It was just another ordinary day in Equestria. The sun came and went on its daily path through the sky as the denizens of Ponyville went about their daily business. Just as the yellowish-orange glow of the nearly setting sun cast its rays onto the Golden Oaks library, Twilight Sparkle sat in the main room of the library looking curiously at a letter that her number one assistant Spike was holding.

Twilight hummed with intrigue as the young dragon fiddled with the scroll from the princess. She wondered what Celestia could have possibly wanted this late in the day.

“Go ahead and open it, Spike.” Twilight moved in closer and looked eagerly to the dragon. Spike nodded and flipped his fingers over the seal on the letter. He jumped in surprise as a small box fell out of the scroll and onto the table in front of him.

“Yikes! I hope nothing breakable was in there.” The dragon sighed at his own clumsy mistake. He picked up the box and shook it gently to determine the contents. “Doesn’t feel like anything is moving around… must be secured pretty well.” He said with a slight hint of relief in his voice.

Twilight shrugged in annoyance as she picked up the box herself and contemplated opening it. As she inched her hoof forward to remove the lid of the small container, Spike unrolled the scroll and started reading it. The unicorn put the box back down and listened intently as he read the letter to her.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle. I am sorry to trouble you this late in the evening, but there is a matter of great importance that I need you to tend to.” Spike perked up with curiosity as he got further into the letter. ”Enclosed within this letter is a box containing an… interesting item of importance.” The dragon chuckled nervously in embarrassment as he looked at the package on the table.

“Can I see the letter, Spike? I want to read this for myself.” Twilight beckoned with her hoof and waited for the dragon to hand her the letter.

“Oh… alright, here you go.” Spike reached forward and waited patiently for the unicorn to lift the letter out of his hand with her magic. Twilight concentrated on the scroll for a moment and lit up her horn. A bright purple glow enveloped the scroll around Spike’s hand and he let go as he felt the paper nudge out of his grip.

Twilight levitated the paper in front of her eyes and adjusted the scroll to reading level. She then quickly read over the beginning part of the letter to find where Spike had stopped reading. She inhaled sharply as she prepared to read the note aloud.

“I need you to deliver this box to Zecora and tell her to examine the contents to see what she can find. I also need you to gather up the other element bearers and take them, along with Spike, with you on your journey. Once you get to Zecora’s house and she finds anything of note, write me back as soon as possible as I would like to talk with you all about a pressing matter.” The unicorn finished reading the curious scroll. She had just about as many questions now as she had when she started reading.

Spike listened curiously as he fiddled with the strange box. He wondered what could be so important in the small container, and why the princess felt the need to have Zecora examine it. Whatever it was, it must have been important enough to warrant immediate attention considering how late it was.

“Why does the princess want Zecora to examine whatever is in here? It looks too small to have anything that important inside.” Spike mused with a curious expression.

Twilight trailed her eyes off and thought about the matter herself. “I don’t know Spike, but it must be pretty important if she wants you to come along to write letters back and forth. Though... I wonder why she wants all of us to go?” She pondered curiously, focusing her attention on the letter and searching it for new text.

“Be sure to not open the box before Zecora has a chance to look at it Twilight.” Twilight read off a small section at the bottom of the letter. Spike stopped suddenly upon hearing this. He was just about to take a peek inside the box before he heard the statement.

Twilight sighed and rolled the letter back up. She then gently placed the scroll on the table and looked at the young dragon with a tired expression. “We better get going I guess. Could you go and get my bag for me, Spike?” The purple mare droned. She hadn't exactly planned to be traveling such a lengthy distance around Ponyville this late in the evening. She then tried to perk up and focus on her curiosity as to the contents of the strange package.

“Sure thing…” Spike groaned, half politely, half begrudgingly. The last thing the young dragon wanted to do was to go out into the Everfree Forest after dark with a mysterious package from the princess. Despite his apprehensions, Spike hopped up from his seat and went to fetch Twilight’s bag from the other room.

So without delay, Twilight went around Ponyville asking her five friends, who along with herself comprised the elements of Harmony, to join her. After gathering all of her friends, who had all agreed to come after dark due to some of them having things to attend to, the group marched into the forest on their way towards finding out just what was in that box.

“So what do you think the princess wants Zecora to look at?” Applejack spoke ahead quizzically to Twilight and Spike, who were at the head of the group.

“I don’t know Applejack, but whatever it is it sounded urgent,” Twilight replied back while still trying to figure out the meaning of their late night journey. The unicorn’s horn lit up a bright purple as she used her magic to lift the scroll up out of her bag and in front of her eyes. “I need you to deliver this box to Zecora and tell her to examine the contents to see what she can find.” She spoke loud enough so the entire group could hear her paraphrasing the letter. She had hoped that rereading the scroll would offer her new insights to her quest, but sadly she was still just as clueless as her friends were.

“Hmm… I wonder if she wants us to go on a secret mission for her?” Rainbow Dash ventured with intrigue brimming in her voice. “I really hope so… nothing exciting has happened for the last three days… and the exciting thing that happened three days ago was a runaway storm cloud that we had to get under control.” The cyan pegasus sighed while recalling the lack of excitement in the past week as she hovered alongside the group with her wings.

“I’m sure the princess will explain why we are out here when we get there.” Rarity stated confidently whilst walking sideways to dodge a patch of mud. The remark made Rainbow Dash sigh with boredom as she anxiously thought about why they were out here in this cold, bleak forest.

Twilight eyed the letter for a while before levitating it back into the bag she had strung around her hips. She then looked at her surroundings to see if they were still on track. Satisfied at the sight of familiar trees and plants, she knew that they were not far off from their destination.

“We’re almost there everyone.” Twilight reported, giving the group an update on their progress. The ponies were relieved to know that their journey was almost over. Even if they were on a marked path in the forest, the eerie noises and dark thicket of plants to either side of them made them feel scared and uneasy every time they came here.

“Good, I’m getting tired… I’m not used to staying up this late.” Spike moaned softly as he held his hand up to his mouth to cover a yawn. The dragon leisurely laid his head back so he could lay flat on the unicorn’s body to get some rest before they reached their destination.

Twilight grunted slightly and looked back at Spike in annoyance. “You’re not the one walking for both of us Spike.” The purple mare shrugged while remembering the extra weight on her body. The dragon sat up and chuckled awkwardly as he heard the annoyance in the unicorn’s voice.

“Oh yeah… Sorry.” Spike said with mild embarrassment while rubbing the back of his neck as he forgot that he had been riding on Twilight's back for most of the trip.

Twilight came to a halt suddenly, almost causing a pile up of ponies behind her. Everyone looked at the purple mare with confusion and slight annoyance written on their faces. They then took a moment to look at the area in front of them.

“Here we are,” Twilight exclaimed excitedly as they came to the clearing where Zecora’s hut lay. The grass in the clearing was much shorter and more up kept than everywhere else in the forest. Zecora’s hut sat in the center of the clearing. The hut resembled a tree more than anything else, having been made from one that was hollowed out.

“I hope she is still awake.” Fluttershy piped up from the back of the group. It was rather quiet and dark as the moon shone down on the forest floor through the openings in the trees, so there was a very good chance that the zebra was asleep.

“I think she is… there are lights on in the window.” Twilight observed, hopeful that her findings were correct. The ponies looked over to see the warm and inviting looking candle light flicker softly in the windows of the hut.

The group walked over to the house and gathered around the entrance. Twilight knocked gently on the door with her front hoof and waited. Soon, the group could hear the muffled noise of Zecora walking to the door. The door creaked open to reveal the friendly zebra standing amid the orange glow of nearby candles.

“Twilight Sparkle and friends, at this late hour what news do you send?” Zecora looked puzzled at the unexpected party of visitors at her doorstep and waited for an answer. Twilight was the first to speak on behalf of the small group.

“Princess Celestia sent me a letter requesting that we come see you immediately.” Twilight explained in a friendly tone. She brought the scroll back out and showed it to Zecora, which made her perk up with intrigue.

“In that case, come in and sit in the light. You need some shelter from this dark and chilly night.” The zebra motioned with her hoof for the group to come in and sit down. Everyone smiled at the invitation into the warm and cozy hut. Once inside, the group quickly got comfortable and attended to the business at hand.

“There’s a package that came with the letter. The princess only wanted you to open it.” Twilight explained their purpose for being there as quickly as possible so that they might get home at a decent hour.

“Come on then child, give me the letter… Let’s see what made the princess think old Zecora would know better.” Zecora asked with a peaked sense of curiosity. Twilight handed off the letter and package to the zebra, who quickly read the letter before shifting her attention to the box.

After examining the box and making note of its size and shape, Zecora carefully lifted the lid off of it. The contents of the box were hard to make out as the lit candles that illuminated the entire room did not cast far into the container. From what Zecora could make out, it looked like a glass jar secured to the bottom of the box that had something black and slimy inside of it.

“Let’s get a better look at this… thing?” Zecora muttered in a confused tone. She was at such a loss of words that she broke her natural pattern of speaking in rhyme. As she grasped the glass jar and lifted it out of the box and onto the table, the group could just barely make out the sight of the item contained within. The object inside was as puzzling to the zebra as it was to everyone else.

A small, black, and amorphous blob sat at the bottom of the jar. It appeared to be organic, but at the same time, it failed to look like anything that would come from any plant or animal. It appeared as if its skin, if you could loosely call it that, was covered in a bright sheen that seemed to shift around the stationary blob of its own volition.

“Everyone step back so we can see it better in the light.” Twilight suggested while squinting to try and make out more details of the strange object. Everyone but Zecora stepped back, allowing the candle light to hit the bottle.

*Thump*

The object in the jar suddenly shot upwards and smacked against the side of the glass jar, making Zecora flinch and jump back instinctively. Everyone else was a little more alarmed by the unexpected noise, getting a quick rush of fear that made them recoil in surprise.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

The black blob kept violently jumping around in the container trying to escape. The ponies looked at the odd creature nervously as it made the jar jump slightly with each impact.

“Interesting little… thing. I’m curious to see what mysteries it will bring.” Zecora said while regaining the mental acuity needed to start rhyming again.

“W… w-what is it?” Fluttershy asked timidly after being startled by the creature’s initial thud into its glass prison. She eyed it fearfully while trying to mentally determine if it could escape from the glass jar to get at her.

“I don’t know… but I don’t think it likes the light.” Pinkie said with childlike wonderment in her voice while trying to crane her head at an angle to get a better look at the thing. She poked the jar gently, causing the creature inside to stop hoping around momentarily. The blob wriggled around as if in response to the pink pony disturbing it. Her other friends, mostly Rarity, eyed the blob with mortified expressions expecting it to have been angered by the pink mare toying with it.

Zecora looked inside the box only to find another letter from the princess. Fueled by eager curiosity, the zebra quickly picked up the note and fumbled it around so she could understand and read the contents easily.

“Dear Zecora, this black substance has been found in some remote locations out in the countryside. It is repulsed by light and feels extremely cold to the touch. Please exercise caution when examining it, and if it gets out of your control it can be destroyed by sunlight or anything that can mimic it… please contact me as soon as you can learn more about it.” The zebra read off with a curious inflection in her voice.

“Hmm interesting, I may need more supplies to safely examine this thing,” Zecora mumbled while deep in thought. “Twilight…” The zebra spoke up suddenly while turning to face the unicorn.

“Hmm?” Twilight’s head shot up from hearing her name being called.

“Could you go out and gather some light emitting plants for me? Out in the woods behind my house is where they should be.” Zecora explained her request to Twilight while still eyeing the energetic blob as it resumed jumping around in its glass home.

“Alright, Zecora. Anybody want to help? I think three of us could get the job done faster.” Twilight reasoned while turning to the group pleadingly. Her words held some truth to them, but she also felt that she would be less nervous about the dark forest around her if she had someone to talk to.

“Ah’ll help.” Applejack spoke up from the small crowd and stepped forward confidently.

“Me too... I’ll come!” Rainbow Dash volunteered excitedly while moving next to the farm pony in front of the group. Twilight was glad to see that she would have two of her best friends accompanying her on her trip.

“I want to go too.” Spike spoke up eagerly as he jumped from his seat at the news of a task he could help out on.

Twilight looked down to the eager little dragon sadly. She didn't feel comfortable with taking him to explore an area of the forest she was unfamiliar with. Not wanting to hurt the young dragon’s feelings, she tried to think of an excuse to force him to stay.

“Sorry spike, Zecora might need you to send a message to the princess. You will have to stay here for now.” Twilight explained, feeling sorry that she had to leave her number one assistant behind. She patted him on the head and ruffled the green scales that served as his hair.

“Oh, ok…” Spike sighed dejectedly and walked away with a disheartened expression before sitting back down on the floor and placing his head on his hand for support. Although he knew that the unicorn didn’t want him to go because she was worried about him, he didn’t want to make a fuss about such a small issue.

The three ponies looked sadly at the dragon sulking in the corner and gave him a sympathetic frown. They then walked over to the door and waited while Twilight opened it and paused.

“Ok then... everyone else stay here and help Zecora, we’ll be back soon.” The cheerful unicorn exclaimed optimistically as she and her small troop waved to the others before stepping out of the door. The three walked out into the cool night air and stepped around the side of the hut in search of the path in question.

“Zecora said we’re looking for light emitting plants right?” Applejack asked just to be sure they weren’t about to step into the forest without anybody knowing what they were looking for.

“Yeah… she said they would be along the path out to the back of the house.” Twilight replied while looking past the hut to the tree line out back. A short way from the house lay a small clearing in the trees giving way to a roughly laid out dirt path.

The ponies squeezed through the low hanging branches and poked their heads through the opening. The thick covering of trees made it hard for the light to hit the path, which in turn made it difficult to tell the path apart from the rest of the ground. Twilight went in front of the group and used her horn to light the way as she paid close attention to the path while avoiding the vegetation poking up from the forest floor.

After a few minutes of walking along the path, the group started to feel like they would never find the special plants amid the thick vegetation. The faded dirt path barely avoided running into any trees as it winded through the forest. Vines and branches invaded the airspace above the path, occasionally hanging low enough to warrant the ponies ducking underneath them or brushing them aside.

“At this rate, we aren’t going to find anything out here.” Rainbow Dash shrugged while feverishly looking through the trees for a hint of light.

“Are you sure these plants are even out here Twilight? We’ve been looking for a while now.” Applejack droned pessimistically while brushing some vines out of her face.

Twilight sighed in frustration while looking back to her anxious friends. Although she had never heard of the plants herself, she had no reason to doubt the zebra’s instructions.

“Zecora said they were out here… so I’m sure we should run into them any m-” The purple unicorn was interrupted by a glow of dark orange light coming from just ahead. The light dimmed after a few seconds, returning the area to darkness, only to light up a few seconds later.

“That must be them! Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed excitedly as she rushed ahead of the group to investigate the light.

After walking quickly to catch up with the eager pegasus, the group was in sheer awe at the sight that lay before them. A brown plant sat in small bunches beside the path. The top of the plant split off into several branches that resembled the top of a tree that had its leaves removed. Each branch softly glowed a ray of orange light that carried a short distance, enveloping the group of ponies in their combined brilliance before fading back into darkness.

“These are definitely light emitting plants.” Twilight announced while still taking in the beauty of the surroundings as they were bathed in orange light.

“As pretty as they are, let’s hurry up and pick them so we can get back. Ah’m sure the others will worry if we take too long.” Applejack managed to stop staring at the plants long enough to remind her friends of their task.

Twilight snapped out of her transfixed stare and used her magic to lift the plants out of the ground and place them in her bag, where they continued to glow. Once all the plants had been collected, the area was only lit up by the shining light from the purple mare’s horn.

“Alright, let’s move on… I think I see more of them up ahead.” Twilight exclaimed while walking toward another patch of orange glow further along the path.

After spending five or ten minutes picking every glowing plant they could find, the group was starting to get slightly unnerved from venturing this far into the Everfree forest. The trio had made some turns on the path, and it was getting a lot darker as gray clouds rolled in front of the moon, concealing whatever already dim lighting it was providing. To add to the poor situation, the ponies had not run into any light emitting plants for some time to help them see through the thick trees surrounding them.

The wind howled ominously, sending a cold chill down the three mares' spines. Every stray shadow made by the passing trees made the ponies feel even more uneasy. Every fiber of their beings told them that they shouldn't be in this eerie situation.

“Twilight, are you sure you can lead us back?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously while eyeing their surroundings.

“Don’t worry… I can retrace our steps using the path.” Twilight chimed optimistically whilst lighting up her horn a little brighter. She looked down at the path, which was barely even distinguishable from the ground, and gulped nervously.

“If you can even see the path for crying out loud…” Applejack’s eyes narrowed with concern as she also had difficulty in telling the path apart from the rest of the forest floor.

The group stopped in their tracks when they heard something rustling in the bushes behind them. The ponies froze up and listened as intently as they could. The trio darted their eyes from side to side as they prepared themselves mentally for whatever laid on the other side of the bushes.

“W... w-what was that?” Applejack stammered while trying to keep herself calm. Normally the thought of an animal in some bushes wouldn't concern the orange mare, but given their current surroundings, and her already tense nerves, she was scared stiff.

Even though she liked to count herself the bravest of the group, even Rainbow Dash’s knees were shaking when the thing in the bushes starting growling. The sound was unlike anything the ponies had heard before in the forest. Even though the Everfree was full of unknown plants and animals, the sound currently coming from the bushes sounded far too menacing for anything natural to be causing it.

“I don’t know Applejack… it’s probably just a timberwolf.” Twilight explained through chattering teeth in an attempt to rationalize the situation and calm her fears. The other two looked at the unicorn with doubtful expressions before shifting their attention back to the imminent threat. It was low at first, but the growling was rapidly getting louder as the bushes rattled even further.

The sound of something stepping on a twig and making it snap under its weight made the ponies jump back in fear. The bushes gave one last rattle as the sound of multiple objects exiting them put the trembling group on high alert.

“Twilight!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash nearly screamed in unison.

“W-w-what?!” Twilight yelled back while trying to contain her own fear.

“T-turn on your light again! I want to be able to see what’s about to eat me!” Rainbow Dash could hardly stunt the fear in her voice as she practically begged her friend to light up her horn. In her panic, the unicorn had not noticed that her horn had stopped glowing from lack of concentration.

“Oh... oh my goodness!” Twilight exclaimed suddenly, realizing that they were in pitch blackness. She scrambled to light up her horn and illuminate the area in front of her. Once the light returned, the ponies stared in a combination of bewilderment and fear at what they saw. In the distance, the group could faintly see something large moving in the darkness. The ponies started backing up while keeping their wide eyes focused in front of them.

“Twilight… w-what is that?” Applejack stuttered in profound horror. Twilight looked over to the cowpony and saw that she was tensing up in fear.

The group could hear the sound of claws scraping on the ground in front of them. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they could see three shadowy masses inching closer to their sanctuary of light. The creatures sounded almost unnatural as they made noises that sounded like a mixture of growling and moaning.

“I don’t know Apple-” The unicorn was cut off by the creatures entering the light and finally revealing their true forms. One by one, the creatures stepped a leg into the bubble of light being cast by the unicorn. As the rest of the creatures' bodies came into view, the ponies made a fearful discovery about the predators.

Nothingness... black nothingness was all that could be seen of the creatures. They were merely black masses in the shape of large animals. Their skin seemed to shift around, casting dark shades of black and purple as it moved. Amid the mass of undulating blackness, the ponies could identify shapes that resembled legs, bushy hair, clawed feet, and a mouth that served host to a myriad of sharp and pointed teeth.

“They look like the thing back at Zecora’s, only a little... different.” Twilight observed nervously. She was right. While the three black shapes in front of them looked similar to the blob in the bottle, they appeared less solid. The light nearly passed through them, giving them the appearance of shadows that got up off the ground and started walking.

The beasts looked around for a moment at their surroundings before fixating on Twilight. They seemed almost fascinated at the sight of the brightness coming from the small animal’s head. Twilight squeaked nervously as she noticed the three creatures turn to look at her.

*Raaaggghhhhh!!!* The three beasts let out an agitated cry that made the ponies’ ear drums nearly explode.

The trio covered their ears with their hooves to block out the terrifying and deafening sound. The creatures snarled viciously, causing the group to back up even further. The three ponies felt something solid hit their backs as they ran into a tree in their hasty attempt to put distance between themselves and the frightening monsters in front of them. The beasts looked to Twilight once more and started growling fiercely again.

Rainbow Dash started hyperventilating as the sight of the monsters aiming for her friend made her even more nervous.

“I think they don’t like the… light.” The cyan mare stated in nervous revelation. The three ponies looked at each other, and then at twilight's glowing horn as they came to the same conclusion. They all unanimously decided that they had to get away from the strange animals.

After scrambling around the tree in an awkward fashion while facing forward, the group started backing up slowly, all the while keeping eye contact with the fierce predators that stood before them. Every step the ponies took backwards, the beasts took two forward, slowly gaining ground on their prey.

Applejack looked around in a panic while trying to think of a way to save herself and her two friends. The beasts paused momentarily and reared up while preparing to pounce on the three trembling ponies. The farm pony could tell when an animal was about to strike, although the creatures didn’t exactly look like an average animal.

“EVERYPONY RUN!” The orange mare exclaimed loudly to her friends, though they needed no confirmation as they all turned and ran as fast as possible in the other direction.

The ponies could hear the sound of the three creatures breaking into a sprint behind them. The fierce growling and snarling noises swiftly catching up to them elicited enough strength in the three mares to make them run faster.

The group took a swift turn once they hit a large tree, hoping that perhaps it would shake the three predators behind them. However, one small glance behind her told Twilight that they were still being followed by the beasts.

“Keep running!” The unicorn exclaimed in between breaths to her two friends. The pegasus and farm pony needed no instruction to continue as they fled from the creatures giving chase.

After running through a few minutes of twists and turns, Twilight suddenly found herself alone as her two friends were nowhere to be seen. Panicked at the sudden realization that her friends were missing, Twilight darted her head around while feverishly looking for them.

“Applejack?! Rainbow Dash?! Where are you guys?!” The unicorn yelled loudly, hopeful that her cries could reach her friends somewhere nearby. Twilight looked behind her to check how close the beasts had gotten.

*Crack*

The unicorn careened into a low tree branch while running at full sprint. The impact made her neck twist at an odd angle as the force made her head bend farther back than was comfortable for her body. Her eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment as she was dazed by the hit on her head. Twilight stumbled to the side as she felt dizzy and light headed from the strike.

“Ughh…” The dazed mare shook her head to snap herself out of her stupor before regaining speed. *Huff*…*huff*… gotta find…*huff*… help.” She muttered to herself in between breaths.

“Where are the others?*huff*” The purple unicorn panted while looking around her. “I could have sworn the path was this way.” She said nervously as she desperately tried to think back to how many turns she had made since exiting the path.

Frustrated at her ill-fated attempts at remembering which way she was facing after all the commotion, Twilight picked up her pace slightly once she heard the beasts growling and snarling behind her. From the sound of it, all three of the creatures had decided to chase after her. While this made her even more terrified, Twilight also felt slightly thankful that her friends were not in any danger.

What in Celestia’s name are those things? She wondered to herself while jumping over a fallen tree. Doesn’t matter now, just have to find the others. Twilight looked back to the fallen tree she had just leaped over just moments before. To her horror, the beasts seemed to ignore the obstacle on the ground. The creatures passed through the object right before Twilight’s eyes as if they were ghosts.

The unicorn began to shiver uncontrollably as panic took over her body. In an attempt to calm herself down, Twilight started to think logically about where she was. She racked her mind while trying to simultaneously retrace her steps and run for her life. However, Twilight could not concentrate due to her burning lungs. She was running on fumes at this point as fatigue and muscle pains rocked her body.

“*huff*… I can’t keep running much longer…*wheeze*… but it looks like those things can go on for miles.” Twilight panted while glancing behind her quickly. She whirled her head back around just in time to watch herself trip on a log and fly through the air. The unicorn grunted in pain as she impacted with the ground. Her body rolled over a few times, causing more trauma to her already sore frame.

The pony groaned as she struggled to lift her head up. She started to become even more fearful when she realized how difficult it was for her tired and sore body to move.

“Oh no… no, no, no!” Twilight quickly realized that even with all of the adrenaline pumping through her body that she could barely turn herself over to face her doom, much less get back up and run away from it.

She could see that the creatures had already caught up to her during her fall and were slowly approaching her while growling deeply. The sight of the monsters closing in on her made Twilight’s pupils shrink in size. She squeaked out a mess of high-pitched gibberish as her voice got caught in her throat.

“I… I…” Twilight glanced around while racking her mind trying to find a solution. She did the only logical thing that she could think of doing.

“Somepony... ANYPONY! HELP ME!” Twilight screamed as loudly as her tired body would allow. When suddenly, as if on cue to answer her plea, a bright flash of light engulfed her vision and forced her to shield her eyes. Twilight could hear the beasts crying out in pain as they recoiled behind the trees into the safe blackness.

When the light faded, Twilight opened her eyes only to be greeted with a strange sight. It was an odd looking creature that was kneeling with its hands placed on its bended knee. Twilight recognized the creature as a human, a bipedal animal that theories suggested were as intelligent as ponies were. She remembered reading that they went extinct millennia ago.

As it got up on its two legs, Twilight noticed it was wearing a blue jumpsuit, not unlike anything one would wear for exercising. While it was hard to tell in the darkness, Twilight could make out light reddish hair on its head. The creature also had a holster on its back that was holding what appeared to be a sword with an intricate design on its hilt.

“Wh… w-w.” Twilight was bewildered at the sight before her as she watched the human turn and look around. He looked confused as he scanned his surroundings for clues as to how he got where he was. He scratched his head before speaking in a dumbfounded tone.

“Where the heck am I?” He questioned to nobody in particular. He appeared more confused than frightened at his sudden appearance in a pitch black forest.