“Ouch! Ow! Yeow! Damned Thorns! How dare you try to scathe my body!” A filly cried out into the darkness. Not able to see where she was going or even where exactly she was she meandered delicately around. Despite her best efforts, she found herself trapped within the inner workings of a thorn bush.

“This is the absolute worst possible thing EVER!” She called out dramatically, while huffing to herself. She didn't like this at all. “All these disgusting shrubs and plants, one such as myself shouldn't have to be troubled by it! Hmph!”

Moments later she stumbled on out of the tangling web of tormenting vegetation. Only to find herself in the middle of a large grouping of trees. A number of bushes sat planted among the trees, and many other plants. She couldn't see, her vision nearly blinded by darkness had the moon not been illuminating the ground through some of the foliage from above. A small puddle of water reflected this light, and she darted over to it to investigate her mane. It was hard to tell considering it was still dark, the moon was only able to show that she was a mess. Her mane was covered in branches and stickers from the many bushes in the area, her white coat was dirtied, in need of a thorough washing, and on top of it all, but she could tell just with a sniff that she reeked of perspiration and otherwise.

Whining loudly, she stomped her hooves into the ground, clearly frustrated by this. I can't stand to be dirty! She thought to herself. But that was just an excuse to forget her real troubles—not even a day ago, terrible events had shaken the very foundation of everything she believed to be true. Betrayal, violence, fear...she could cope with none of it. And now, here she was, a stranger in a strange land, still unable to come to grips with the reality, instead preoccupying herself with petty and superficial things.

Too saddened by her current appearance and those other, unpleasant things...she didn't even hear the rustling in some nearby bushes. A man with long black hair, stepped out into the clearing. His skin was extremely pale, not that anyone could tell in the darkness, and he wore a set of Grey garbs, and black pants. Around his waist was a large purple rope that was tied into a large knot in the back. Dangling from his ears were a pair of tomoe earrings, dimly glinting in the moonlight. Eyeballing the mare, he approached her surreptitiously, not making a single sound. A devious smile appeared across his features as though concocting a divine prank within his mind. His snake like eyes were fixed upon her, like a predator stalking prey.

“How could this happen! My beauty is completely ruined! The only thing I had left in this universe, and now even THAT is gone! I give up.... Its hopeless...” She cried, whimpering as she slumped to all fours, not even caring that she was now laying in dirt.

“My, my....you poor thing...lost and alone—that just simply will not do! Not for someone of your beauty.” The male said, a inhumanly long tongue slithered on out of his mouth and tasted his lips after he had spoken. When the mare had turned to face this new voice his tongue was already nestled safely back from whence it came.

“W-who are you?! Where did you come from??? Don't you dare—wait, did you just complement my beauty?” She questioned the mysterious individual now standing before her.

“Why yes, I did.” His eyes narrowed while maintaining that nerve-racking smile, though the mare didn't even notice, too focused on the fact that someone recognized her obvious beauty.

“I am dazzling, so it is to be suspected that you would feel the desire to complement me.” She subconsciously lifted a hoof to adjust her hair for a moment before her face fell. “Though in the state I am in right now, I would hardly call it beauty.”

“You poor thing...perhaps we should get that fixed then?” He extended an open hand, palm towards the sky. “I have a little hideout we can retreat to where you can tend to that divine appearance of yours.” He chuckled deeply.

“Well, I don't know, I guess it wouldn't hurt, it MUST be better than this dreary old forest. Yes, I think I will go with you, anything to get away from here. I can't stand to be here another minute!” She said with a firm stomp of her hoof.

“Very well then, follow me, and follow closely, my dear, this place can be very dangerous at night.” He said just before the howl of a distant wolf echoed through the woods. This made the mare cringe in slight fear and motivated her to follow the man who was now disappearing into some shrubbery.

The two passed by plenty of trees, more so than the young mare wanted to see in a lifetime. Trotting on by some swamp water, through some vine-ridden caves, and across some deep trenches, they finally arrived at a large rock wall. This wall was under a large overhanging cliff, which was overshadowed by a tremendous mountain. The male's fingers began to glow and soon he pressed all of those fingers against the side of the wall. Upon doing so, the area shook vehemently, and in response to the surprise movement, the mare shrieked a bit. Once she regained her balance and the shaking had stopped she realized what had happened. Before her was a large doorway, a slab of the wall had moved to the right, exposing this entrance. With a snap of his fingers, the male did what the mare could only assume was a form of magic that she didn't know. All along the sides of a tunnel further down the entrance, torches lit up. He then turned to face her.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Lets go inside.” He said while directing a hand towards the tunnel.

She trotted forwards, hesitantly at first, but as soon as she was able to convince herself no harm would come, she relaxed and went at a normal pace. The male followed her shortly, speeding up just a tad bit so he could lead her through the endless hall. Quietly they walked for what seemed like hours, that is until the male stopped in front of a wooden door. He gently pushed it open, revealing a large, luxurious chamber—one that was only fit for a queen.

The mare's eyes lit up with excitement at the sight.

“There is a washroom connected to this room as well, feel free to pamper yourself, and make yourself at home. I will have a meal ready as well.” The man said to her, watching as she darted into the room and hopped on to the bed, snuggling up to a pillow.

“How can I ever repay you?! This is just sooo much!” She stated a bit taken back by the kind gestures of this stranger.

“No need to worry about that my dear....” He responded with a chuckle before closing the door and departing from the area.

“I guess I shouldn't question his kindness, he seems nice, besides, one such as myself deserves first-class treatment like this!” She told herself, while climbing off of the bed. After having a gander at the room's contents, she made her way to the bathroom to clean herself up. A quick glance into the mirror again forced her thoughts to the darkening skies and burning landscape of her homeland. She stared coolly, trying to force the memories from her mind, until only the reflection of her filthy mane remained, obscuring her despondent gaze. “...well, off to the wash, then.” Without skipping a beat, she returned to her usual cultured self and removed the mirror from her sight.

In a darkened room somewhere nearby, the male had entered. Crates lined the walls all around him, and were covered by clothes, tools, trinkets and all manner of supplies. On one wall sat a large shelf that contained many scrolls, and further to the left of that was two large tubes that contained some sort of being. Inside of a bucket near that tube were rotting entrails, which gave the room its putrid odor. He walked over to a bucket of scrolls and began to pull out one in particular. Pulling out a cloth from his pocket, he started to clean off what was on it. Dried blood caked the sides of the item, but he easily removed it from the soft surface. Unrolling the parchment revealed a graph of unusual markings in a circular pattern, carrying out the design out in eight directions.

“Perhaps now I can finally put this one to use....” He let out a chilling, broken laugh, starkly contrasting with his previously warm, playful one he had shown to his newest 'guest.' “Oh, bother.... I must prepare something or else my guest will get restless.” he stated before pocketing the object, and rushing out of the room.

At that time the mare had just climbed out of the bath, and was drying herself off. Using her magic she was taking several items and using them to beauty herself up. A brush floated in mid-air with a magic aura wrapping all around it. It carefully went through the mare's purple mane. On her backside was a towel, the same magic aura wrapped around it too, moving it against the mare's frame, drying water off. She hummed a tune to herself while she did this. After a few minutes she finally left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom. Walking over to one of the desk mirrors in the room, she looked at her reflection, a smiling white mare returned her smile.

“You are the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria, aren't you?!” She complemented herself just before being interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Dinner is ready, and shall be served in a few minutes.” The man from earlier said to her.

“Absolutely wonderful!” She replied, opening the door and greeting the male with the same smile she gave herself just moments ago.

“Right this way my dear.” the man said, walking down the hallway.

The male took her straight down the corridor until he turned to the right. Going up a set of stairs, the mare soon found that they were in another corridor, but this one was a bit shorter than the one from before. It only had one door as well. Walking towards this door, the male opened it up, and she could see a large dinning table inside. She trotted towards the only part of the table that had food set out and waited. It was proper to wait for the host after all.

The shady man, never removing his eyes from the mare, sauntered over to the seat directly across and seated himself. Holding up a pair of chopsticks beside the setting with both hands clasped together, he signaled Rarity to begin her meal as he uttered foreign words of welcome. Rarity watched blankly as he broke the strange tool in twain, glancing back to her own in contemplation as to whether or not it would be polite to even attempt what—due to the distinct lack of opposable thumbs—would undoubtedly be an awkward attempt at cross-cultural etiquette.

She vouched to ignore it, instead levitating a slice of...something...and timidly sniffing at it before setting it back down to investigate another mysteriously fragrant edible. Two eyes across the table raised curiously as a small force field engulfed the treats.

“What ever is the matter?” The man, never releasing his affable grin, lowered the bowl he had been engaged in. “Is it not to your liking.”

“Oh dear, no, darling, it's not that.” Rarity held up a foreleg to her chin. “The presentation is simply fabulous, and the fragrance is marvelous. It's just that...I'm not quite sure what this IS. Is that a...a fish?”

“I see, no meats, for you?”

“I'm terribly sorry if this is an inconvenience.” She glanced off, attempting to ignore any possible offense. The poor excuse for the conversation they were having in and of itself was just a diversion from all the troubles already on her mind. Silence prevailed for several agonizing minutes as she attempted to enjoy the offer in front of her, before she realized she wasn't even hungry. This was nothing more than an attempt to recreate a life of comfort and avoid the real issues at hand.

Reduced to prodding at her food, she broke the silence at last.

“Um...beg your pardon, I GREATLY appreciate all the hospitality you've shown me, but I must ask.” She sat upright in her chair, struggling to find a comfortable position in furniture designed for bipeds. She had no luck.

“I...seem to have been separated from my friends, you see—and we've run into a spot of trouble. I'm dreadfully sorry to ask anything more of you, but I simply must return to them somehow.”

Maybe it was just her imagination, but the illusive man's grin briefly extended with the utmost subtlety.

“Hm...” he cooed, appearing to consider this for a moment. “Well, I would be surprised if you hadn't asked of this.” Setting down his wares, he gently lifted a thumb to his chin. “I hadn't planned on pushing the subject, but I was curious myself. After all, nothing I've ever seen could compare to a brilliant specimen such as yourself.”

“Oh-hoho...flattery will get you EVERYWHERE, darling~” The beauty queen gingerly lifted a hoof to adjust her mane.

“That notwithstanding, I must ask...exactly where did you come from, little one?”

“Why, Equestria, of course!” though all smiles, she was curious that her host hadn't realized. Then again, by 'specimen,' did he mean to say he'd never seen a pony before?

“I'm afraid I've never heard of that place before.” He lowered his hands, folding them on the table in front of him. “Are all of your people as dashing as you are?”

“Oh Celestia, you're making me blush!” She held a dramatic hoof in front of her mouth, turning from the host. “I am simply the most marvelous there is! But I must admit, I...” she trailed off for a moment, recalling pure chaos—the screams and cries of the masses, those horribly, twisted...what used to be ponies...and then,

Blood. Lots and lots of blood—and then flashing lights. And then... “I awoke in that forest outside, and that's the last thing I remember. I think that I...”

“I see.” The man mused in confirmation. His eyes darted to the side, as if remembering something important. “I believe, my dear...that you may possibly be from another world.” For a split second his eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth rose before falling back into place. “That magnificent form, and those curious powers—unlike any Jutsu I've ever heard of—are undescribed in this world.”

“Another world...?” Jutsu?

“You see, dear...this world is experiencing some trouble as well, as of late.”

“I beg your pardon, but this is all so sudden—I'm not sure I'm ready to accept that I'm...well...”

“Let's start from the beginning. You said that your world was in dire circumstances, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Would that, by any chance...entail an unusual plague that turns all of its victims into mindless, violent beasts?”

The mare was at a loss for words. Wide eyed, she stared at her host, new questions rushing through her mind. How far had the infection spread already? To other worlds? How did this man know about it? Was he connected? He couldn't be—this hole in the ground he called a home was devoid of any other life besides the two of them, implying he was hiding from the chaos outside.
“I...I don't know what to say.”

“You see, many of my comrades have already fallen to this plague. And...” He glanced upwards, undoubtedly towards the surface. “I would take caution in showing optimism. I alone have not been enough to stave off the forces that be.”

“'stave them off,' sir?” The mare's eyes filled with worry. “Are you...can you use magic?”

Her host smiled brightly. “Is that what you call it? I suppose I can.”

“I see...then, what you said earlier, this 'joosue,' is what you call Magic.” She lowered her eyes, immediately thinking back to her friend, Twilight Sparkle. She would know what to do...she would surely know some spell to make everything better.
If only I could have helped...but here I am helpless, lost, and without a clue where to go or what to do. Oh but such things are CERTAINLY unfit for a lady of my standing.

“Yes. And I must say, I've never seen one such as yours which can control matter with such dexterity.” Again he lifted a thumb to his chin in contemplation.

“Well I AM certainly talented, after all~” She stopped herself before she moved on again. There was no time for distractions. “But those talents will go to waste unless I can get back to my friends and help fix this problem! And after that, I'm sure I can convince them to send help to this world....or nation, what have you...as well!”

The host took note that she was beginning to accept that this world was entirely separate from her own. “Do you mean to tell me, my dear, that you are incapable of returning to your own world? With such beautiful power?”

The fashion freak was taken aback. Intentional or not, it was the first left-handed compliment her host had dealt this entire time. Though to her, it only served to further drive home the point of her own incompetence. Her friends needed her, and she was helpless. Unicorns were the only sub-race of Equestria capable of using magic, and yet she, like many others, had taken that for granted. “Yes...yes, I suppose I am incapable.”

“That...is most unfortunate.” The man stood up and pushed the chair back into place, now strolling over to a wall directly opposite the door through which they had entered. Quickly glancing back at the mare, he noticed helplessness—despair. And what a sweet sight it was, her eyes lowered and dejected, staring at the food she had been offered. His grin widened significantly, and he had to adjust himself before turning back to his newest guest to extend a hand. “I think...that we may be able to help one another.”

The mare immediately perked up, throwing herself off her chair at the opportunity. “Yes??”

“I'd like you to come with me for a moment. There's something I believe you need to see.” He held his posture, hand still extended for several moments before the mare cautiously accepted it, and the two again walked off, venturing into the tunnels that laced the inside of the cave.

Following more torch lit paths and mysteriously adorned chambers, they ascended ever higher, until the host and the vain quadruped reached an opening on what appeared to be the top of a considerably sized mound.

“Over there.” He extended a finger off in the distance, causing a glance from the mare. She followed his arm, his finger, and turned her gaze to what he was pointing at. Her eyes widened and her jaw lay agape at what lay before her.

From within the forest, all seemed quiet—albeit spooky—and relatively peaceful. But from above, she could see the distant glow of fires and the rising columns of smoke emitting from the sources of the copious destruction. “I...I can't believe...!” the mare incredulously shook her head, unable to accept the events in front of her. It was just like Equestria. No...worse than she had seen, at least.

“Unfortunately, it's quite true.” He replied darkly. “As I've said, I can't fix this problem without allies. And with the state of affairs in this world, finding capable or willing friends has become quite impossible.”

The mare thought for a moment, lifting a hoof to her chin in introspection. Maybe she could be of some use after all? Oh, but that would be a very messy affair, wouldn't it? A very dirty, smelly, unpleasant matter, indeed.

She was immediately jarred from her thoughts as an inhuman howl tore through the air. That horrid shout shook her to her very soul as she unconsciously stepped back to hide behind her host, who seemed completely unshaken.
“Here they come...” he mused, almost melodically. He merely glanced backwards towards the mare: “I recommend you stand back for a moment. There is only one approaching, but even individually they can be quite....tenacious.”

Her eyes widened. Simply nodding, she stepped back for a moment. At any other time in her life, she would have insisted she stand her ground next to her friends—messy or not—and face the problem side to side. Then again...back home, they had never been forced to deal with something so horrifying.

At that instant, she saw it. A grotesque figure stepped close enough to her host that the very edge of the torch light outlined his....(its?) features grimly. The creatures eyes were missing, hinting a small trail of dry blood caked on the side of its face. It's jaw was unhinged and the rest of its visible flesh underneath all the torn clothes and apparent wounds were rotting, hiding miscellaneous spots of either metallic or mineral deposits scattered throughout the riven body. Unnatural claws adorned its hands, with fresh blood and organs still stuck on some of the tips.

A Harvester.

Letting out another deafening howl, it leaped towards the illusive man, raising a gnarled claw, ready to bring it down through his flesh. Before it had a chance to fall, however, the man simply raised a hand, releasing a violent flurry of rather large snakes to slam into the aggressive creature. It roared weakly as it was overwhelmed by the assortment of serpents, which, after leaving the host's arm, proceeded to bite, strangle, and ultimately tear apart the aggressor.

The mare, horrified, fought hard to force herself to move back from the scene. Unable to tear her eyes away, she felt her innocent spirit breaking, little by little. This is what Pinkie did to Rainbow, isn't it? The thought was too much for her to bear, and she collapsed right there on the ground as she accepted the full scale of the reality she was being forced to accept. Wrapping her hooves around her eyes, she wept silently. Why had this man wanted her to see this? Was it some sick joke? Or was it to force her to wake up to the world around her?

She calmed down slightly when she felt his hand on the back of her mane. Gently smiling, he softly let out a few words of encouragement.
“I see you're a gentle spirit. That's good...but do you now see what I am forced to do?”

Staring up at him, she tried to speak, but merely choked on her own words. Instead, she turned her gaze in the direction of the corpse as the snakes left, but her head was turned back by her host's strong but gentle grasp.
“Don't look at that...you must take time to accept this if you are to survive this catastrophe...if you are to help your friends.”

Those words shook her to the core, inspiring a small flicker of whatever strength was left in her slipping mind. Friends...if anything, they were worth fighting for. THEY were worth this misery, weren't they? She nodded weakly, attempting to stand, but found that her legs were still shaking too violently to move. It was a miracle she could even breathe, but the illusive man helped her to her feet, keeping a hand on the back of her neck for support.
“You have a hidden power buried somewhere within you, and if you can tap into that power, we can find a way for you to return home and save your world.”

The mare sniffed, struggling not to look back at the horror at her back. “Oh, but...” voice shaking, she shook her head. “There's simply—no way. I can't...it's just not in me! I've always been...*sniff* the dainty, beauty...beautiful one. I've never been able to do anything like that!”

“On the contrary, my darling...” he continued leading her down the dimly lit corridors. “I think that power, in and of itself, is QUITE beautiful. As a matter of fact, profound beauty is often the first indicator of profound power.” He removed his hand from her, allowing his guest to take in what he had just said.

It's true, after all, she thought to herself. Being a unicorn, she WAS able to use magic, the scope of which she was unfamiliar with. After all, if she could get her hands on such an exotic magic such as this “Jutsu” her host had referenced...she was surprised to find that the thought excited her on some level, and chose to hold onto that feeling. If anything, it would distract her from the grisly scene she had just witnessed.

It wasn't so much a question of power itself—but the prestige....oh, the prestige!

She attempted to regain her composure enough to walk at a regular pace. “I'm sorry, sir, but...*sniff* I don't believe we've been formally introduced. You may...” She took a deep breath, still shaking from the experience. “...you may call me Rarity.” She uttered her own name as a queen would announce herself—regal, dramatic, and with dignity. Rarity then aimed a hoof at the man towering above her. “So how should I refer to my stunning new friend?”

He smiled warmly, angling the torch that it cast a shadow over half of his face. “I, my dear...am called Orochimaru.”

“Oh my, that's um...*sniff* quite an exotic name, I must say.” She giggled gently, attempting to hide her questionable response to the sound of his name. Honestly, she felt it sounded a little more sinister than she was expecting.
Luckily, the steady stream of tears—while slowed—were able to hide her disdain for such a complex sounding name.

Orochimaru put himself on one knee, lowering himself to her level so he could wipe the tears from her eyes. Narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, he encouraged his 'friend.'
“Please don't cry. It's unbecoming of one so beautiful.”