Four Years Later
July 25, 997 C.R.
Everfree Forest

Shade steps over logs and pushes branches out of her way as she journeys through the Everfree Forest. The time to turn back had long since expired. With a forest that shifts and changes constantly, the way back home will look completely different. She decides to worry about that when the time comes. Right now, determination courses through her veins. She needs to see her friends and more importantly escape from Death's insanity before she catches it. Shade parts the bushes in front of her and grunts in amusement at the clearing she finds. She settles on taking a little break beside a tree from her three-day-non-stop trek.

A small groan escapes her as she folds her legs under to lay beside a wide, dark tree with twisted limbs and oily black leaves. She levitates her saddlebags off her back and sets them in front of her after retrieving half a canteen of water. She had packed four to be on the safe side. The trade off of benefits of her Tricorn blood requires frequent rehydrating. If worse comes to worse, she can hunt for her hydration.

Shade rests her head on her leg. She pulls out a random letter from the dozens in her saddlebags and smiles at the illustration Pinkie had drawn. The letter was a birthday card for her fourteenth birthday, and Pinkie's picture was the two of them stuffing their faces with cake. It was funny because Shade never will do such a thing. A short sigh escapes Shade.

A shriek pierces through the silence of the forest which makes Shade lift up her head. Ten seconds later, a cry of pain follows. With the old Shade long since gone, Shade gets up quickly and straps her saddlebags back on. She will try to get her good deed of the year over with early. Shade heads the direction of the cry.

Five minutes later, she hears groaning and hissing. From some bushes, she spots the producer of the noise up in a tree. A young cyan pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail had her wings tangled in the branches of a dead tree.

"Ow! Ow! Owowowowowow!" the pegasus interjects as she tries to pull her wings out of the clutches of the tree.

"Looks like I found breakfast," Shade cracks. A slow smile spread across her lips as the Pegasus freezes and slowly turns to Shade.

The pegasus exhales a breath of relief. "Hey, that's not funny."

Shade cocks her head at the Pegasus. Where have I heard her voice? She walks over to the tree and leans on its wide trunk as she looks up at the pegasus.

"Do. . . do you have three horns?" the pegasus questions.

"What a very astute observation."

"What kind of unicorn has three horns?"

"What kind of pegasus gets stuck in a tree?"

The pegasus narrows her fuschia eyes at the ivory tricorn(?). "Touché."

"Well, besides my friend Ditzy Doo, but she is special," Shade comments as she wraps the pegasus in a crimson aura and frees her.

"You know Derpy?" the pegasus asks. She releases a yelp when the magic holding her vanishes.

Shade looms over the pegasus with her hooves on opposite sides of the pegasus' head and speaks low, "Her name is Ditzy Doo."

The pegasus gulps and chuckles nervously. "Y-yeah. Right," her voice cracks.

Shade steps away from the pegasus to allow her to scramble to her hooves.

The pegasus gets up and winces as she tries to flex her wings. She begins to pull the largest twig free from her bent wing. Crimson magic encases the twig and all the branches in her wing and dislodges themselves from her wing. She looks up and sees the tricorn(?) walking towards her. She flinches when the ivory mare's cold hooves grip and inspects her wings.

"So. . . what are you?" she finally asks.

"My name is Shade, and I am a Tricorn."

"That's cool. My name is "

Snap.

"RAINBOW DASH!" she yells. She pulls her wing from out of the icy grip of the Tricorn. "What the hay was that for?!"

Shade frowns at the pegasus and looks at the pegasus' wing.

Rainbow Dash follows her gaze and flexes her wing. "Huh?" she grunts as the wing moves naturally. "Um, thanks," she replies bashfully.

"First one is free," Shade remarks and starts to walk away.

"Hey! What about my other wing?" Rainbow Dash asks as she follows Shade.

"I told you the 'first one is free.' If you want me to fix your other wing, it will cost you."

"I don't exactly have bits on me." Rainbow Dash stops in her tracks to keep from bumping into Shade stopping abruptly. Rainbow Dash feels Shade's pale yellow eyes scanning her.

"You have a body," Shade winks suggestively with a smirk.

Rainbow Dash flushes red. "What?!"

Shade chuckles and walks over to the side of Rainbow Dash with the broken wing. She touches Rainbow Dash and notices her rising body heat. "I jest," Shade says as she pushes the dislocated humerus back into place. "You do not have anything I want." Shade carefully rotates the ulnare and radiale bones into proper position. "Pegasus pain threshold and body durability always fascinate me."

"Um, thanks?" Rainbow Dash replies uncertainly.

Shade nods, "If you do not call Ditzy Doo 'Derpy' again you are square with me."

Rainbow Dash watches as Shade walks away through the thick vegetation. She decides to follow her.

"Why are you out here in the Everfree Forest?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Because going around would take a week, I dislike trains, and I can not teleport all they way to Ponyville yet," Shade explains, "In short, it is the fastest way to Ponyville from my current residence."

"Oh."

"Why are you here in this fantastical forest?"

Rainbow Dash floats closely behind Shade and ducks under a low branch. "I was resting on a cloud, waiting for the movers to bring my house when the cloud suddenly disappeared, and I fell. It looked like the tree reached up and grabbed me."

"It is not out of the realm of possibility."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. The forest is not particularly fond of outsiders."

"How come you aren't afraid?"

Shade turns her head to look at Rainbow Dash and grins. "Does that mean you are afraid?"

"N-no!" Rainbow Dash answers defensively.

"I have taught the forest to fear me," Shade replies.

"I can believe that is 'not out of the realm of possibility.'" Rainbow Dash chuckles. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"'Fourteen' and you're still a blank flank?"

Shade spins around and pulls the pegasus down with her magic to face her. "Do you need a reason to fear me?"

"I was just curious!" Rainbow Dash throws up her forehooves in defense.

Shade releases Rainbow Dash and snorts, "Stop staring at my flank."

The next twenty minutes pass in silence. Rainbow Dash was beginning to think Shade did not know where she was going until they emerge from the forest. Rainbow Dash spots a familiar cottage in the distance.

"Thanks for helping me back there, Shade."

Shade nods.

"Well, that is my friend's house, so I guess I'll see you around," Rainbow Dash says before taking off to Fluttershy's house.

Shade watches Rainbow Dash zip to Fluttershy's house with only one thought on her mind: How come she leaves a rainbow trail as she flies?