It's the next day and you have gone shopping with your daughter. Everyone in the city waves to you as you pass, some even bow, but you just smile and wave back, happy to see everyone living their lives without watching their backs for any danger.

"Are you sure you want to do this father?" your daughter asks as you enter the open market.

"It's fine sweetheart, it's just some shopping, besides my old body could use the exercise." you reply looking around at the one place that never changed; the open market.

It truly was something else, like traveling through time, the rustic atmosphere and happy personalities of the vendors really made you feel like Daybreaker never truly existed, and this was the same old Ponyville you grew up in.

"Well howdy there partner, looking to buy some apples?" you're asked as you come up to the Sweet Apple Acres vendor.

"I do believe we are my dear." you say before studying the mare in front of you.

She's about seventeen, having a light yellow coat and a dark grey mane, she wore a beat up and very worn Stetson hat on her head, and had light blue eyes.

"Now if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're related to young Apple Bloom." you say, making her eyes go wide.

"You know mah granny?!" she asks as your daughter picks out the apples she needs.

"That i do, she was a great mare, of course i didn't meet her until her middle years, but she was a nice mare, real kind to me when i needed help back in the day… tell her old man Storm says hello for me, would ya." you reply with a chuckle before sighing at the pleasant memories of your interactions with her.

"I'll do jus' that, now, will this be all?" she says before turning towards your daughter.

"Yes, that'll be it." she says getting out her bit bag.

"Nah, on the house this time, any friend of granny's is family to us." she says waving towards her.

"Are you sure?" she asks, only to have the apples bagged up and handed to her.

"Sure as sugar, sugarcube, on the house this time." She says, giving your daughter the bag.

"Thank you dear, you truly are an apple to the core." you say before continuing your shopping day with your daughter.

Nothing else significant happens during the rest of the trip and you get home to see the children all sitting in their seats, waiting for you.

"Grandpa, you're back, now we can continue with the story!" your grandson says as you enter the house.

"Did you all do your homework?" your daughter asks them, to which they just nod. "Very well, I'll trust you kids." she says before heading into the kitchen.

"So you waited for me to continue the story… very well, you have been a patient audience, so I guess we can continue." you say as you grab the white book off the shelf. "Now, where did I leave off yesterday?" you ask as you ease yourself into your reading chair.

"You just finished reading the second letter in the journal." one of the fillies replied, getting you to nod.

"Ah yes, Ms. Hurricane's letter, well i think it's best if we start there, shall we?" you say as you open the book to her letter and turn the page. "Here we go." you say before you continue the story…

<Scootaloo - Everfree Outskirts - 2014 F.H.E.>
"It was the year 2014, me and my friends had decided to head over to Zecora's to learn more about potions, or even help out with gathering some herbs for her. I think that was one of the only two things we ever did that hasn't ended in complete disaster yet, or tree sap. Of course, as I write this, I remember that we ended up being chased by timberwolves and had gotten separated from each other, I think Apple Bloom was going down the right path to Zecora's place, while I was being corralled away from it, I still kept a nice distance from them on my scooter, thank Celestia I brought it with me that day. Anyways, I kept getting corralled down a different path, one where I saw the castle of the two sisters in front of me, I was slightly confused at the time, because why would timberwolves bring me there of all places, but I didn't really think about it too much, as it meant getting away from them quickly. It wasn't until I had crossed the bridge and got to the door did I look back, what I saw was confusing and scary at the same time; the timberwolves were sitting in a half circle on my side of the bridge, blocking my only way out, but they seem to be waiting for something, or someone, with that in mind, I entered the castle as slowly as possible to keep an eye on them.

If I'm being honest, there wasn't much to look at, mostly just old walls with broken windows and torn banners. I had wandered about the old castle looking for another exit for a while when i stumbled across a room with a statue in it, looking around i saw an old desk with a red book on it, it was resting open right in front of the statue, as i was looking at the book, i saw a spell, but it was unique in the fact that anypony could cast it.

"Okay, I can work with this… but why is it just here?" I asked aloud, not knowing someone was watching me.

"So… you're the one who has been chosen..." I heard a voice from my right say, scaring me.

"W-who's there?" I asked as I noticed something in the darkness of one of the doorways, a pair of eyes looking at me, ice blue in color and slitted like an animal's.

"Time has come for him to be free, but it's your choice on whether or not to free him." The figure said before closing one of their eyes.

"Who are you?!" I asked loudly while looking at them, their response however...

"If you do free him, you will be taught a great power, and help save the world… but if you leave, someone else will be chosen to free him." They said before their other eye closed, and vanished from my sight.

I was slightly scared and confused, I didn't know what to do, on one hand, they said I could leave, but on the other, they said that this person trapped in stone could save the world… and I could free him, but I needed to think about it. So with that, I took the book and headed back to the entrance of the castle, after seeing that the Timberwolves were gone, I quickly left the area and headed back to Ponyville.

It didn't take long to get out of the Everfree, but when I did I was shocked by my honorary sister and her friends about to head in, we just looked at each other awkwardly until I spoke up.

"Uhh… hey everypony, what's going on?" I asked as we stared at each other.

"SCOOTS!" I heard being shouted just before I got tackled by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Oof, hey girls, nice to see you too… can I have my air back now?" I said while I was being crushed by my friends.

"Hey squirt, you aren't hurt, are ya?" Dash asked me as the Main Six came over to us.

"Not really, just some scratches from trees and whatnot, nothing serious." I replied as the girls got off me.

"So the Timberwolves weren't able to get you?" Twilight asked as I got back on my scooter.

"Nope, i was able to out sped them easily, though I did find somewhere to hide so I could catch my breath before coming back." I said before the book I had in my basket was floated out.

"What's this?" Twi asked as she was about to open it.

"Mine." was all I said before grabbing it out of her levitation. "Anyways, I'm going home, as I'm tired from all of that running from Timberwolves, see you girls tomorrow." I said before scootering off towards my temporary home.

"See ya tomorrow Scoots!" I hear Bloom call out as I rocketed away from the forest and into Ponyville.

It wasn't long before I came up to the 'Ponyville Adoption House' that I stayed at, like I said, a temporary home, and entered the building. The P.A.H. Was quite a nice place, and there were a few children there, twelve or thirteen if i remember correctly, and i was one of the younger kids, being ten years old without being adopted yet. I didn't mind though, it just meant that the right parents haven't shown up yet, now the house was taken care of by three ponies, the first being our healer, Nurse Redheart, she's nice, and even gives us lollipops for following her directions while she's tending to any injuries we have. Then there's our main caretaker; Creamy Hearts or Mrs. Hearts, she Button Mash's mom, and really nice, i think only Fluttershy is nicer than her, and Button sometimes comes over to help her, finally we have Dr.Whooves, or just Doc, he's not an actual doctor though, he just cleans the place and helps Mrs. Hearts whenever he can, though he does talk with a funny accent.

Yeah, this is where I lived for a few years now, ever since my parents died during a freak thunderstorm, which also affected me, as my mother protected me from a lightning bolt, which affected my wings to be stunted in their growth by the stray electricity hitting the nerves in my muscles.

"Hello Scootaloo, back from adventuring already?" I hear as I'm brought out of my reminiscing.

"Huh? Oh, hi Nurse Redheart, yeah, I'm done for the day, though i did find something interesting but it can wait for later, speaking of which, can i get a check up? I got a few scrapes from running away from some Timberwolves today." I say as i notice Nurse Redheart coming from the kitchen, she just sighs before nodding.

"Go up to my office, I'll be there in a few minutes." She replies with a tired expression.

"Yes ma'am." I quip before walking up the stairs towards her office/workspace.

The room looked like a normal nurses office that you would see in schools, a few beds, a small desk and a cupboard for medical supplies and what not, I think I memorized the entire room at this point, as I've been here after most of my adventures with the crusaders. It didn't take much longer for her to come in.

"Okay Scootaloo, let's see what the damage is this time." She says before I put my legs on the bed, there were a lot of scraps, but only a few that were bleeding a bit.

"Well, there's nothing too bad this time, some disinfectant and bandages should help with the bleeding ones, other than that, you're all good." She says as she examines both of my legs. "Now let's start this small process." She quips before pulling out the disinfectant and a small roll of bandages.

"Yes ma'am." was all I said before she started clearing up my legs.

It took only an hour before she let me go with another warning about playing near the Everfree forest again. Of course, I would be ignoring said warning in two weeks, but enough of that, I had a spellbook to read.

"I wonder what kind of magic is in that book… i think it's time to find out." I remember thinking at the time, unaware that those ice blue eyes were watching me again.

It had taken a while to look at some of the spells, as I didn't understand most of them, but the first spell that I did understand was one that created water, and the more experience I had with this magic, the more water I could summon. It had my attention immediately, as I could think of all of the payback I could get on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I decided to wait until night to attempt this spell outside, as it was water and I didn't want to explain why my room was suddenly soaked to the caretakers, until then, I bookmarked the page and hid the book, I didn't want anyone to find it by accident.

"Time for dinner everypony!" I heard being called from downstairs before a stampede of hooves came rushing by my room.

I quickly washed up and went downstairs to the dining room and saw everyone already seated.

"Wow, must be a world class meal if everypony's already waiting." I remarked before heading to my seat.

"Tonight's chicken alfredo with angel cake for desert." one of the older kids said before the cart was wheeled out by Mrs. Hearts. That got my attention, as chicken alfredo with angel cake was a special meal, so this meal meant something.

"Here you go everypony." Mrs. Hearts said serving us all a plate.

"Mrs. Hearts, what's the occasion?" one of the older kids asked, she simply smiled.

"Well, it just so happens that Ms. Redheart got a promotion at the hospital today, so I thought we'd celebrate that." She explained as we all looked to Nurse Redheart.

"Heh, nothing gets by you, does it Cream." she simply said shaking her head.

"Not when it comes to those I care about Red." Mrs. Hearts replied before sitting down. "So let's celebrate the promotion, shall we?" she asked, raising a glass.

"Let's." was all Redheart said raising her own glass.

"To Nurse Redheart!" one of the younger kids exclaimed getting us all to toast the same.

It was a fun night, we ate dinner, practical devoured dessert and played a few games before heading off to bed, i of course didn't go to sleep, as soon as the lights went out, i was up and grabbing the book, opening my window and climbing down the vine wall that was growing there.

I wanted to try that spell, so as soon as I got down from the wall I went into my stash, where I kept a lantern and a few extra light crystals to help power it. I quickly took it and an extra crystal just in case and left towards the clearing near the building, it was far enough away that i wouldn't disturb anyone but close enough that I could get back quickly.

"Okay, let's try this spell." I remember saying to myself as I opened the book to the bookmarked page.

From there, I practiced the spells in the book that I could comprehend, there weren't a lot of them, maybe nine or ten that I could find that actually made sense but I did it, i practiced almost all night, there was one spell however, that I kept coming back to, it was called 'Stone to Skin', it apparently was able to reverse petrification as long as said petrification was by magical means…

"And there it was, the spell I needed to reverse the petrification that Ms. Hurricane and Mr. Summereyes went through, but I needed to find where that book was hidden, so I could practice the spell and free them from their imprisonment, and so, with that thought running through my mind, I had closed the book and started to research what we knew of Ponyville, or rather, what was left of it. It took hours to find anything on the residences, but I managed to find something, there was a small settlement in the subways of Manehattan, and apparently there were some of the Apple Family in the settlement, with that in mind, I started to pack for a good four days walk, as it would be awhile before I reached the oceanside island of Manehattan. Of course, I packed the book with some food, water, and some gear to help me stay cool in the sun, with all of my items packed, I grabbed my cloak and set off, but I was stopped at the entrance by the pegasi again.

"Hey Storm, heading out again already?" one of them asked.

"I am, I think I found something to stop Daybreaker, but I need to travel first." I told them, they looked at me shocked.

"Are you sure you found something to stop the eternal sun?" one of them asked me cautiously. "Because a lot of ponies have said that, only to be completely false." the other said looking at their partner before looking back at me.

"It's not what I found… it's who, I found a pair of ponies who have the ability to take her down, I just need to free them, and in order to do that, I have to gather information, now I must leave, if I am to make it to my destination in a timely manner." I explained to them before passing them by and heading out.

"Wait!" One of them called out to me, and I looked back at them. "Where are you going? Just so we can tell the leaders." they asked stopping at the entrance to the camp.

"Manehattan." was all I said before turning around and setting out to the coastal city…

"And that is all I'll be able to tell today young ones." you say as you close the book once again, they are in awe of the story.

"Can we hear more tomorrow sir?" one of the colts asks as they start to stand up.

"Not tomorrow I'm afraid, I'll be busy tomorrow, but the day after that, I'll gladly continue the story." you reply patting the book in thought before putting it back unto the shelf where you keep it safe.

"Okay sir, I can't wait for more of that story, can you guys?" the colt asks before all of the children leave after saying goodbye.

"I know I won't be able to, I can't wait for tomorrow to pass by." you hear one of the fillies say just before they walk out of earshot.

You chuckle as you sit down at the dinner table and have your meal, it's a nice way to spend the time, telling of you're adventures throughout the hundred midday years, but you have a friend to visit, and a few alicorns to see tomorrow, if the date is anything to go by… it'll be another year since that battle, another year gone by, and to think, you're nearing the end of your life here on the planet.

"Hehehe… time sure does go by quicker than the blink of an eye… doesn't it Artimus." you say, seeing a pair of slitted ice blue eyes near the open window of your bedroom.

"That it does old friend… I heard the story you were telling the young ones, I haven't heard you read the journal to anyone before, so what's changed old man?" the holder of those eyes asked before the mare jumped through the window and into the light.

She was old, but she doesn't show it, she looks to be about thirty-five if your eyes haven't failed you, yet you knew she was as old as you were, maybe even older, her pure silver mane draped down the left side of her neck, having been braided to that side, with her coat being a midnight black with a bit of extra fur on her, she looked a lot like a pony, but her ears told a different story, she had wolf ears sticking out the top of her head instead of pony ears. You noticed that she was wearing her old traveling outfit, which consisted of a slightly tight brown shirt with pants that seemed to be just a bit too tight on her, along with her paws, which were slightly dirty for whatever she was doing beforehand.

"It looks like you need to trim your waist a bit old friend." you remark, getting her to blush.

"Oh hush you old geezer, you're just jealous that I can still pull off the old look." she replies before puffing out her cheeks and sticking her tongue out at you.

"Hahaha… perhaps I am, but to answer your earlier question about the journal… it is because I am getting a little too old my friend, I won't be able to live much longer, maybe five, six years at most, and I wanted to pass on my story, OUR story to someone, I couldn't pass it on to my daughter, she's too old, and wouldn't believe most of what I told her, but my grandson and his friends, well they'd be able to retell this story for a long time to come, they could even tell it to their children, and even their grandchildren if they have any… yes, I believe that even though my time is coming to a close here, our legacy should live on a little longer." you explain as you look off into the distance before looking back at one of your oldest friends. "Say, Artimus, will you like to join me on a trip into the Everfree tomorrow? I have some ponies I need to meet in the castle of the two sisters and I think they'd love to see you again." you ask her as she looks at you with interest in her eyes.

"I think I will old man, after all, someone needs to be there so you don't die on the way to the castle." she replies before hugging you. "But for what it's worth Storm, I've had fun spending time with you, and I'm sure as hell gonna miss you when you're gone, but don't worry, I'll carry on our legacy, and I'm sure the novice will too, after all, she still has a bit of her life still ahead of her." she says before leaping back towards the windowsill. "See you tomorrow old timer." she says before jumping out of the window and into the night.

"See you tomorrow… old friend." you say before going to bed and sleeping…

<???, Canterlot Castle, That same night>

"Is everything prepared Spike?" I ask as I finish up looking at the petitions for today.

"Yep, that's everything Twilight, but I still don't know where you're headed." my assistant replied as he placed the small travel bag next to the door.

"I'm not doing anything important Spike, I just need to visit a place for a few hours, then I'll be right back." I say as I teleport the stack of papers away.

"I get that, but I don't know where you're going." he says crossing his arms.

"I'm not going far, in fact, I'll be in sight of the castle the entire time I'm away." I say trying to ease his nerves.

"Fine, but if you're not back in four hours I'll send the royal guards." he says, trying to threaten me.

"Oooooh nooooo, what ever shall I do if you send the guards." I sarcastically say while walking towards my bed.

"Haha, very funny, I get it, just be safe, okay?" he comments before heading towards the door of my room.

"Hehehe, don't worry Spike, I'll be safe, besides, I'm going to be with Celestia and Luna the entire time." I say laying on my bed and pulling up the blanket.

"Fine, fine, you win… goodnight Twilight." he says at the door, ready to close it.

"Goodnight Spike." I reply before going to sleep.

Author's Notes:

Here's chapter two, hope y'all are enjoying the new version of my story. I've been working hard on it and this came to life, anyways as usual.
Stay terrifying my little nightmares
-Night Quill