I stood on the end of the Everfree as I searched for the girls, but none were within sight. This feeling of unease taking over; sending a bitter, sinister chill up my spine. I could feel something evil and vile creeping through the air of the forest, but I needed to find this mystery mare; putting a stop to these disappearances.

"Hey!" called a voice from behind from the open field, I turned to find a young mare; she had long blue hair, and a light cyan coat. Her cutey mark appeared to be a quill with paper. "I need your help; my cart's wheel had broke, and I can't change it by myself. Can you help me, please?"

She only appeared to be in her teens, the fact that her parents weren't around was mind boggling. "Where are your parents, little one? Why are you out here alone close to the Everfree?" I knelt down questioning her; I spanned around looking for her parents.

"I'm not that young!" She started to frown,"Well... Can you help me, or not?" It was obvious that this conversation was going nowhere; so I nodded. She began leading me deep within the Everfree; I looked around. I was keeping an eye out for the girls; and the timberwolves. "We're almost there, but umm... Can you turn around for a moment?" She asked, quivering.

"Why? What's going on?" She stood with her legs crossed, and hopped on the spot. "Oh, you need to...ok." I turned away to give her some privacy. While waiting; I began thinking to myself,'Ok, I've come to the forest to find a mare that's been leading strangers...into the forest...deep within the forest?' My thoughts were interrupted instantly, as I turned to face the busy filly. She had a large sinister smile, and devilish eyes. With one quick swing; I was knocked unconscious.

When I finally came through; I found that I was strapped to a table in a dark room, and that I was completely isolated. I couldn't recall anything. I didn't know how I got there; but all I knew was that I'd have to get out.

My head felt like it was spinning, and it hurt to have my eyes open; leaving blurred vision. I forced myself to look around trying to get my bearings; I could see that the walls were made of stone, and the flooring was wooden. It was cold in the room, and I quickly found out why. I've been stripped of my clothing, and my armor had been removed. The only piece of clothing I had was my boxers. I needed to get out of here; I needed to find my clothing, and find that little girl; she must have been 'Moon Shadow'.

As I laid on the cold steel table; I tried to slip my hands out of the straps, but it was no use. The leather bounds were much too tight. I let off the straps in exhaustion for a moment,'Damn, she's good with cutting off circulation...' Thinking to myself. Both my feet, and arms had been strapped tightly to the table; so I had to make a plan. I placed the bottoms of my feet against the table, and put as much force as possible wiggling my hands through the strap; but within that force, it caused my left thumb to dislocate as it wiggled free. With my left arm; I used the rest of my usable fingers to unstrap myself off the table.

After unbinding myself; I heard a quaking 'pop' from a far off room. I flung myself off the table. The floor, never before had I been so happy to be on it. I got to my feet, and crept my way over to the door; I quickly looked through the barred window of the wooden door, and gazed down both sides of the hall. I couldn't see a soul, and figured that the place was vacant for a hideout. I tried to open the door, but found that it was locked from the other side. I devised a plan for a quick moment; and figured that I'd give it a shot.

With a loud crash, many shards of wood with steel; scattering around together on the floor as the door burst open. The plan was to take the table I was strapped to; and use it as a battering ram, and it worked. I was free; but still trapped within the building. I pulled the table away from the exit, and slid it to the side of the room; I turned back to the door pieces, and smiled to myself,"Almost home free."

As I crept through the dark halls of the stone building in only my boxer; I looked around for either an exit, or my captor. After twenty minutes of searching the empty building; I finally heard two people talking inside a closed room. I walked closer to the door, and placed my ear against it to get a better understanding of what they were saying.

"What are you going to do now? That's the guardian; What will happen, if he gets out? It'll be the end of us all!" Said one feminine voice.

"So, this title of 'Guardian' makes him better, than anyone? I'll bet you one hundred bits that once I start torturing; he's gonna cry like a little girl, just like the others." The second voice was harsh; but a feminine voice as well, just deeper in tone.

"But...you can't, it's just not...right."

"Right? It doesn't matter now what's 'right', at the moment. Since you brought him here; we have to end him so we can continue, or let him go and face death for what we've done."

I pulled my head away from the door, and thought,'I am not going to kill either of you; but you will have to face justice.' As I returned to reality, I thought that being dressed only in my current state was a little ridiculous. I needed my gear, I needed a lot of things at the moment. Pulling myself away from the door turning, I accidently knocked over a wooden pile that scattered around the hallway.

"What was that?" asked a voice from the other side of the door.

"Well, go and check it out!" said the other.

"You were the one claiming that Dark would cry like a girl just now; you go!"

"Fine, I'll go...stupid brat." With that, the door to the locked room opened, and out came a mint-green pony. She gave a look around the hallway, but she couldn't see me, as I leant in fear.

'Don't look...don't look at me.' I thought to myself, and to my surprise; she listened. The mint-green pony looked up, and down the hallway scaling front, and back along it's path; but couldn't seem to find anyone.

"There's no one here...we should go check on Dark, maybe start the show." The mint green pony signaled for the younger one to follow her, and to her command, she did. Coming out the door was the same little pony that knocked me unconscious.

As they walked down the hall, I thought to myself,'Why couldn't they see me? I was standing just in front of them. What's going on?' All my questions were silenced, as I looked down to my transparent hand; there was a glow emanating off of it. "I can cast spells; without my bracer?"

I needed my gear; and I needed a way out. I needed to put a stop to this mad pair, before they hurt anypony else. I looked through the door to the room they came from, and spotted my clothes. "That's a start; at least."

(Version 1.3(2023))
Hope you enjoy the revamping as much as I do, it's slower now with life but what can I say. Such is life. Hope you had a good time, and I continue to seek your entertainment value.
Keep it cool, Condemned.