooping down and landing gracefully just a few meters away. Twilight put on a nervous smile and approached as Celestia stepped off her carriage. "hello, my dearest Twilight, and hello to you all as well" the princess said, smiling at her favorite student. Twilight waved her hoof, "hi princess, I hope your flight was enjoyable?" she both said and asked. Before the princess could respond, an injured black pony with wings and a horn stumbled into the town square. Rarity looked at him and gasped, "oh my goodness, that man is hurt! She exclaimed, pointing a hoof his way. Just as everyone looked, he collapsed onto the grass, breathing heavily and blood pooling beneath him. Celestia gasped for two reasons, both the obvious , and the fact that this Stallion was an Alicorn, which isn't exactly common. In fact, the only alicorns Celestia knew were herself and her Sister Luna. Everyone rushed to the injured pony, just as Applejack came charging back, skidding to a stop right behind him, and gasping at the extent of his injuries. His left wing was truly a sad sight, mangled and missing quite a few feathers. His head weakly turned towards the princess, and he mumbled something only Celestia heard, earning a gasp from her. "Celestia…?" His head and body went limp as consciousness left him. Celestia turned to Twilight and her friends. "Quickly, you must get him to the hospital! He can still be saved, but only if we hurry!" nodding, Applejack and Twilight picked him up and started carrying him towards the Ponyville hospital. Celestia watched as they carried the black-furred pony away. She could have sworn he looked familiar to her…

A/N: there's chapter one! I'm hoping you all like the story so far. It's actually a pretty slow start by my standards, but trust me, the story will improve as it goes. Keep reading and please review!