Alien.

That was the only word Twilight Sparkle could use to describe this place. She felt, well, she couldn’t quite put it into words. Just being in this place felt so completely strange.

They had all followed Lero through the portal, undergoing a sense of vertigo as they fell downwards only to have gravity reassert itself in the opposite direction once on the other side. Twilight pulled herself over the rim of the pond and tried to take in her new surroundings.

They were surrounded by a ring of stone slabs, each one easily three times Lero’s height and overgrown with black vines. Each stone bore some kind of markings beneath the vines. Twilight could make out thin, geometric patterns. Most were indecipherable, seemingly random patterns that seemed to subtly shift and move, disappearing one moment before reappearing in a new, altered pattern.

The stone ring was on a grassy hilltop that was sparsely covered with tall, white-barked trees with bright, red leaves. A small trail of spring water ran from the pond and down the hillside. The hill’s base terminated in an expanding forest of similar trees — ‘Some kind of birch?’ she mused — that stretched out into the horizon. Her gaze followed upwards and she felt her breath catch as she took in the new sky.

Three moons dominated this alien dusk. The blue giant easily took up two times the space of Equis’ natural satellite, its pocketed surface unfamiliar to her. The blue moon’s light was beginning to dominate the night sky as the sun sank lower and lower in the horizon and the clouds lost their pink hue to take on a pale cerulean glow. Closer by was a smaller moon, this one a fiery red color that seemed to try to outshine its pale sister, casting its own bloody light on a few other clouds. On the distant horizon, a third moon hung in the sky, a tiny misshapen green thing that seemed content in watching its siblings squabble.

Stars shined down, twinkling in constellations that Twilight had never seen before except in half forgotten dreams. She blinked and the stars seemed to rearranged themselves into new patterns, each one more bizarre than the last. There were some that shined many times brighter than back home, and others in colors that would never have been seen on Equis. Amidst them, almost drowning out the typical inky blackness, vast and misty clouds of star dust and nebulae stretched out, a display that Lero and Twilight had only thought visible through radio telescopes.

Twilight’s eye twitched as she tried to work her mouth, tried to voice some kind of coherent thought as her ordered mind seemed to rebel against this… flouting of the natural order of things.

“Beautiful,” came a whisper next to her. Rarity was sitting down, her own gaze locked onto the primordial sky. Tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over as the oncoming night held the weathermare’s gaze captive. “It’s… amazing and terrifying but… it’s absolutely beautiful.”

“Thou art correct, Dame Rarity,” whispered Luna, who allowed her own tears to flow freely. The visage above made her slip back into her archaic dialogue. “Never could We have conceived of such a scape for Our nightly canvas, ‘cept only in fevered dreams. Verily, the architect of this must be either a poet of the highest order or a maddened soul. Mayhap they art one in the same…”

Rainbow remained silent, shivering under the vastness of it all. She had felt small before; facing off against the red dragon, fleeing from the swarm of changelings in Canterlot, cowering before King Sombra in his smokey and nebulous form amidst the frozen plains of the Crystal Empire...

But she had never felt like this before.

She had never felt so completely and utterly insignificant. A mere speck of dust among the infinite cosmos. Tiny and alone.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, she felt a warm arm wrap around hers. Dash looked to her side and saw Lyra there, her golden eyes watering, but a warm smile spread across her face. The unicorn’s smile seemed to convey all that she needed to know.

She may be small, but she would never be alone.

Lero sat down heavily. His eyes were not trained on the sky as the rest of the group’s were, but fixed on the forest that surrounded them. The evening wind ruffled the red canopy, making the bloody leaves dance in waves. The wood groaned and creaked around them, as if the trees were talking, whispering to each other of these strange invaders. The trees were so overgrown and so tightly packed together, it looked like an impenetrable wall.

Movement caught his eye; the vines entangling the stone slabs moaned and seemed tightened their grip on the grey surface. Large, black thorns bulged out of their dry skin.

The Thorns. They couldn’t go near the thorns.

“I want you all to listen to me,” the man announced, “and do exactly as I say from now on.” His voice was as hard as cold steel and carried the weight of an experienced commander with it.

The ponies turned their heads and the Lost stared back at them, pale blue irises set in black scleras. Both Luna and Twilight narrowed their eyes while Rainbow tightened her grip on Lyra’s arm.

“Make no mistake,” said the Lost, “we have come to an extremely dangerous place. Nothing is what it seems here. Yes, it appears beautiful. The same can be said of tigers and leopards, but you wouldn’t want to be within biting distance of either of them. This place is so dangerous, you should count yourselves lucky if death was the only thing facing you.”

“Now see here, Lost,” Rarity began to protest.

“None of you must ever wander off on your own, off the path and away from the rest of us,” said the Lost, ignoring the white unicorn. “Should you do so, it’s entirely possible you may never find your way back. If you see something in the trees, don’t try to investigate it. Don’t trust anything you see or hear out there. If you spot anything that looks like it might be significant… or threatening… come straight to me or Luna.”

The Lost took a few menacing steps forward and fixed a hard, predatory glare at the five mares around him.

“And above everything else, do not touch the Thorns. Go nowhere near the Thorns. If you all do as I say, and only as I say, you just might make it out of here alive.”

Rarity had become quite fed up. Not only had the Lost hijacked her prince (again!), but now he had the nerve to try and tell her and the rest of her herd, and Luna, herself, what to do? In that tone?!

The unicorn plodded forward and poked the human in the stomach with her hoof.

“Now see here, buster!” she said “I know you’re the big Fae expert and whatnot, but I will not tolerate anyone speaking to either me or my herd like we’re a bunch of scatterbrained nine-year-olds! You will treat us all with respect!”

Luna stood beside Rarity, her dark blue wings raised in a dominating display. “The Lady Rarity speaks truly, Lost,” she said. “We know that you are our guide in this land, but thou shalt not treat any of us like foals! I am the Princess of the Night and I demand-”

“Don’t think you can demand anything of me, Princess,” sneered the Lost, who had leaned down to the alicorn’s eye level, his icy eyes boring into her own. Rarity tried to hold in a small “eep!” and took an instinctive step back, while Luna firmly stood her ground. “I have seen things here that would chill your blood. Things that wouldn’t spare a second thought to rip the living flesh off your bones faster than piranhas. You wanted to come here? Fine! Welcome to The Hedge, ladies! We’re here, so now you’re all going to follow my rules or- or-”

The Lost’s cheek twitched and his brow furrowed. Luna glanced at him dubiously as his face spasmed again. “...Lost?”

Suddenly, the human cried out and fell to one knee, his right hand gripping his brow in pain. His breathing calmed after a few moments before his shakely said, “Rarity? Twilight?”

“Lero!” cried Rarity. She was joined by the other unicorns and Rainbow Dash as they gathered around.

Lero dropped his hand and gazed at them all, putting on a tired smile.

They didn’t smile back. Instead they regarded him with a sense of dread.

“What?” he whispered.

“Lero,” said Lyra, “your eyes. They’re…”

Lero put a shaky hand beneath his eyes. Though he couldn’t see it, his eyes had shifted color. His hazel irises were now set in deep, black scleras, the whites having been completely expunged from his eyes.

“Wha…?” he tried to say.

A sudden vision filled his mind; a creature that spoke in an alien language, its voice like a cacophony of shattering glass. It pointed to his eyes. “The ambient energies of the Hedge will find their way home to your body, like water soaking into dried earth. The little amounts you have encountered thus far have proven that. Three little fetches and my humble self… and already you are altered so vastly. I wonder how long it will be until your true shape is regained. Won’t that be an interesting sight for your wives to see?”

Lero began to hyperventilate. Was this what it meant? How much would his body change here? What would he turn into? What-?

“Big guy?” Dashes words derailed Lero’s train of thought. The pegasus took a hesitant step forward, her rose-colored eyes filled with worry.

Lero took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. In. Out. In. Out. He remembered one of Lyra’s meditative chants. ‘Like water flows over the stone, I let the world wash over me. Yet I remain Still.’ In. Out.

He opened up his eyes again. Still hazel-in-black, but the fear was gone now. “It’s me, Dash,” he said. Rainbow smiled and closed the gap between them, wrapping her forelegs around his broad shoulders and burying her muzzle into his neck. “It’s me,” Lero said again.

“What was that?” said Twilight in bewilderment. “Did… Did you just… hijack the Lost?”

Lero broke the hug and fully sat back. “Yeah,” he said, grinning, “I think I did.”

“How? I mean, this changes everything! If the Lost can be usurped, then maybe we can-”

“I felt angry,” interrupted Lero and Twilight immediately quieted. “I felt his anger. But I somehow knew it was directed at you girls. So I fought and…” Lero paused again. “It was like yelling at myself and… I’m sorry, Twi, but I can’t rightfully explain it.” Lero offered a shrug to the scholar, who, as much as she wanted to, knew better than to press the subject.

“Come now, Sir Lero,” said Luna. “Let us put such matters out of mind until dawn. For now, let us break camp. It has been a very long day for us all.”

Lero slowly nodded his head and savored in the feel of Dash’s warm fur against his skin.

A few minutes later, Lyra, Luna, and Rarity had begun setting up their small camp. Luna had brought along her own tent, a large four-pony sized version that was standard issue for guard regiments and was capable of comfortably housing the alicorn. Lero’s herd had a similar setup, theirs being a high-end civilian version. Rainbow had packed her own, much smaller tent that could only fit two ponies.

Lero’s unique frame would mean that the entire family wouldn’t be able to fit in the tent, so it was quickly agreed that the girls would rotate each night, with one of them sharing a tent with Rainbow. Rarity had reasoned that it would give them a chance to spend more quality time their newest member. Lero had also invited Dash to share the herd’s tent, to which Rainbow replied with flustered mutterings and bright blushes.

As the tents were set up, Lero and Dash started a small fire in the center of the camp, while Twilight continued to question him, her academic mind going into overdrive.

“Do they hurt?” asked Twilight.

“Hmm?” said Lero as he snapped a few dry twigs for kindling.

“Your eyes, do they hurt?”

“Oh, well, no. Not at all.”

“Do they feel different?”

“No, they-”

“Can you see differently out of them?”

“Uh, Twi?”

“Does this mean that you’re mutating? Is it some kind of ailment? Is it contagious?! Maybe I should run some kind of medical scan just in case, oh but what if whatever is affecting you has some sort negative reaction to my magic? What if I’m unable to detect the malady?! What if-"

"Twilight!" shouted Rainbow.

Hearing her friend raise her voice so suddenly snapped Twilight out of her rapidly degrading train of thought. The unicorn blushed and sheepishly prodded the ground. "I did it again," she murmured, "didn't I?"

Rainbow laid a comforting wing upon her friend's back. "It's okay, Twilight," she offered. "I know you're worried and all, but now probably isn't the best time for that kind of thing."

"But-"

"But nothing, Twilight," said Lero. He took a moment to light the small pile of kindling with his firestarter kit, a tiny rod of magnesium and a knife, gently breathing into the small blaze. The flame took and the camp was filled with the reassuring glow and gentle crackle of a fire. "This isn't the kind of place we can afford to freak out in. He may have been overly blunt about it, but the Lost was right. This place will take every chance it can to kill us. Or worse."

Twilight nodded. She then inhaled deeply, bring her hoof to her chest, before exhaling. Cadence’s exercise always seemed to help her whenever the stress became too much.

Soon the group settled in for their first meal on the road, a feast of trail mix, water, dried fruit and vegetables, and canned food.

“Tis strange how field rations have changed since the time before my exile,” said Luna, as she poked and prodded her meal, a tin of mushroom soup and a piece of cornbread.

“How so?” asked Rainbow, who was picking out pieces of canned peaches from her own tin.

“Well,” said Twilight, “in the ancient days, the armed forces would have-”

“The soldiers used to eat salted hay mash that was formed into discs,” interrupted Luna. “And anything and everything we could forage from the environment or loot from the enemy.” The princess poked her diner with a spoon, her face remaining a mask of disinterest.

“Well, yes,” said Twilight, who took this opportunity to go back into lecture mode. “Since those days, Equestria has made massive strides in dehydrated foodstuffs. Now we can enjoy high quality, nutritious, and delicious meals in any environment. All thanks to the wonders of modern science!”

Lero took an opportunity to loudly slurp from his tin plate. “It tastes like beans,” he said, thoroughly unimpressed.

“And?” asked Twilight. “What’s wrong with that?”

Lero held up an empty can, showing her the label. “It’s supposed to be macaroni and cheese.”

She was running through darkened hallways, her breaths coming out in ragged pants, each step echoing on the black basalt stonework pressing in from all sides.

They were all gone. She was the only one left.

The thing was behind her, getting closer and closer until-

“No!” cried out Rarity, sitting straight up.

Cold sweat matted her fur and her breathing was still ragged. Rarity put a hoof to her chest, willing her heart to somehow slow down. The dream quickly faded into oblivion. She looked to either side and saw that Twilight was still asleep.

‘Always the heavy sleeper, Sparkle-Kitten,’ Rarity mused, as Twilight murmured something in her own dream.

Sensing that it was close to her watch, Rarity kissed Twilight on the cheek, to which Twilight gave a happy sigh, and exited the tent. They had all agreed to take three-hour shifts and Lero had volunteered to take first watch.

The night was cool and the fire gave some warmth, even from where she stood. To Rarity’s left stood Rainbow’s small tent, where she knew both the pegasus and her songbird were huddled close together in their sleeping bags. On her other side was Princess Luna’s much larger tent.

And there, sitting on a fallen log by the campfire, was Lero. He held one of the girls’ compact mirrors in hand, examining his eyes, a finger gently prodding the slightly sunken skin underneath them. His face was a mask of… what? DIsgust? Fear? The sight made Rarity’s heart ache.

“My prince,” she whispered.

Lero’s head turned towards her, his eyes widening in surprise. Memories ran through Rarity’s mind: villains and victims of dark sorcery whose eyes shifted to a different color before they leapt to attack. She’d seen it happen all too often in movies and in person.

Lero quickly averted his gaze.

“Rarity,” he said, staring at a twig by his foot. “I… didn’t know it was already time to shift watch.” Lero rubbed the back of his head. “Um… listen, you don’t have to do this tonight. I have another few hours left in me. I’m sure one of the others would-”

A sudden weight pressed up against him stilled Lero’s train of thought. Rarity had come up beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lero momentarily tensed until he felt Rarity gently press her lips against his neck, leaving a trail of soft butterfly kisses against his warm skin.

“Lero,” she whispered into his ear, before taking his lobe between her lips. Lero’s skin instantly flushed, a fire smouldering within him. “Look at me.”

Lero turned away, tightly closing his eyes. He felt the flames inside him dim, replaced with cold shame. “But-” he protested.”

“Look at me,” repeated Rarity. The alabaster unicorn gently placed a smooth hoof on his cheek and turned the human’s head to face her. Lero held his breath and his eyes remained closed. “Open your eyes, my prince.”

Lero hesitated before exhaling shakily. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Hazel irises set in black orbs gazed at Rarity. They were filled with fear and self-doubt. Rarity looked back at Lero with her own sapphire eyes as she stroked his cheek, trying to ignore the tears gathering in the corners of Lero’s altered eyes.

“Rarity,” whispered Lero. “I-” Rarity remained silent but shushed him with a hoof to his lips. She waited a moment then moved forward. She kissed Lero’s cheeks, one soft touch under each eye, before pressing her lips again his.

Lero returned the kiss, feeling the fire in his chest returning, more impassioned than before. His arms reached up under Rarity’s forelegs, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss. Lero’s hands wove their way through the unicorn’s rich purple mane, savoring the sensation of smooth silk against his fingers. Their tongues intertwined with each other, caressing each other in a passionate dance. Rarity moaned gently into his mouth.

Lero broke the kiss and moved his lips along Rarity’s jawline while one hand traveled downwards, trailing the curve of her spine. He let his strong fingers massage the spot just above her tail and Rarity moaned again, arching her back into him. Lero kept his hand pressed against that sensitive spot as he lowered them both down to ground. The fire cast a single shadow on the stone rings and warmed the two lovers. He growled into her neck, running his teeth along her smooth coat. He knew that all the girls secretly found this thrilling, the feel of a predator’s teeth on them. Lero began to instinctively grind his hips into the mare, his pants feeling too constraining against his own arousal.

“Lero,” she whispered huskily, “wait…” Lero halted his ministrations, but still held his lover close. Rarity stole another kiss before saying, “Not here.”

Lero nuzzled her mane, inhaling deeply. God, he loved that scent. The smell of jasmine after a rainstorm. “I want you, princess,” he whispered into her ear. He nipped her with his sharp teeth, eliciting a soft yelp. “I want you so badly.”

“Lero,” Rarity moaned. In truth, Rarity wanted nothing more than to have him take her, right there next to the fire. It was like something straight out of one of her romance novels; the gallant knight-errant and her truehearted prince she was sworn to protect, camping in the wilds while on a quest, making passionate love under a starry night.

‘Not now,’ she scolded herself.

“Lero,” she said. Rarity placed a hoof on his chest and gently pushed his away, her eyes twinkling and her smile loving. “You need to rest, my sweet prince. You have been traveling all day.”

Lero sighed, a grin toying at his lips. “Tease,” he said, sitting up. “You got me all worked up now. How am I supposed to sleep?”

Rarity rested her head against his shoulder. “Then let us talk for now.” She looked up into his eyes, stroking his cheek again. “You should know by now that I love you too much to ever hold your appearance against you. In all honesty, my darling, I think your new eyes look… so exotic. I rather quite like them.” She smiled, her white teeth shining.

Lero did not return the smile, choosing instead to frown. “I don’t.”

“Oh Lero,” she whispered.

“This is just the beginning, Rarity. The longer I stay in this place, the more I will change. I don’t even remember into what.”

Rarity chewed her lip. “Did, well, does he know?”

Lero remained silent, staring into the fire before throwing on another log. It sent up a column of bright sparks, the heat steadily increasing and illuminating the bloody red leaves overhead.

“Undoubtedly,” he said at last. “He knows everything but is refusing to share it.”

“He told us that he is trying to protect you, Lero. That if you really knew everything-”

“That what? I’d go mad?” he scoffed. “I’d become a gibbering fool you’ll have to lock away in a padded room? Maybe Screw Loose and I could become roommates!” He turned his gaze back to the fire. “We all risk that just by coming here, Rarity.”

“I know, Lero,” she said, sensing the coming argument and heading it off at the pass. “You told us that. But we’re all here now and you know that I never leave something half-done.” Rarity sat a little straighter. “What I am really curious about is what you think of all this. Of the Lost, in particular.” Lero looked at her questioningly. “Do you trust him?”

Lero was perplexed. “Do I trust him?”

“Yes.”

Lero looked into the fire. Could he trust the Lost? So far, he knew very little, only that the Lost was supposedly some abandoned fragment of his personality; the part of him that had spent time in the Hedge.

At least, that was how he had introduced himself to the girls that first night… and at the time, Lero had been inclined to take The Lost’s word at face value.

But was it a lie? Could this whole thing be some elaborate trap? Could ‘The Lost’ be nothing more some fiendish, lying specter? One which had been magically planted in his psyche like a time bomb, long ago, by one of Her minions?

But then Lero considered all the Lost’s words and actions up to this point in time. No, he hadn’t lied before. He had certainly held back information, but Lero honestly could say that the Lost had never lied.

‘A lie of omission is still a lie,’ he mused.

But perhaps that was a good thing. Lero recalled reading a few H. P. Lovecraft stories as a teenager, during those years when the Cthulhu mythos was regaining its popularity. A running theme through all those stories was that knowledge was a dangerous thing. The more Lovecraft’s protagonists knew about the hidden truths behind the cosmos, the further it drove them insane. And here he was, living proof that a pulp fiction writer from the 1920s had gotten it right.

If the Lost’s existence truly was saving Lero from madness then perhaps he was a entity that could be trusted. He had harmed none of his friends or loved ones. Yet, he knew that the Lost was capable of great harm, of unbelievable violence. And that’s what worried him.

“I don’t know,” Lero finally said.

Rarity frowned for a moment then smiled. She kissed Lero’s cheek. “Well I know that I can trust you, my prince. Never doubt that.” Lero smiled and kissed her on the lips.

The two huddled together by the fire for some a little while longer, enjoying the warmth it provided and their own body heat. Eventually Lero broke the silence. “I think I know where we need to go.” He pointed off into the horizon. There was a distant orange glow there, but not from one of the distant stars. It was a much softer glow, more artificial. Rarity recognized it from many a night spent in Canterlot, gazing out from a balcony to the surrounding countryside.

“Is that…?” she queried.

“Lights,” finished Lero. “Odds are from a pretty sizable town.”

Rarity became excited. “If there’s a town, then that means there are ponies-”

“People. And I use that term loosely.” Rarity gave him a quizzical look. “They’re called ‘hobs’ or ‘hobgoblins’. Natives to this world who are neither feral nor are they Fae. A different sort of creatures with their own communities. ”

“And they make… towns?”

“Yep.”

“What do they look like? These hobs?”

Lero paused a moment. Images of a menagerie of creatures flashed through his mind; hulking brutes with tusks next to pint-sized, grinning swindlers with wide lips. “They’re not… a species. Not like humans. Or even ponies for that matter. At least you guys have a basic shape and classifiable tribes. Hobs are…” He paused, trying to think of a good term. “... a very… diverse… um, ‘people’? Kinda like how a goopy thing like pudding and a hard stalk of raw broccoli both qualify as ‘food,’ if you get my drift.”

“Are they friendly?”

“Depends.”

“...On?”

“Whether you have something to trade.”

“But… we don’t have anything. We didn’t bring any money.”

“They don’t always want money.”

“Well, we still don’t have much. What could we possibly trade them?”

Lero looked her over, then grinned evilly. “You can trade them the color of your mane, Rarity.”

At that, the white unicorn gasped and grabbed her purple locks protectively. “You wouldn’t dare!” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“Who knows?” Lero teased, running a hand through her mane and giving it an appraising look. “I bet we could get quite a lot for such. And I know that Aloe and Lotus owe me a few favors, so I’m sure we could get some dye to… oof!”

“I’m quite serious!” said Rarity, pulling back her hoof and crossing her forelegs. “I swear, spending so much time with Fluttershy has given you her sense of humor.”

“Oh come on, princess,” said Lero, putting an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. “You know I wouldn’t do something like that.” Rarity giggled and leaned into her stallion’s warm embrace.

They enjoyed each other’s company a little while longer before she said, “Come now. Let me take watch for now. I’ll wake Rainbow Dash when the time comes. Go get some sleep, my prince.”

Lero smiled. “I will, my princess.” He stood and ducked into the tent. Rarity inhaled deeply, savoring the smell of smoke and trees, and began her watch.

Three hours into her watch and Rarity was just about ready to fall asleep on the spot. She had caught herself nodding off several times already. The urge to curl up in a warm sleeping bag next to a warmer body was like a siren song to her.

‘Just a little longer,’ she tried to tell herself. ‘I can stay up just a little longer.’

The night sky had gone through its strange motions, uncaring of the creatures below. The misshapen green moon had stuck to the far horizon, not daring to move across the sky and interfere in the ongoing battle between its sisters. Those two satellites continued to battle for dominance in that primal sky. The pale blue giant had become partially eclipsed by its red counterpart, creating the illusion of a giant eye hanging in the sky.

As a girl who’d chosen to make a livelihood out of beautifying the sky, Rarity could certainly appreciate its beauty. But the longer she gazed at it, the more it struck her as a hostile sort of beauty.

A beauty like erupting volcanos, like unforgiving desert dunes or vast stretches of arctic ice, like jungles flowers that were poisonous to the touch.

Rarity felt herself shivering, the thought of being under the watchful gaze of some eldritch cosmic entity setting her nerves affray. ‘I won’t be of much use if I continue to get scared like some little filly,’ she mused her eyes darting around the trees. The shadows seemed to be playing tricks on her, moving and shifting, as if large creatures were just beyond the ring of trees that surrounded their tiny camp. The unicorn’s sensitive ears swiveled in every direction, trying their utmost to pick up on any sound.

Nothing.

‘Oh, I do hope Rainbow Dash is up for watch,’ thought Rarity. ‘She is such a gentle soul, I fear her poor nerves would strain under the weight of this dismal place. Perhaps I should ask Lyra-’’

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a noise. Rarity turned her head, unsure of what she heard. She held her breath; the only other sounds present was the rustle of the high leaves and the thump of her heartbeat, which grew only louder.

Rarity stood and walked to the edge of the camp. She stood silently, straining her ears for the sound. There it was again, coming from the bottom of the hill. It sounded like… sobbing?

Yes, that was it. Somepony was down there and they were sobbing. She strained her eyes, seeking for any sign of activity in the trees. Though the light from the two moons provided a good deal of illumination, she could not penetrate the darkness that permeated the forest below. Rarity knew that she would have to investigate this. She looked back to the camp, hesitantly. The Lost had warned them all about wandering off, that they should all seek either him or Luna if something came up.

A sudden spark of annoyance flared within her, recalling the being’s commanding tone. Who was that… that scoundrelto give her orders like she was some foal on a field trip? She was a grown mare, an Element of Harmony, and savior of Equestria, many times over! She was more than capable of handling herself in such a place as this. It was just a slightly-different Everfree Forest, in the end, after all.

With a determined nod, Rarity began to trot down the hill, making her way to the seemingly impassable wall of trees before her. Upon arriving, she quickly took stock of her surroundings. The trees were shaped like massive oaks, but covered in pale white bark like birch trees. The white bark did a decent job of reflecting the moonlight from above, providing a decent amount of pale blue light. Gazing beyond the trees, she saw that thick black vines covered in thorns grew around and between the trunks and hanged from several branches, creating the illusion of living curtains of plant matter.

The sobbing had grown louder. She was close.

“Rarity!” called a voice from behind her. Rarity gave a loud yelp and jumped into the air, spinning around to face the newcomer.

“Rainbow Dash!” she said, clutching her pounding chest. “You gave me such a fright, darling!”

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, Rarity!” said the pegasus, dropping to the ground and folding her wings. “I didn’t mean to! I just woke up for my turn at watch and I saw that you were gone. I got super worried and was going to wake the others but then I saw you down here.” Rainbow looked around. “What are you doing here, anyways?”

“I heard something,” said Rarity. “I was sure I heard somepony crying.”

“Crying?” The thought of somepony in trouble instantly caught Dash’s attention. “Are you sure about that?”

“Positive, darling. Listen.” The stood still, scanning the trees. Sure enough, the gentle sounds of sobbing drifted towards them.

Rainbow’s wings flared instantly. “If somepony is hurt, we have to help them! I’ll go get help!”

“Rainbow, wait!” Dash halted before she even got off the ground.

“You heard what the Lost said! If we find anything suspicious, we’re supposed to tell him or Luna right away!”

“I know what he said, but I think that the two of us are perfectly capable of handling this on our own. Besides, what if that pony is hurt? What if she needs help right now?” Dash hesitated, glancing between her friend, her new herdmate, and the top of the hill, the orange glow of the fire beckoning her. “Besides, we have gone into the Everfree many times before. You even faced down a manticore there, remember?” Rarity placed a reassuring hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “You are a brave mare, Rainbow Dash, and right now there is somepony out there that needs our help.”

Rainbow thought for a moment, then gave Rarity a confident smile. “You’re right, Rarity. Let’s go!” The two ponies walked along the treeline, occasionally calling out to the mysterious pony. They received no response, but the sobbing had grown louder. Judging by the soprano pitch of the weeper’s voice, they could tell that they were definitely looking for a female. It was no time at all before they spotted the poor soul.

Through a gap in the trees and thorny vines, at the base of a larger tree about twenty yards away, was a huddled figure. It was… a human. Both girls’ breathes caught in their throats. The human was crouched over, huddling in the fetal position. Naked and alone.

The darkness made it difficult to determine any details, but the girls could see that the human — the woman — had very pale skin, almost a snowy white, a fan of long black hair spread out in front of her, disappearing into the shadows. Even at this distance, they could tell she was injured; trails of wet scarlet seeped from long gashes along her back.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” worried Rainbow Dash, before she called out. “Hey! Miss, uh, Miss Girl-Human, ma’am! Can you hear me?”

The woman gave no response, only continuing to cry.

“Excuse us,” called out Rarity. “Can you hear us?”

The woman’s inconsolable sobbing only grew louder.

“I don’t think she can hear us,” said Rainbow Dash, as she shifted from hoof to hoof in anxiety.

“The poor dear is obviously distraught,” said Rarity. “Who knows what she could have faced out here, all alone? That settles it then.” Rarity took a few steps forward and raised her voice again. “Hold on, young miss! We’re coming to help!”

They began to move into the woods, the trees and vines raising up and pressing close around them. Rainbow walked beside Rarity, torn between her growing fear of the darkness surrounding them and the instinctual urge to help the injured woman.

They came closer. “Young miss,” said Rarity, “I don’t want you to be afraid anymore. We’re here to help. My name is Rarity and this is my dear friend Rainbow Dash. You’ll be safe with us both.”

The woman didn’t even turn around to face them, her pale body shaking with each sob as the blood continued to ooze out of the wounds on her back.

A snap of a twig caught Rainbow’s attention. What she saw at the edge of her vision made her blood run cold. “Rarity,” she fearfully whispered, “look!” There, darting between the trees, were dancing pairs of glowing yellow eyes. She had seen them many times before from the safety of her hut. Those burning orbs that eyed her home and her animals’ dens with insatiable hunger.

“Timberwolves,” whispered Rarity. “What in Celestia’s name are they doing here?!”

“I don’t know, but they must have followed the crying! Predators are always attracted by injured prey. We have… to…”

Words failed her as one of the beasts stepped out of the shadows.

What Rainbow and Rarity saw was no mere timberwolf but something much worse.

The nightmare stood bipedally, as a Diamond Dog would, one overly long arm clutching a nearby treetrunk while the other rested in a balled fist on the ground. Long, black, razor-sharp claws cut furrows in the white trunk, causing dark red sap to bleed out of the tree. Its face was a mockery of a wolf. A pair of glowing yellow eyes above a long snout, lips curled back to reveal a jaw filled with dagger-like teeth. Running along its hunching back was a great crest of black fur and jagged black spikes.

Rarity almost screamed when she realized that the spikes were actually long, huge thorns. The creature’s flesh was covered in weeping sores from which more the black vines grew out of the skin, covering the body with a frightening mishmash of fur, claws, and thorns.

Long rivulets of drool ran out of the monster’s mouth as it gazed hungrily at the crying woman, a deep and primal growl emitting from its gullet. Several more beasts emerged from the shadows and soon the two ponies were looking at a whole pack of the monsters.

“Oh Sisters,” whispered Rarity, taking a step back. She turned again to the woman, who remained completely oblivious to the bloodthirsty beasts. Was it possible she was out-and-out deaf? A voice was screaming at her from the back of her mind. Something wasn’t right here. But before Rarity could act, a cyan and rainbow blur shot past her.

Rainbow flew straight ahead, weaving between the trees and hanging vines. The sudden movement caught the monsters’ attention and the pack sprang into action, a fury of snarls and howls. Rarity gave a silent curse under her breath before darting forward as well.

“Hey, lady!” shouted Rainbow as she pumped her wings. “Get up! Move! RUN!!”

The woman continued to sob.

Rainbow easily beat the pack to the woman but the monsters would reach them in no time. She needed to get this girl out of here and fast! But no sooner did she touch her pale skin, did the nightmare get worse. The woman finally turned to face Rainbow, revealing her face to the screaming pony.

The creature’s face looked like a partially melted wax sculpture. Hollow and deformed eye sockets stared emptily at the cyan mare. A gaping and toothless hole that may have been a mouth uttered a completely inhuman howl. The ground around the pegasus erupted in a shower of dead leaves.

Pale flaps of flesh moved to encase Rainbow, who was too terrified to do anything else but scream as the horrifying realization that she was going to be killed consumed her terrified brain. Horrific memories ravaged her mind’s eye; images of another white and globular beast tearing its way through her home and her animal friends, her very sanity eaten piece by piece as each one was consumed and dissolved alive by acid.

Rainbow Dash would have been surely dead had not the first of the wolf-things crashed into the not-woman creature. It tore into the pale, globular flesh with rending tooth and claw, each strike rewarding the wolf-monster with a pained howl from the white blob, which turned its attention to its attacker, trying its best to envelop the snarling beast. A second packmate had found its way to the blob monster, but the semisolid monstrosity had already succeeded in smothering the first wolf-thing. The creature began to envelop the snarling beast and Rainbow, through the fugue that had fallen over her, could hear the pained yelps and snapping bones as the beast was crushed to death.

Then Rainbow felt teeth tugging backward at her tail. “Rainbow Dash!” shouted a distant, clenched voice. Somepony was pulling her away from the nightmare in front of her, but her hooves felt heavy and her muscles felt dead.

“Rainbow, please!” pleaded the voice. “Move!!”

Rainbow blinked and suddenly reality came crashing down around her. The madness in front of her, the cacophony of howling and snarls, was enough to snap her back into focus. She turned beside Rarity and the two ponies ran. A commanding bark sounded behind them, calling the attention of the pack. Abandoning their fallen brother, the wolf-creatures pursued the two fleeing ponies.

Blood pumping in their veins, Rainbow and Rarity ran between the trees and ducked under snagging vines, each obstacle threatening to trip them and lead them to a gruesome fate. The gap they had first entered the woods shone directly in front of them, but the sounds of snapping teeth and fervored barks were drawing closer, the bloodcurdling howls spreading ice through their veins. Still they ran.

Bursting through the hole in the trees, they didn’t stop. The hill was in front of them, the orange glow of the campfire at the top acting like a beacon of hope. They had just begun to climb when two sinewy forms darted in front, blocking their escape. Glowing yellow eyes bored into the ponies as they skidded to a halt. Wet coughs from behind half-formed and fangy smiles greeted them, in a mockery of cruel laughter.

‘They’re intelligent,’ came a thought from the last corner of Rarity’s sanity. Utter terror had filled the rest of her psyche. ‘They’re enjoying this!’

Rainbow Dash was shaking too badly, her wings pinned to her sides in fear. Another barking laugh sounded from behind her. The rest of the pack had caught up with them. There were now over a dozen of the monsters, slowly encircling them.

Finally it was too much.

“LEEEEEROOOOOOOO!!!!” screamed Rainbow. She screamed until her lungs burned and her throat was raw.

The alpha wolf in front of them reared up on its hind legs, easily standing over eight feet tall. Spreading all its claws out, it lifted its muzzle upward for a great and mighty howl at the moons, the signal for the rest of the pack to attack.

But instead of a howl, the beast only gave a pained yipe as something tackled it from behind.

“DASH!!” shouted Lero, as both he and the monster tumbled down the hill in a ball of fur and clothes. The alpha gave a pained howl as Lero sank his dagger into its side, all the way to the hilt.

“Foul beasts!” came a booming voice from above. “HAVE AT THEE!” Princess Luna shattered the ground under her as she plummeted like a comet from the sky. One unfortunate wolf soon found himself receiving a powerful buck to the chin, snapping the creature’s head back with a sicken crack and send its carcass flying. Several of its packmates took a few cautious steps back before barking and snapping their jaws at this new foe.

Luna’s wings flared out at her sides, revealing the glimmering forms of her wing blades. A wide smile played across her dark face, her white teeth shining in stark contrast. “Bring thy wrath, you monsters! I shall make fine trophies from thine skulls!” The monsters surged forward and Luna became a blur of dark feathers and silver blades.

Both Rarity and Rainbow were so struck dumb by this turn of events that they hardly noticed when Twilight galloped up beside them. “Girls!” cried out the frightened scholar.

“Oh, Twilight!” said Rarity, latching onto her herd sister.

“Twilight!” sobbed Rainbow Dash.

“Are you hurt?” said Twilight.

“N-no, Twilight. W-we’re okay.”

“Twilight,” shouted Lyra from above, “incoming!”

Twilight saw two of the wolves running towards them, their long claws digging deep furrows in the soft earth. She closed her eyes and poured her magic into her horn, intending to create a shield around her family. But just as she was forming the spell matrix in her mind, her magic violently dissipated and crippling pain shot through her skull.

“Wha-?” she moaned, but her eyes soon widened as the two monsters were upon them.

Or they would have been. A golden light firmly met one of the charging beasts squarely in the chest, causing the monster to come to a full stop. Its mouth poured a small fountain of blood as its ribcage shattered beneath its fur. The other monster was stopped when a mint green hoof slammed directly into the side of its head. Time seemed to slow down and bone cracked and its long tongue lolled out of its mouth leaving behind an arc of bloody drool as its head was twisted around in a full circle. The two monsters flopped dead to the ground.

Lyra Heartstrings landed on all fours in front of her herd, her body swaying lithely in a classic combat stance. “Is everyone okay?” she asked.

“Twilight!” cried Rarity. The white unicorn held onto her scholarly herd sister, worry clearly etched on her face.

“My head,” whimpered the purple unicorn. Her skull hadn’t felt this bad since she had attempted the scan on the Apple Bloom fetch. She tried to run magic through her horn again, attempting to construct another shield spell, but again she was met with crippling pain.

Twilight soon began to shake in fear. ‘My magic isn’t working,’ she thought, gripping onto Rarity in horror.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the hill, Lero and the alpha had finally come to a stop. Both combatants rolled to their feet and began to circle each other. The alpha was much larger and had a significant reach with its longer arms. But the dagger was still in the alpha’s left side. Amazingly, the cold iron was twisting deeper into the wolf-thing’s flesh on its own, like some determined and carnivorous worm. Lero was moving but became aware that another wolf monster was coming up beside him. There was no way he take on two of them.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, the beasts moved forward. And so did Lero. He surged forward towards the alpha and ducked beneath a swinging claw. He lashed out with his left hand, gripping the dagger, and pulled downwards and a spinning motion. Flesh parted and the alpha tumbled, his packmate leaping into the air to avoid a collision.

Lero spun once more thrust both of his hands upwards, plunging the dagger into the leaping wolf-thing and cutting up the monster from gullet to groin. Blood and entrails spilled out like the wet contents of a garbage bag, covering the human’s bare torso in gore.

The alpha had just righted itself and turned to face its prey. Before it could act, Lero had rushed forward and plunged his dagger upwards, slicing through the alpha’s jaw and into its brain. The twitching monster stared downwards, into the cold and icy eyes of the Lost, before its eyes rolled back into its sockets, and then died.

Just up the hill, Rarity had continued to hold onto a shaking Twilight… feeling thoroughly shaken herself. She had done her best to call forth a thundercloud, a lightning storm, anything that would help protect her herd! But every attempt she made to reach out and summon her weather had only been met with sharp pain.

Lyra glanced backward at Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow, realizing that none of them would be any help in this fight, and switched her tactics. She stayed close to the three mares, her attacks soon devolving into deterrents meant to take attention off them and turn the wolf-things towards Princess Luna, who was able to handle multiple attackers at once.

The Lost had just wrenched out his dagger, eliciting a small fountain of blood from the fatal wound, and turned his attention to the rest of the battle. Luna was fighting three more of the creatures while Lyra had just fended off another that had tried to attack the other three mares.

There were now five of the wolf-creatures between him and his family.

The red moon’s light blanked the base of the hill, painting everything in a pale shade of crimson. The black blood caked the Lost’s pale skin, his icy blue eyes shining in stark contrast. The wolves began to hesitate.

They were afraid.

The Lost held both of his hands out to his side, his dagger dripping gore onto the grass, and bellowed his own challenging howl at the monsters that carried its way up to the top of the hill.

One of the wolves whimpered and moved to run away. Its companions held their ground.

The Lost charged. He easily dodged the first beast’s attack, rolling to the left then pivoting into a low slash. The attack bit into the beast’s leg like warm butter, severing the tendon and causing the monster to collapse to one leg. Lero spun upwards and buried the dagger into the base of the creature’s skull, quickly withdrawing. The beast had already died before it crumpled into a heap on the ground.

The second wolf fared no better. It leaped at the Lost, its black claws stretching out and its teeth bared. The Lost moved fast enough to sidestep the clumsy attack and raked the monster’s side with his weapon. The beast collapsed into a whimpering ball as it bled out.

The third wolf seemed to take a more cautious approach, lashing out in quick strikes, using its superior reach to its advantage. The Lost avoided every attack, expertly ducking and weaving the raking claws. He spun the dagger in his hand jabbed down and to the side. Each cut found their mark, biting into furred flesh and severing tendons under the skin. When the wolf’s right arm dropped, useless, it began to snap into fang filled jaws. Lero dodged these strikes as well, his own teeth shining in a smile as he rode the wave of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The wolf lunged forward again. The Lost twisted. The dagger buried into the monster’s eye armpit. The monster swung its remaining good arm. The Lost ducked and raked the dagger across its exposed belly. The Lost plunged his free hand inside and pulled, spilling an unnatural tangle of intestines and vines. The monster howled in agony and dropped to its knees. The Lost slashed its throat, silencing the beast, and swiftly kicked its chest, toppling the creature to the ground for good.

“Enough!” came the booming voice. A bright flash of light and a loud bang erupted nearby and the three wolf-things came apart in bloody chunks. Luna stood tall in a smouldering crater.

The remaining beasts, realizing that they were sorely outmatched, quickly cut their losses and ran, yipping loudly with their tails between their legs.

“Huzzah!” shouted Luna triumphantly. “The battle is won!”

The other mares did not share her enthusiasm. They were too busy gawking at the other monster in front of them. The Lost approached them, covered from head to toe in filth and gore, with his dagger firm in hand. One of the wolf-things, the one whose rib cage Lyra had crushed, was still coughing on the ground, still clinging to life. The Lost calmy knelt and placed a hand on its head. He took his dagger and slid it into the creature’s heart.

“Shhh,” he whispered, “it’s over.” The beast whimpered once more, then lay still. The Lost wiped the blade on the grass and then sheathed it, before turning to the group of mares.

Twilight had already fainted and poor Rainbow Dash didn’t look too far behind; the pegasus’ face had somehow simultaneously turned both white and green. Lyra beheld him with a peculiar gaze. There was fear there, and some disgust, but there was something else, something that shone in those deep golden eyes. It took him a moment but the Lost figured it out. It was respect. The kind given from one warrior to another.

Finally the Lost turned towards Rarity. The white mare was freely shedding tears, her body trembled as she clinged to Twilight and Rainbow. The Lost narrowed his eyes.

‘He knows,’ panicked Rarity. ‘Oh stars above, he knows I brought those monsters here.’

The Lost took a few steps forward and reached out with a bloody hand. Rarity’s heart seized in her chest as those bloody fingers came towards her. The Lost gently but firmly grabbed Rarity’s jaw and turned her head, one way, then the next.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice betraying a sense of worry.

“N-n-n-n-o,” she stuttered, tears mixing with the blood that was beginning to stain her coat.

The Lost was silent a moment then dropped his hand and pulled the three of them — herself, Twilight, and Rainbow — into a crushing hug. Rarity was stunned beyond words.

“I thought I lost you,” he whispered through clenched teeth, his own tears flowing down his gore-streaked cheeks. “I thought I lost you both.” He began rocking them back and forth in his arms.

Rarity felt disgusted. Not at the Lost for killing the beasts so savagely nor at the filth that he was now coating her and her herd sisters. She was disgusted at herself. It was her foalsih actions that had nearly cost her her family. And now the Lost, the being she had just earlier that day berated and betrayed, had risked life and limb to protect them all.

All because of her.

“I’m sorry,” whimpered Rarity, wrapping her forelegs around the Lost’s neck and shoulders. “I’m so sorry.” Her own tears fell and the floodgates opened. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!”

The human simply held onto his family, uncaring of the cold or the gore, simply relishing the feeling of being alive.

Dawn broke several hours later. The vision of primal sky was subdued by the sun’s light, the colorful nebulae and shining stars were replaced with a calming azure. The two larger moons were still visible but greatly muted, appearing faint a distant. The green satellite had completely vanished from sight.

It would have been an idyllic morning, had the observer not looked at the base of the hill. The evidence of the previous night’s bloody events. Several corpses dotted the grassy hillside. Most were intact while others looked like the workings of some savage charnel house, little more than piles of fur, thorns, and meat.

The only sounds that morning were the gentle rustling of the trees, the crackle of a fire, and the sound of water on skin and fur.

“Shhh,” hushed Lero, as he cupped a handful of spring water. “It’s alright, Rarity.” Lero let the water run down the white unicorn’s shivering coat. “I know it’s not warm like the spa’s bath water, but it’ll help more than you think.” He then took a damp cloth and applied gentle pressure to the blood stained fur, moving in slow circles. The cloth removed most of the dried blood that had clung to her coat. Nearby, Lyra was performing a similar ritual with Rainbow Dash, while Luna sat down next to Twilight, who shivered as she tried to rationally explain last night’s events to her.

The Lost had put them all to bed the previous night, piling his family into their large tent, and zipping it securely behind them. Princess Luna, still riding an adrenaline surge from the battle, offered to take watch for the rest of the night. The Lost had taken the chance to remove his stained pants and wash the blood and gore from his skin.

“You handled yourself quite skillfully,” Luna had said. She watched the Lost wash himself out of the corner of her eye, subtly taking in the details of his form.

“As did you, Luna,” said the Lost. “Or must I call you ‘Princess’? Seems that I am not allowed to be as familiar with my friends or family as Lero is.”

Luna smiled. “You may call me Luna, if you wish. You have risked your life to defend my friends from mortal danger. You fought honorably tonight. For that, you have my respect, one warrior to another.”

The Lost chuckled darkly. “I am no warrior, Luna. I am a killer.” The human held up a hand, partially clean but with watery trails of blood running down his forearm. “This doesn’t ever really get clean, you know. I’ve killed more beings than I can count. I have been forced to do many cruel and heinous actions. I’ve butchered, burned, tortured and done other things that would break better men. And I did it because I was good at it. People make up words like ‘honor’ and ‘duty’ to try and help them sleep at night. But when you get right down to, fighting is just about who is the better killer. And I was made into an exceptionally excellent one.”

“Tis true, Lost,” said Luna, turning to fully face the human. Normally Lero would have shied away, hiding his naked form from another’s eyes. But the Lost seemed to have no such quoms, choosing instead to stare into alicorn’s eyes. “What makes you more than a simple killer is why you fight, the drive behind your actions. Tonight you didn’t fight under any orders nor did you fight simply for the sake of bloodshed. You fought to protect your family. You risked much to ensure their safety and wellbeing.”

At this, Luna had smiled and bowed her head in deep respect. “And that, my friend, is what makes you an honorable stallion.”

When morning broke, Lero had woken with the knowledge of what his other self had done, but Luna was able to calm his mind before the human could descend into a panic.

Lero had always believed himself capable of defending himself and his family, violently if necessary; images of Mr. 7 and the glufferfork came to mind. But those battles paled in comparison to the sheer brutality he had inflicted last night.

‘And come to think of it,’ he realized, with slight chagrin, ‘I wasn’t even the one who fought Mr. 7, was I? That was all Rarity. Still, I did everything I could, helping the girls battle the flork. And I always put up a good fight against Angel Bunny and the other animals. That’s got to count for something!

All of the girls were extremely shaken, Rarity and Twilight most of all. Both of the unicorns had become withdrawn, shivering messes. And though the spring water was cold, Lero knew that a good bath would be enough to help Rarity out.

He had just finished his gentle cleaning, when the weathermare spoke up. “Lero,” said Rarity, “may I ask a favor?”

Lero gave her a warm smile. “For you? I’d give you the sun and stars.”

“I… I would like to…” Rarity bashfully, almost shamefully, looked down at her hooves. They were clean, thanks to the spring, if slightly chipped. A sign of her recklessness.

Rarity inhaled deeply and tried again. “I would like to speak to the Lost,” she said firmly. “There is something I need to say to him.”

Everypony around her stopped, justifiably stunned at the request. But none so much so as Lero. The human felt a stirring within him, a strange sensation of something moving, just beneath his waking mind. He had a strong feeling what it was, but was unsure of what he should do.

The stern mask Rarity wore was betrayed by the pleading look in her eyes. He had his answer.

Lero nodded his head and stiffened. Rarity had to stop herself from gasping as a deep blackness completely overtook her lover’s eyes, like the richest ink clouding a cup of water. And from the wells of darkness, two icy blue irises rose up to gaze at her. Calculating eyes examined her, scrutinizing her with a razor sharp intelligence.

“Rarity,” said the Lost, nodding his head in respect. “You called?”

For a moment, Rarity had lost herself. Witnessing the transformation first hand had nearly robbed her of her senses and drove the point of the Lost’s alien, near-insidious existence home. But then she steeled her mind and banished those thoughts.

‘That sort of thinking is what brought this whole thing upon us last night,’ she chided herself.

“Lost,” she said, “I know that this may seem… inadequate, given last night’s horrid events, but I would like to say, well, I’m deeply sorry.” Rarity turned and addressed the other ponies around her. “To all of you. I was selfish and very foalish. I should have listened to your warnings yesterday. But I was too stubborn and angry with you, good sir, and I acted so stupidly that I… I…”

The Lost gently reached out and wiped her tears away with a calloused thumb. “Hey now,” he said, “you weren’t-”

“Yes, I was,” interrupted Rarity. “I should have come to you or Luna last night but instead I acted like a selfish little filly, wanting to prove myself to a grown-up. I nearly got us all killed-”

“But you didn’t.”

“But I-”

“But nothing, princess.” The Lost smiled warmly. “What happened last night is in the past and the road ahead is long. If we spend our time looking back at every little mistake we make, we’ll never be able to move forward.” He looked out at the other mares around him. “I want you all to know that I will do whatever I can to keep you safe. No matter what else is thrown at us, I will protect you all.”

Rainbow wiped her eyes and gave him a confident nod, her wings flaring up in a show of bravado. Luna again nodded her head to him in respect, a faint smile playing across her face. Lyra wore her own smile, that enigmatic grin of hers that always gave him a smile of his own.

The only one who wasn’t smiling was Twilight, who still fidgeted nervously. The Lost looked at her curiously, which only made the scholarly mare more nervous.

“Twilight?” asked the Lost.

“I…” she began, “I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t use my magic.” She began to openly tremble. “I couldn’t cast a simple shield. Why couldn’t I…?”

Twilight’s trembling stopped when she felt Luna come up behind her, resting her chin on top of her head and wrapping her wings around her side.

“Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle,” said the princess.

“But I don’t understand!” she cried, her body tensing even tighter. “How could my magic just… not work?! I’m Princess Celestia’s student! I’m the Bearer of the Element of Magic, itself! It doesn’t make any sense…!”

Sighing, the Lost placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let me tell you a little something. During my time here, I witnessed my share of other human beings being abducted to this place. Got to watch them spend their first few minutes on this side of the Hedge. Sometimes, they’d happen to have impressive tools or technology on them. Phones more often than not. Remember me telling you about phones, Twilight?”

She nodded dully.

“These poor people would whip out their phones first chance they got, and try to call the police or their homes, only, well, they’d never work the way they were SUPPOSED to. Some phones refused to turn on, even though their owners swore their batteries were fully charged. Other phones did… TRULY weird things that phones were never meant to do.”

He shrugged.

“That’s the kind of place this is. And I hate to say it, but it’s part of the reason I was so firmly against bringing you girls along with me. Things that were powerful and predictable in your world may be completely useless and unreliable on this side of the Hedge. And it looks like the same principle applies to magic as technology. Surprise, surprise.”

“So… so I’m as good as hornless now?!” She shivered, but then stopped at a new thought. “But then… why would it be that my magic and Rarity’s didn’t work, but Luna and Lyra’s did?!”

Lyra shrugged. “I suppose it’s just a crazy, arbitrary place…”

“No!” she shouted, stomping her hooves on the ground. Any fear she held seemed to evaporate under a wave of distemper. “I refuse to just accept ‘crazy’ as an answer! I’ve studied psychology; even madness has a method to it! You just don’t get to say, ‘I’m going to rewrite the laws of reality’ whenever you damn well please!”

“Um, well, Discord can,” Rainbow mumbled to herself.

“Everything has an order! Everything has to follow the rules! That’s how reality works!!” Twilight panted, trying to catch her breath as she finished her small tantrum.

“You’re right, Twilight,” said the Lost. “That is how reality works. But this isn’t reality. This is the Hedge. This is the land of fate and mysticism. Of unreality. Normal rules don’t matter here anymore, the laws of physics can be broken. This whole place, everything here, exists on the Others’ whims. They define the new rules, if they even want any.”

The Lost’s words were enough to make Twilight and the others fully realize the gravity of the situation. This place wasn’t just another Everfree or even another country they were trespassing in. They were now so far off the map, they left the table it was sitting on and the room it was housed in.

“But,” said the Lost, a coy smile on his face, “that doesn't mean we can’t make up a few of our own. This place is psychoreactive. It conforms to the willpower of those within it.”

“As one would a dream,” spoke Luna. All eyes turned to the alicorn. “I had felt a strange sense of familiarity with this place and now I have placed my hoof upon it. This place reminds Us of the astral plane! The Realm of Dreams!” Luna gazed around, her eyes wide, as if seeing everything around them for the very first time. A sudden frown crossed her face. “But, ‘tis strange. It feels so familiar to Us, yet I cannot shape anything.”

The Lost nodded his head. “Because you do not belong here,” he said. “You have no connection to the forces that govern this place. The Others are only able to play around with it because they are so tightly tied to the stuff that makes up this place.” He turned his attention back to Twilight, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “There are rules here, Twilight. Just… different ones.”

“But… what are they?” asked Twilight desperately.

The Lost winked a blue eye. “We’ll just have to figure that out as we go along, won’t we?”

“But… You…! Gah!!” Twilight threw up her forelegs in frustration. “Why can’t anything ever be simple?!” She proceeded to cross her forelimbs, looking for all the world like a grumpy filly who had been told she couldn’t have her dessert until she ate her dinner.

Rarity couldn’t help herself. Her laughter carried across the little camp, despite her efforts to hide it behind a raised hoof.

“Well, I’ll tell you one thing,” she told the group as a whole, “Even if I’m as good as hornless, I’ve still got my brains, a strong back, and a stronger heart! If I were to just write myself off as worthless because I can’t use magic, it would be an insult to every earth pony friend I have and the prince we all love!”

“Yeah!” cried Rainbow Dash, flying in the air. “Besides, Twilight, you’re super smart! I bet if anypony can figure this place out, it’s gotta be you!”

Lyra sagely nodded her head. “Think of this as a puzzle, Twilight,” she said. “And we all know how much you love to figure out puzzles, love. After all, aren’t you the one who kept complaining that all of the mystery books in the library were far too predictable?”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. Somehow, Lyra always knew how to improve her mood. “Thanks,” she said, sighing contently. “To everypony. I…I needed that.”

The Lost smiled and closed his eyes, once again relinquishing control to Lero. Minutes later the whole group busied themselves, packing up the camp. As Rarity and Lero were collapsing their big tent, Rarity stole a kiss on his cheek.

Lero smiled. “What was that for?”

“For being you, my prince,” she said. “And I’ve been thinking. About what I asked last night. I think you should trust the Lost.”

“Really?”

“I do.”

Lero looked confused. “Just like that? Why?”

Rarity smiled again. “Because beneath the uncouth demeanor, the stern words, all the violence, he’s you. At his very core, he’s you, Lero, and if I couldn’t trust him, it would mean that I didn’t trust you. And what kind of mare would I be if I didn’t trust the man I love?”

Lero was silent a moment before giving a small smile. She so rarely used that term, ‘man’. He was always a ‘stallion’.

“Okay, princess,” he said. “I’ll trust him too.”

They had just finished packing the last of the gear when the ground shook. Everyone stopped.

Again the ground shook, more violently this time. Rainbow stumbled, dropping a canteen she had been trying to refill. “Woah! What was that?”

Lero looked around, scanning for any sign that might explain what was-

His eyes landed on the stone circle. The linear patterns, the pictograms detailing a rising hill-

“Oh shit,” hissed the Lost, snapping back to the surface. He grabbed his pack and sloppily slung it around his shoulders. “RUN!!”

“What?!” shouted Rainbow, as the ground began to quake underneath them.

“Get off the hill! MOVE IT!!”

The group made a mad scramble to get all of their belongings and dash down the grassy hill. The ground began to crack, a long chasm splitting the surface swallowing up anything too close to it. Several of the dead wolf creatures fell in, buried beneath mounds of moving earth. Trees began to uproot and snap like twigs as the ground surged upwards in some places.

Luna looked back, her jaw dropping, her eyes widening. “By all the stars,” she marveled.

The hill had split open in several places, great chunks of dirt and rock rolling off of it in a destructive avalanche. A gargantuan form began to rise up and an eerie moan sailed through the air.

As the group reached the edge of the treeline, they turned back and stared.

The hill stared back with glowing green eyes.

It was awesome, in every classical sense of the word. The hill had uprooted itself, revealing to be the slumbering form of some kind of titanic creature. Great grey slabs of stone made up its body, all covered in the same linear patterns as the stones that once crested the hill. It raised up a giant three-fingered hand and brought it crashing down, shooting up a fountain of new debris. It used its freed limb to push itself all the way out from the ground.

“What in Tartarus is that?!” shouted Twilight.

“A Garganstone!” shouted back the Lost. The titan continued to struggle out of the ground.

“The portal!” shouted Lyra. The group’s eyes went upwards and their stomachs fell. The top of the hill, on the titan’s back, rose higher and higher. The small pond that was their portal home had spilled off the behemoth’s back like so much rainwater, soaking straight into the dirt at the titan’s feet.

A leg appeared next, and the giant stood completely upright, a full three times taller than the hill that had once covered it. Dirt and rock continuing to slough of it like shelves of snow off a roof. It gave another eerie moan as the last of the debris fell around it in a newly formed crater.

The giant, oblivious to the tiny mortals below, began to move, each mighty step sending great tremors through the ground. It strode straight into the forest, the red-leaved trees crushed into mulch under its stone feet. The giant roamed onward, leaving a swath of destruction in its wake.

No one said anything. What could they say? They had just been shown how uncaring this strange new land was, how insignificant they were, and just how quickly things could change around them.

Their only way home had just been destroyed.

They were trapped.

Author's Notes:

Maybe I've been watching too much Game of Thrones. I think the Hound somehow jumped into the Lost back there.

And here we are introduced to our first examples of wildlife! Introducing the Enticer and the Briar Wolf! And they are just the beginning.

Many thanks go out to Mike Teavee for editing, as well as everyone who has ever commented, liked, and favorited this story. Keep it coming people! I want to hear your thoughts on this, every piece of criticism helps me improve!

'Til next time!