The walk to the station was a short one; it only took a few minutes from Snooty's store. Even so, I was paranoid that the police might be after me. I kept a low profile, scanning the streets and ponies for any sign of them.

Thankfully, the walk was uneventful and I arrived at the station with no incident. The place was packed with ponies going about their business, but that was expected of a train station belonging to such a busy city like Manehattan. Even so, I wasn't used to crowds and it made me shiver with nervousness.

Tucking my coat close to me, I weaved my way through the immense sea of ponies to one of the ticket booths. Much to my surprise, there was a rather short line. As I reached the line, a yellow mare cut in front of me quickly, followed by another pony, and another. I wasn't about to say or do anything, though. The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself. I folded my ears back and let out a small sigh of defeat and began my wait in line.

I took this time to scan the crowds of ponies, ever vigilant for any signs of security or a police officer. I was too close to getting out of Manehatten to be caught now. Eventually, my gaze shifted to the pony in front of me. He was a young stallion that looked to be about my age. His coat was dark brown with an orange mane and tail. There was nothing particularly flashy about him, but he looked to be in great shape.

Now that I think about it, I never really took the time to 'check out' stallions when I ran my errands. Normally, I'd be in too much of a hurry to get done and get home. Now that I stopped to really look, this stallion was kinda cute... and he had a nice flank. My eyes widened and my face flushed with embarrassment as I brought a hoof to my muzzle and sank down, hoping nopony noticed where my eyes had wandered to.

Distracting myself, I looked off to my right at a mare in the line next to mine. She had a cyan coat with a long, forest green mane and tail that were well groomed and curled. There was also a large white flower in her mane; the same flower also adorned her flank. She was really beautiful. With my mind left with nothing to do but wander, I got to thinking again. Having a mare as a very special somepony had crossed my mind a few times.

It seems like it might be a little weird at first... but I don’t think I would have too much trouble accepting the love of another mare?

But In all reality, I just wanted somepony to love me for who I was, regardless of age or gender.

My thoughts were interrupted by an annoyed voice from an equally annoyed-looking mare. She had a tan coat with a very curly red mane and wore large, thick reading glasses.

"Can I help you, miss?" she asked, looking down to me with a frown.

"Y-yes... um, when is the next train to Ponyville?" I asked in a hushed tone, just above a whisper.

"What?" replied the ticketmare as she leaned in closer.

"U-um, ...when is the next train to Ponyville?" I asked, slightly louder than the first time.

The mare picked up some papers and adjusted her glasses before looking through them. "Lets see, the next train to Ponyville is due at... 6 pm, and the following one is tomorrow morning at 8 am."

6 pm!? But that's—

I turned and looked to the clock tower in the center of the station.

—Five hours from now!

I felt a wave of stress slam into me and I began to sweat a little. It had been bad enough watching out for the authorities for the past twenty minutes, but for five whole hours? This was going to be a long and stressful wait, but I would just have to manage.

"Well, are you going to buy a ticket or not? You're holding up the line, lady," stated the now very perturbed ticketmare.

"Y-yes, sorry... How much is a ticket for the 6 pm trip?" I asked as I opened my saddlebag and fumbled about before producing my small bag of bits.

"Twelve bits, please."

Twelve bits, that would leave me with nine bits. Just enough for some dinner and a place to stay the night once I reach Ponyville.

I stopped and thought for a moment about just how crazy this whole trip was. I was leaving the only city I had ever known to travel to a completely new town with nopony that I knew. The only thing driving me was the hope that I’d meet somepony whom I didn't even know if they would give me the time of day; all with nine bits to my name. If not for the dire situation, I would have been insane to even remotely consider the idea.

"Twelve bits, please..." The ticketmare asked again in utter deadpan.

"S-sorry, here," I responded as I hastily placed the bits on the counter.

The mare took them and passed me a ticket without another word or second glance. I quickly tucked away my ticket in my saddlebags and darted away from the booths. Looking back up to the clock tower, I thought about all the extra time I had to waste. This was going to be the longest five hours of my life. I figured I should probably find where I had to wait first of all. I fetched the ticket from my bag and looked it over to find where I had to go to.

The ticket read 'Railway 9' in large bold letters with the departure time below in smaller print. With that, I made my way to the section of the station where my railway would be. Each line came into a different section of the station designated by signs and a large enclosed glass waiting area on the edge of the tracks.

I scanned the faces of ponies I passed as well as those in the waiting areas, making sure there were no signs of security or the like. As I reached my destination I peered inside. It was, to my surprise, empty and relatively quiet compared to the rest of the station. It appeared that this place didn’t see much traffic.

I took a seat next to a large statue of a pony that conveniently blocked me from the view of anypony coming into the waiting area. I figured this would probably be the best spot to get comfortable and wait.

Reaching into my saddlebags, I pulled out a small clipboard with some parchment and a pencil that happened to be in the pack I grabbed during the rush to get out of my apartment. I took the pencil in my teeth, rather than risk somepony seeing me use my magic. I wasn't sure what I wanted to draw, so I looked about the station for some inspiration. After scanning my surroundings, I decided the station’s only real prominent feature was its clock tower, so I went with that and began my doodling.                                                  

Sometime later, and once satisfied with the drawing, I did one last glance to the tower to see what time it was. Fifteen minutes to four, so only two hours to go. The question now was what to do for the next two hours. My saddlebags only had a single sheet of parchment in them, and using the other side of it might smear the drawing I had just done; so I decided not to risk it. I sat my clipboard and doodle down next to me and let out a deep sigh.

With little more to do than ponywatch, the following hour crawled by at a pace that would make a snail appear to be a fitting rival to the Wonderbolts.

"So bored!" I whined out loud, slapping both hooves over my face as I slid down in my seat.

"Boy, you're telling me! I hate waiting for the train, talk about snoozeville," piped a small voice heading in my direction.

The sudden noise startled me and I snapped to attention as a short, clawed, bipedal creature toting a green scarf and a small satchel passed by the statute and sat down next to me. It was covered mostly in purple scales with green scales on its underbelly, and had large green spikes on its head and down its back. I looked the creature up and down, not sure what to make of it; it then turned to me and extended a claw.

"Hi, I'm Spike," stated the little purple creature. I paused for a moment, hesitantly glancing at his extended claw then back to him, then back to his claw and to him again.

"Well, nice to meet you too," he huffed, folding his arms as he turned away.

As much as I disliked socializing with new ponies, I felt bad about the impression I left with this little guy. There was something about him. Be it him being a creature I had never seen before or the guilt for being rude to such a friendly pony, or whatever he was; I decided to apologize.

"S-sorry... I didn't mean to be rude, I... I’ve just never seen anything like you before," I stammered hesitantly as I looked him over once more.

The creature turned back to me and puffed out his chest. "I'm a dragon!" he announced proudly, bringing a claw to his chest with a soft thump.

"O-oh... I have never seen a real dragon before.  I, um, thought they were... bigger?" I asked sheepishly.

The dragon placed his claws at his hips and shot me a look. "That’s because I'm a baby dragon," he said matter-of-factly with a hint of annoyance.

I threw a hoof to my muzzle to cover a small gasp. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know! I-I... I didn't mean to offend you, I'm really sorry..." I quickly apologized, trailing off into a whisper as I turned away.

Spike raised an eyebrow as he looked me over. "You know... you remind me of somepony I know; she’s also really quiet and apologizes a lot," he commented with a small chuckle. "Anyways, I'm Spike, what's your name?"

"I-I.. I'd rather not say right now, but it’s nice to meet you, Spike." I turned back and slowly, nervously extended a hoof to meet him.

Spike firmly grasped my hoof with a solid shake. "What, you running from the cops and afraid I'm going to turn you in or something?" he asked jokingly with a laugh.

I froze up for a moment; I wasn't expecting a response like that.

"H-haha, yeah... t-that’s... a good one," I replied with a forced laugh.

The dragon raised an eyebrow at me again. "Well, I guess you have your reasons, but don't worry, I won't hold that against you," replied Spike as he closed his eyes and gave a shrug. After a few moments, he opened an eye and glanced down to the clipboard between us.

"Hey, this is really good! Did you draw this?" The baby dragon asked, picking up my doodle and pointing a claw to it.

"Oh, that...? It's just a little doodle I did just now—nothing special..." I quickly dismissed before turning away to hide a small blush.

It had been a long time since anypony commented on my artwork; It felt kind of... nice.

"Nothing special?!" Spike exclaimed as he took a close look at the clock tower, then back to my doodle.

"It looks just like it!" he declared, holding the clipboard out next to the clock tower.

"Well... my special talent is art, but I honestly don't think I'm that good, really," I added sheepishly, looking down to my legs swaying below me.

"Not that good? This is amazing!" Spike commented, stretching out his arms for emphasis.

"Y-you... really think so?" I replied, turning to him with great interest.

"Yeah, you must be a great artist," He stated before pausing for a few moments. "Hey, do you mind if I keep this?" Spike again pointed to the drawing.

"Sure, it's yours," I answered with a soft smile.

"Wow, thanks!" he replied excitedly as he rolled the parchment up and placed it into his satchel.

"No problem!" I replied with a giggle.

It was nice to see somepony so excited over one of my creations, even if it was just a doodle. It was very rare that anypony saw one of my personal works. I never displayed them outside my home.

"You know, I know another pony who is also very good at drawing, but that’s not all! She is also a famous dress designer and makes a lot of decorations for events in Ponyville as well." Spike puffed proudly. "Her name’s Rarity, and she’s the most talented, most wonderful... most beautiful pony in all of Equestria..." he stated dreamily, eyes turning to small hearts as he cupped his claws and swayed his arms about.

I cocked my neck back and raised an eyebrow at him.

He's sure acting funny... Wait, did he just—

"You said you know Rarity?" I quickly asked, turning to face him expectantly.

"Of course I do! She’s a good friend of mine; she’s awesome!" spouted the little dragon as he gestured a claw to himself. "I also live in Ponyville, at the library. I'm just here on some boring business errand," he patted his satchel to punctuate his message.

I glanced down to the satchel. It had the royal crest and seal of the Princesses embroidered into it. My eyes widened as I looked back to Spike and closely examined him.

He personally knows somepony like Rarity, lives at the library of Ponyville, and is on what seems to be "royal” business... just who is this dragon?

"So, why are you heading to Ponyville?" the baby dragon asked, looking to me.

I began to sweat a little; I couldn't just tell him that I almost destroyed an apartment, terrorized a crowd of ponies, could have burned down a building, lied to a firepony, and am in the process of skipping town to escape the authorities that may or may not be looking for me. So I went with a safe bet.

"I-I, uh... u-um, needed a change... of s-scenery?" I managed to force out, with an even more forced smile.

"Well, you sure picked the right place then, Ponyville is beautiful! With Winter Wrap Up right around the corner, everything will be warm and green again." Spike’s expression changed to that of annoyance, possibly even disgust with his mention of Winter Wrap Up.

"Winter Wrap Up? What's that?" I asked quizzically.

Spike looked at me like I was crazy for a moment before his expression flipped. "Oh yeah! Manehatten doesn't have a Winter Wrap Up. You guys use magic to change the seasons," Spike remarked, dropping a fist into his palm. "You see, Ponyville was founded by earth ponies, so it’s tradition we change the seasons without magic."

I turned my head to the sky and reflected on his words for a moment.

I can relate to that. I do a lot of things without magic, when doing so could have made them tremendously easier.

I glanced over to the clock tower; it was almost 6pm.

"Wow, time really flew," I stated as I sat up in my seat. As if on cue, a loud horn could be heard in the distance. I looked in the direction of the sound to see our train approaching the station.

"About time," Spike huffed as he hopped off the bench. “I need to stretch my legs a bit and grab a last minute snack. It was nice talking to you, uh..." he brought a claw to his chin.

"Prism," I answered with a warm smile.

"It was nice chatting with you, Prism, we can talk more on the train if you like," Spike replied with enthusiasm before taking a moment to stretch.

“I... I would like that,” I replied, turning away bashfully.

“Well, I’ll see you in a few minutes then.” He then started towards the entrance of the waiting area.

I looked back to the ground and smiled to myself.

I hope everypony in Ponyville is as nice as him. Maybe this was a good idea after—

My thoughts were cut off by a strong, gruff sounding voice from the other side of the statue. I peered around to take a look. My eyes widened and face went pale in horror. A large black stallion in a blue vest and bobby hat, with a nightstick at his side was facing away from me, flagging down Spike.

A police officer! And he's right there!

"Hey kid, can I ask you a few questions?" the officer spoke up as Spike approached him.

"Uh, sure. What's up?" Spike answered with a cautious look.

"Have you seen a relatively small unicorn mare around here recently? White coat, soft-red eyes, wears a large brown cloak covering most of her," asked the officer. "I was told that she purchased a ticket for a train to Ponyville, this train to be exact," the officer commented, gesturing a forehoof to the locomotive now pulling in.

My stomach sank; not only were the police really looking for me, they knew exactly when and where I was going.

"Why, w-what’d she do?" the baby dragon asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"She's wanted for disturbing the peace, destruction of private property, arson, and fleeing the scene of a crime," stated the stallion sternly.

"Whoa..." Spike replied, taking a step back in shock. He glanced my way to see me poking my head out, and then back to the officer.

I quickly pulled my head back and pressed myself up against the base of the statue.

I'm doomed! There's no way he's not going to tell him where I am, not after a list of laws broken like THAT. I'm going to spend the rest of my life in prison, I'll never be able to paint again, I'll—

"Nope, can't say I have. I'm pretty sure I would remember a pony by that description if I saw one. Sorry I couldn't be more help," answered Spike in a calm neutral tone.

Wait, what?! Is he really not going to turn me in?

"Oh, well if you see her, could you let me or one of the other officers know? A few others will be here to search the train shortly," the officer replied in a somewhat disappointed tone.

I heard him turn around, and take a few hoofsteps in my direction. My stomach sank as my heart began to pound like it was going to explode any moment.

I can't even get on the train now. They are going to search it, and he's walking right this way. It’s all over, my new life is over before it even began!

"Wait! I think I just saw her! She went this way!" Spike suddenly exclaimed.

The baby dragon ran past the statue into my view and turned to face the officer. He flailed his arms about and pointed off in a direction farther down the waiting area.

"Thanks kid!" replied the officer, before sprinting past my hiding place and towards the other end of the waiting area.

"No problem!" yelled Spike to the officer.

Spike quickly turned back to me. Biting his lower lip, he pointed back to the entrance to the waiting area, then flicked his wrists at me a few times, shooing me away. I nodded before running up to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you,” I whispered into his ear.

Spike stood frozen with a look of surprise on his face. I quickly turned away and made my way out of the waiting area. I looked side to side to see if the coast was clear, before running to the nearest exit of the train station.

It's not safe here anymore. I have to get out of town, now!

As I approached the nearest exit, I skidded to a stop before diving behind a nearby statue. Another police officer was guarding the exit, scanning ponies as they walked by.

Great, now what am I supposed to do? They are probably guarding all the exits. They know I'm in here—

"Stop! Thief! Somepony help!" came a yell from a familiar voice behind me.

The officer guarding the door quickly snapped to attention, leaving his post and charging in the direction of the cry for help.

"Thanks again Spike," I whispered to myself, making a dash to the exit after the officer passed by my statue.

Slipping out of the train station, I made my way back into the busy Manehatten streets. The sun had just begun to set, as everypony had begun their trips home. It was now time for me to begin my trip out of town. Thankfully, the train station was on the edge of town, and furthermore, in the right direction.

Reflecting back on what Snooty said, the next quickest way to Ponyville was through the Everfree Forest. As much as I didn't even consider this an option, I had no other choice. Seeing as my first option hadn't work out the way I had hoped, and that I was now a wanted pony. I could always travel around the forest, but that would take several days, and I had no food and was almost out of bits. With a new goal in mind, I began the short walk to the edge of town, and the road to the Everfree Forest.

I didn't get but a few steps before I was interrupted by a loud groan and rumbling from the pit of my stomach. Ponies around me turned to look at the source of the sudden sound. I shrank down, blushing profusely.

...I haven't eaten anything at all today have I?

I had been high strung and on edge all day. I barely had time to think, let alone grab a bite to eat. I looked about the street I was currently on in hopes there might be a supermarket or bakery nearby.

Thankfully, this was Manehatten, and you couldn't go more than a block or two before running into a food joint of one kind or another. Much to my delight, there was a bakery just a few blocks ahead. Fueled by the sudden realization of my hunger, I quickly trotted my way to the shop of delectable delights. Before entering, I looked up at the sign over the frame of the door.

“Rock, Scissors, Papery,” I read aloud before scratching my head with a forehoof. “What a weird name.”

I quickly shrugged it off as I entered the shop. The aroma of a plethora of baked goods hit me as I entered. My mouth quickly begin to water in anticipation of one of the many tasty treats. Unfortunately, there was a long line of hungry ponies with the same idea.

So much for in and out, but it is about dinner time, so I guess it’s to be expected.

“I can help you over here, Miss.” I looked over to the voice to find a light green unicorn mare. She had a short orange mane, wore an apron, and was starting a new line; beginning with me apparently.

As I reached the counter, a large grey stallion with a spiky black mane quickly bumped me out of the way, cutting in front of me. I folded my ears back before backing away some slowly. The mare at the counter seemed shocked for a moment; she glared at the stallion who cut in front of me.

“I’ll help you after I finish with her,” she remarked, gesturing back to me. The stallion looked back to me with an intimidating, icy glare.

“N-no... i-it’s fine... he can go first,” I squeaked, backing up farther from the counter. The mare behind the counter looked at me, surprised.

“See? She says it’s fine,” the stallion replied with a smug look.

The server mare cast the stallion an angry glare. “No. No, it’s not fine!” she declared. “You will let her go first or I will not serve you,” the mare demanded, pointing a hoof directly at the bully.

Everypony in the bakery stopped what they were doing, and turned their attention to the stallion. He looked back to the crowd of ponies now staring at him.

“Tsk, whatever,” spat the stallion before turning away and exiting the bakery without another word. The bakery went back to business as usual, soon after he left.

“Jerk,” huffed the mare behind the counter before turning to me. “I’m really sorry about that, Sweetie. How can I help you?”

“N-no, I’m the one who’s sorry... You lost a customer because of me. Now you might get in trouble...” I replied just above whisper.

She gave me a confused look before bursting out in laughter. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m Osono, the owner, and he was rather rude anyways,” she dismissed with a wave of her hoof before turning to me. “I could tell that you're very shy the moment I saw you walk in here. I have a sister who’s also a little shy,” she added with a smile.

“So, what's your name, dear?” she asked, resting her forelegs on the counter as she leaned in a little closer to me.

“Prism...” I answered softly.

“Tell you what, Prism, wait here a moment,” Osono instructed with a wink before walking over to a display case. She removed a large blueberry muffin from the case with her magic, and placed it in a brown paper sack as she returned to the counter.

“Here, on the house!” she exclaimed, levitating the bag over to me.

“Oh, no... I couldn’t—”

“Take it, I insist,” the baker persisted, levitating the bag closer to me.

I looked up to the bag floating just before me in a orange glow, then back to Osono. She gave me an odd look, before glancing to my horn extending out from the hood of my cloak then back to me. My face flushed as I smiled sheepishly with a soft squee.

“You really are a shy one aren't you?” Osono replied with a puzzled look, before quickly dismissing the awkwardness with a hearty laugh. “Here.” She lowered the bag down to rest on the counter, and released her magical hold of it.

“T-thank you... and sorry,” I said timidly, still blushing. I grabbed the bag in my teeth and stashed it away in my saddlebags for later.

“You’re welcome, and again, sorry about before,” she replied with wink. “Be sure to come again!”

“I will, it was nice to meet you and thanks again.” I replied, waving back as I exited the shop.

She was really nice. I wish I could come again, but I don’t think I will be able to return to Manehattan after today.

I let out a small sigh as I found a nearby bench to take a seat at and eat my dinner. I reflected back on the events of the bakery as I ate.

Nopony has ever stood up for me like that before. Sure, ponies have said things to others for me, but never like that. She also mentioned that she had a sister that was shy like me, so she must understand to a point what it's like, and how hard it can be to deal with simple tasks sometimes. I hope I meet more kind ponies like her in Ponyville.

Finishing my muffin, I discarded the paper bag in a nearby recycling bin.

Prism, saving Equestria, one paper bag at a time!

I giggled a bit at the silly thought and continued my escape of Manehattan.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sun had now long set, and the moon took to the skies as I reached the edge of town. I could see the Everfree Forest just a few miles ahead. Before continuing, I turned to face the city I was about to leave. I felt a little sad; it was my home, after all. I went to school here, I learned magic here, and most importantly, I made my first real friend here.

Even though he is now gone, I would always remember him and how he helped me through tough times. If not for Mr. Wiggles, I think I would have lost it when Mother passed away, but he was there for me. He assured me everything was going to be okay, and to not lose hope. If he was still here, he would tell me the same thing now, not to give up.

I almost did give up though... I threw everything away in my anger and sadness of losing what was most important to me. I blamed myself and my special talent for the way things ended up, but I was wrong.

I regret now what I did, but I couldn't change the past and had to live with what I had done.

Some of those paintings were priceless, some I had since I was just a filly, and some were Mother’s. Those paintings were my life's story, and I destroyed them; I destroyed them all...

Now I found myself asking, why? Why did I do all this to myself?  

Those poor paintings never did anything wrong, but I took everything out on them anyway. Now all I have left of my life is a battered empty canvas. The only question now... is what sort of life will I paint?

I took one last look back to the city and let out a small sigh. “I guess this is it. Time to sink or swim”

I had done a whole lot of sinking the past few days, so I was hopeful I could manage to swim this time. Hopeful that things would turn out for the better, I steeled myself and began the long walk to the edge of the forest.

* * * * * * * * * *

The walk was quiet... too quiet. Something about walking a lonely trail to a spooky forest was creepy.

Too creepy! Is it supposed to be this quiet?!

I tucked my cloak close as a cold shiver went down my spine. I hadn't ever left the city before, so the silence of the open snowy fields was new to me, and very scary in the dark.

The signs littering the path weren't helping any either.

DANGER!

TURN BACK NOW!

ENTER AT OWN RISK!

Whatever lay in the forest ahead was far, far worse than the silence of the path I walked. Traversing a mysterious forest full of danger at night probably wasn't the best idea I’ve ever had. I didn't like the idea one bit, but it was too late to turn back now. I now knew the police really were looking for me, and I didn't have anywhere to go. My only real option was to travel through the forest to Ponyville.

I reached the edge of the woods to find an old withered sign pointing into the forest. I had to get up really close to read it clearly in the dark.

"Ponyville: 8 Miles, Canterlot 28 Miles, Fillydelphia 74 miles," read the sign.

Eight miles? Well... that doesn't seem too far.

"I should be able to do that in a few hours, if I pace myself," I said to nopony in particular.

I turned to face the dark foreboding forest and swallowed hard. I went to take my first step and froze midway. My body locked up in fear; to be honest, I was terrified. The realization of what I was doing had finally sunk in.

This is crazy! This is insane! I can't go in there, I'll be killed! All sorts of monsters live in there, and I bet the worst of the worst only come out at night!

I slowly began to quiver in fear. This quivering eventually turned into violent shakes that led me to fall to the ground and tuck my muzzle under my forehooves.

"I can't do it..." I cried to myself softly. I felt the warm sensation of tears stream down my face as I began to sob.

I lay there and cried for what must have been quite a few minutes; I felt so hopeless. It seemed whenever a difficult trial presented itself, all I could do was cower away from it. I had to do this though; I had to go into the forest to reach Ponyville.

Going into a place this dangerous, anypony would be reluctant or scared, even terrified... right?

I took a few minutes to collect myself and build some courage before slowly getting up. I hardened myself, having found my resolve, I donned a determined expression.

"You can do this, Prism, you are strong! You will be safe, nothing will get you!" I encouraged myself as I took a step forward. "You will cross this forest, and you will make it to Ponyville. You—"

My monologue was interrupted by loud howling from the forest before me.

"—are weak, you are small, and you will become some monster’s midnight snack!" I whimpered to myself, falling to the ground and covering my face under my forehooves once more.

“M-Maybe I’ll just wait here until morning, then go... Y-Yeah, thats probably a better Idea.”

My ears perked up as I suddenly heard some muffled talking behind me. I quickly turned to face the sound. Two figures were heading my direction; a very large one followed by a smaller one levitating a flashlight.

"...You sure about this?" asked the first figure in a very deep baritone voice.

"Well, that group of mares on the edge of town said they say a pony matching her description leaving towards the forest not too long ago, and these tracks are fresh; so it adds up," replied the second figure.

I squinted my eyes, trying to get a better view. Unfortunately, this only confirmed my fears. Two police officers were walking right towards me. I quickly jumped up to my hooves and looked back to the forest, then to the ponies now getting closer by the second.

What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?!

My mind screamed at me as I began to dance about in place, looking back to the forest and to the ponies even faster than before. There was a sudden howl of icy wind that blew past me from out of the forest as snow began to fall, and fall hard. I had a very bad feeling about all this. Things were quickly beginning to look bleak.

"Well, I'm only going to the edge and then I'm turning back, it looks like a blizzard is brewing in the Everfree," said the larger stallion to the other. “Nopony in their right mind would go in there on a night like this.”

"Fine, but we have to at least check before we go back. I honestly don't see why anypony would run away to the Everfree at this time of—"

"Hey, what's that over there," the larger one interrupted, pointing a hoof in my direction. The smaller stallion shone his flashlight right at me. I froze in terror... they had found me.

"There she is!" shouted the larger stallion as he began to charge right for me, the other quickly following in pursuit.

"Horseapples!" I swore to myself before turning to the forest.

I had no choice now. I had to run; run into the forest and hope I could lose them. They were about thirty meters away, and closing fast. I had almost lost my balance in the snow from my initial take off, and kicked up a cloud of white power as I galloped past the edge, and into the forest.

My heart was racing, and felt as if it was about to explode out of my chest at any moment. I didn't care though, I couldn’t care; I had to get away. The officer’s warnings and yells for me to stop were getting closer each second. I realized I couldn’t outrun them like this, and had to think of something else quick.

I took the strap of my saddlebags into my teeth, and flung them off out into the snow. It was much easier to run now without the extra weight, but it still wasn’t enough to get away; They were still gaining on me. As I progressed through the heavy snowfall, it was becoming harder and harder to see more than a few meters ahead of me; this gave me an idea.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I quickly tore off my cloak and threw it to the ground. I scanned my surroundings before diving into some snowy bushes nearby. I laid low to the ground, covering my muzzle with both hooves, as I tried my best not to make a sound.

The two officers ran up to where my cloak had fallen, and shined the flashlight at it. The two ponies had to yell to one another through the sound of the wind, I could barely hear them from my hiding spot just meters away.

"Where did she go?!" the smaller stallion asked, scanning the area with his flashlight.

"She couldn't have just disappeared! Go look for her!” demanded the larger stallion.

"No way man, I'm not going any further! You would have to be insane to go any deeper into the Everfree on a night like this."

"Don't be a chicken, go look!" insisted the larger stallion, pushing the smaller one forward. The smaller stallion shone his flashlight back to my cloak before looking back up to his partner.

"Look man, we're not going to find a white pony in the middle of a blizzard at night! It’s impossible!” declared the smaller stallion before gesturing backwards. “I’m getting out of here while we still can!" he exclaimed before quickly turning and running back in the direction they had come.

"HEY! Wha—WAIT FOR ME!" cried the larger stallion as he chased after the smaller.

The two police ponies quickly disappeared from view into the winter storm.

I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh of relief. I was safe... for now. I waited a few more minutes to make sure they were gone before coming out of my hiding spot. I looked over my shoulder at my sides. They were scratched up pretty good from diving into the bush, and my face stung from the icy winds. It was a small price to pay to beat a lifetime in prison, though.

I trotted quickly back to my cloak, and shook the snow off before putting it back on. The cloak provided little protection from the harsh winds and ice, but it was certainly better than nothing. I took a moment to take in my surroundings... I had no idea where I was, and could barely make out the path through all the snowfall.

The trip should only be a few more miles, but in this blizzard it would be impossible to navigate.  I had no choice but to wait it out, and hope the storm would die down some time soon. I walked over to the closest tree to me and used it as shield from the cold winds.

Tucking my cloak close, I sat against the tree and began my wait.

* * * * * * * * * *

I had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity, but the storm had finally started to die down to where I could make out the path ahead. At this point, I was freezing and wished for nothing more than being back in my warm apartment with a hot cup of tea right now. Although in reality, I knew that wasn’t an option, I had to press on.  

Ponyville was just a few miles up the road and I could rest in a nice warm bed at an inn once there. With that thought, I remembered something.  A very important detail I had forgotten until now.

“My saddlebags!”

I jumped up to my hooves and scanned the area around me. Several inches of fresh snow now blanketed the forest floor around me, covering all signs that anypony had traveled through recently.

“Horseapples!” I swore to myself. “I have to find them!”

I continued as I trudged through the fresh snow, back up the path a few meters. I quickly realized it was hopeless. It was too dark and snowy to see very far, and I had no clue how far back down the path I had thrown them off. I flattened my ears and whimpered a squeak in frustration.

“You’re such a foal, Prism,” I cursed myself as I flopped down and sprawled in the snow. “Now what am I going to do...” I let out a sharp, defeated sigh.

There was a sudden rustle in some bushes right next to me. I froze as I felt a cold chill ran down my spine. I very slowly turned my head to meet the bushes the sound had come from.

A few moments of silence passed before the bushes rustled again. There was definitely something in there, but I didn't want to find out what. Though, no matter how hard I tried to force myself to move, my body would not respond. I was locked in fear, but what I saw next surprised me. A small head popped out of the bush, looking ahead down the path. It had white feathers all along its head, accented by a small beak and a red patch of skin atop its head.

“A chicken?” I asked aloud, raising an eyebrow. Puzzled, I slowly rose to my hooves.

It must be lost. Poor thing...

"What are you doing in this scary forest all alone, are you lost?" I asked softly as I slowly approached the chicken’s hiding spot. It turned its head about and let out a few clucks.

"If you like, you could come with me," I suggested. "I'm heading to Ponyville, surely it’s much nicer than this dark, scary forest," I continued as I reached the bush.

The chicken paid no attention to me, and continued to cluck idly. Something didn't seem right. I remembered reading that chickens were normally very skittish animals, but this little guy didn't even seem to be fazed by me at all.

"H-hello?" I asked as I slowly reached a foreleg out towards the chicken. Just as my hoof was about to touch it, it quickly turned to face me with blood red eyes, and let out a horrible screech.

I immediately withdrew my hoof as I fell to my haunches. I quickly crawled backwards, wide eyed in horror. Whatever this ‘thing’ was, it was certainly not a chicken. It launched itself out of the bushes at me. I hastily turned away and attempted to flee, but a sudden impact to my side knocked me over into the snow with a crunching thud. I threw myself back to my hooves, and turned to face the assailant.

I gasped at the sight of this creature’s form; it was terrifying. The creature had the head of a chicken, the body of some kind of lizard or reptile, and the scariest pair of eyes I had ever seen. It was as if the physical embodiment of horror itself stood before me.

It slowly began to approach me.

What in the name of Luna’s moon is that, THING!

It was barely a meter away before it stopped and screeched at me again. I wanted to look away— tried to look away, but my body would not respond. All I could do was stare into those horrible red eyes. The creature then squinted and shot me an icy glare that seemed to tear right through me.

I suddenly felt a numbing sensation in my back hooves, and it slowly crept its way up my hind legs. Soon, I could no longer feel them. My heart began to race as I tried to turn away from this monster, but the sensation only persisted. Across my back and down my forelegs. I couldn’t move at all. I managed to glance at my forelegs, only to see a creeping grey that appeared to be spreading across them. At that moment I could no longer feel any part of my body. The numbing sensation was now creeping up my neck.

What's happening to me?! Somepony, help me!

I tried to cry out, but the words did not come.  As the spreading grey reached my head, I felt my face lock in an expression of horror. The reality of what was happening hit me; though all too late.

Darkness enveloped my world...