The night had fallen, and both Scabby and Aethulwulf had found themselves back in the arms of their mothers. Scabby's mother was still...specially minded. Being overprotective was a very bad thing. Luna had hugged Aethul dearly and crushed him against her rubbing face. His efforts to punch her away just seemed to be like a kitten pushing away a person's face with their fluffy paws. Luna had just learned that her sister had played a trick on her, and now she had to think of a costume, and quickly. The Pumpkin's Feast was like Nightmare Night, only, a more lighter version for Luna. Not many outside of Canterlot Castle celebrated it, however. Luna was now in the costume room. This place was a massive area with several open floors showing all the costumes possible. Directly forward, and at the second floor's level sat a huge window, through which one could see the moon and the thin trees swaying with the night breeze. The floors themselves were just open closets full of a wide variety of colorful garments for anypony to wear.
(Aethul transition)

Luna was panicking horribly. I dunno why. Was there something special going on today? She kept flying from one shelf to another, hoping to find something for me to wear first. She already her own costume, as I assumed from what looked like a dress hanging from the ledge.

"How about this one?" she suddenly asked me after teleporting right there.

I jumped back a few feet in fear and horror. What was she holding? Such a wretched costume! It looked like those things those idiots wore during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Even the beak mask was present! I showed that I hated it by oing "blech!" in front of her. She frowned, scratched the back of her head, then somehow did a double aerial back-flip onto the ledge behind her, then swung back down with another costume. It looked like a little prince's costume, what with the golden braids and royal blue sown into the silk, but it was still panzy-like. A frowned and harumphed. Luna seemed even more distraught than before. While we waited a bit longer, the crystals providing light to the room began to flicker on and off, and the wind outside began to intensify. "Mother" took note of this and scanned the area with her eyes. It was very dark, but the moonlight was more than capable of brightening up the room. My mother finally flew down and blocked me with her left wing.

"Careful, Aethul. I think something is coming. Stay behind me."

"So protective. I'll have you know that I bested the city boxing champ on my own."

A screeching yell that seemed so familiar literally caused the ground to erupt beneath us, but Luna was smart enough to use her wing to flip me on her back and fly quickly up into the air. On the ground, though, we both saw a creature phasing in and out of existence, its body existence flickering every time it appeared. It seemed to be a skeleton with bits and pieces of rotten flesh on it, and it was looking straight at us. It suddenly phased right in front of Luna and took a swipe, missing me narrowly. My new mother somehow created a laser and threw it at the creature, which had no effect as it phased through. I thought lasers were science fiction?

The creature then slammed into Luna and I fell downwards towards the exit. I fell very hard too. Looking up, I could see that there were more bizarreties happening, if that's even a word. Guards were flying and running everywhere. What the hell is the purpose of all this security if they're always attacked every single fuckin' day?! Either way, I had best get out of here quickly unless I get steamrolled by more of these evil creatures. I tried to turn left, but I was et by another of these phasing ghosts. It didn't look too happy, so I decided to calmly whistle to myself and gently walk away...until some sort of samurai armor wearing ghost came through the wall after beheading a few statues. Its eyes burned a hellish red. I was trapped. Instead, while that phaser kept inching towards me, the samurai turned its head and blasted another hole through the walls, only to get tackled by what looked like a heavy armor wearing behemoth.

The flicker continued to etch towards me, so I did what any sane man would do; run like hell! I ran through the hole going to the yard, and the creature followed. Bizarrely, it seemed that only the inside of the castle was being affected. It needed an exorcist, badly. I kept on running until I heard some sort of tribal music beating violently through the air. That thing stopped in its tracks and vanished into mist. Still panicking, I decided to run into the bushes a bit further. Seeing my small stature, I could definately hide in them. What I didn't know was whta was about to happen. I somehow fell through a hole in front of the bushes, but it was like a door. Its sides were flowing like water.
(narrator transition)

The little colt found himself tumbling along a muddy ground and off of tree roots as he entered this new, bizarre world. It seemed to be a thick rainforest, but with palmtrees added in the mix. The skies were a mixture of dark purple and funnels of pink clouds. These were a type of horizontal tornado of an extreme rarity, so what were they doing here? Finally, Aethul was flung up a final time by a strong root and sent tumbling down a steep fall into more mud.

"Pblah! Gross! Ewww. Awww. All this goop. The horror."Aethul cursed as he dragged himself out of the puddle.

His ears perked up as he heard something entrancing him to get closer. He was about to do so, until somepony else came tumbling on top of him.

"Woo! That was close. I almost fell in the mud."Scabby smiled in satisfaction."Hmm?"

"Mph! Mpfpmphh!"

"Huh? Where's that coming from?"

"GET OFF!"

"YAH!"

Aethul had kicked Scabby into the mud pile and seemed pretty angry as well.

"Hey. You didn't need to kick me in there, you know. That isn't fun."

"Whatever. I...Isn't fun? Are you okay?"

"I...ah..."Scabby held his head. It suddenly felt like it was throbbing painfully."I can feel mself...disappearing...Adone. Something is chewing at my memories."

"As much as I still hate you, losing your memories is something I won't tolerate. Come on. There might be someone over there beyond the bushes that we can ask for help."

"Okay."

Aethul grabbed Scabby's foreleg and swung it over his neck to keep his company steady.

"What were you doing following me anyways? I don't even know how I ended up here anyways."

"I thought this was a secret hideout of yours. After all, you did have them when you were a Don."

"Hm. True. This still doesn't explain where we are. It feels wierd too. Like we're--"

"Dead? Again?"

"Yeah."

Lyall placed his friend gently on the floor and quietly spread the branches of the thick shrubbery out of the way. What his saw was of great confusion. The creatures on the other side seemed tribal. Their bodies were like those of gray werewolves, yet their heads, hands, and feet were nothing but bone. This tribe lived against a cliff, and several fires were crackling and sparkling in the night. Many pounded on drums while others danced around a wooden totem which looked like even more wolves. They all sung an ominous sounding beat, that was all too similar to that Aethul had heard in the yard.

"What are they?" Scabby whispered.

"I dunno. Like the others?"

"Not at all." said a deep voice behind them.

A tribeswolf wakled into the pack with two colts in his hand. One seemed to struggled while the other glowed a bright yellow. Instead of cooking them, as Scabby expected, they were placed in front of a wolf with a similar color scheme on his face, but with red instead of yellow. His red yeyes glowed in their empty sockets, seemingly coming from the shadows, and he stomped his hands onto the foals and placed them onto half a log for them to sit on. Scabby started to shake like crazy, but Aethul didn't react. Instead, he cocked an eyebrow.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Little one, you do not know?"

"About what? You?"

"No. About your gift. What you are yourself."

"A pony with Vulf Magic."

"Vulf Magic?" the entire tribe burst into laughter. "Nonsense! He told you this?"

"A commie." he growled.

"...I never heard of this creature. However, I have omitted introductions. I am the chief of this tribe, and that is all you need to know."

"Yes. I DO hear a distinct Native American accent."

"I don't see the correlation."

"It's nothing. I am Aethulwulf Lyall, and this is Scabby. You need to help him."

"The fae magic is affecting him quicker hm?"

"What? How do you--"

"Where do you think you are? Another dimension? Has it not come as a strange thing that your new center of living is being acted by spectres. Beings who shouldn't be in the living realm."

"Of cour...This is a joke, right?"

"No. Shaman. Take this colt to the purity hut. He must be cleansed of the impure fae magic and revitalized."

A werewolf wearing the skin of a giant bird dragged the agonizing foal into a nearby hut, which was covered in sewn leather. Two guards blocked the entrance.

"What is he going to do to him?"

"Give him medicine and such. Thing of this place as a type of purgatory, but you would know that, wouldn't you, Adone Federo."

The colt stared at this creature with a wide mouth. He wanted to speak, but only air came out.

"You wonder how? Anyone can be manipulated. In reality, you were supposed to be reborn as a simply country pony WITHOUT their memories, contrary to what she told you."

"She lied?!"

"Yes. We learned of your actions through demonic whispers. You were corrupted, but not corrupted enough to enter hell. They were drawing you down even steeper paths. Luckily for you, your friend killed you and allowed your rebirth. The bad side is what happened to your cousin. I am deeply sorry for this. We CAN perform a ceremony that will allow the great Creator to hear our plea and, perhaps, allow him to live with you in your future as one of your own kin."

"As my child?!" Aethulwulf put a hoof in front of his mouth.

"It's either that or he burns forever in the Abyss."

"I...agree...It's the least I can do."

"Then it will be done. As for what we are and what that magic is, let us explain."

The Chief went silent and the others came forward to speak.

"We are Lycris. Ancient spirits having chosen to watch the paths of the spirit world and the living world."

"Your new mother has been expanding her domain."

"Which threatens the balance as it breaks the barrier between worlds with their magic shields."

"We created you to help us stop this expanion and solidify the barriers."

"As you have been infused with the power of a Wolf Kin. You control all wolves of any sort, be they undead or living."

"We will obey your every command."

"Just don't exaggerate when you give them."

"Your birth was not from the right parents."

"Who considered you as garbage."

"But your new mother is developping a great love for you, to which you should pander."

"It can aid you both that you act as a young foal."

"And it can help her develop a mature and loving form of mind."

"The fae's spell on your mind will never break through because of the Wolf Kin, but your friend was only resistant this long because of what you do."

"Stop the expansion and close the gates. Only then shall your new mother become attentive to what she is becoming."

"Now leave. The kin of your soul are watching."

"What about Scabby?"

"Lorenzo is back in the arms of his mother, and you should as well."

The chief stepped forward and placed a hand on Aethul's head. The other Lycris backed away.

"You are our creation, but your will is your own. Save both worlds from destruction, or you might lose your chances for redemption, and the chances to redeem your nephew, and be sent to hell with him. One soul has no greater or lesseer value than another. If you do this task, then you will have saved billions of lives, guaranteeing your redemption. Off you go."

The chief pushed Aethul away, and he began to float slowly away from the tribe who waved him goodbye. He started to gain some velocity, and more ghost wolves appeared on the nearby branches tackling any malevolent spirits coming closer to him. As he began to fly towards the hole, a wolf was thrown aside, and a massive evil spirit came from below Lyall and almost grabbed him. Unfortunately, he was accelerated through the whole after a wolf grabbed him and threw him. The next thing he knew, he was shaking his head in the halls of the castle, hearing Luna shouting out for him, a cringe in her voice indicating a possible moment of crying.

The little colt rounded a corner and toppled over. Luna cried out in joy and galopped to his aid. She grabbed him and rubbed her face all over his as tears of joy began to steak along her cheeks. The colt started to think to himself if he really shouldn't listen to what those creatures told him. After all, he DID have a mother who actually cared for him. Something he never really had being a human. Perhaps he should cherish this new gift? Firth things first, though. He had to find a way to contact the princesses despite being a foal a few days old. How would he?

"I'll never let you out of my sight again. I'm going to keep you with me at all times. I'll teach you how to be a proper prince. If I am to be your mother, I must ensure your security and see that you are properly loved."

Author's Notes:

On a side-note: