A/N:Okay, so, this is an attempt to get back into writing after a long hiatus, and my very first attempt at writing for this fandom. So, yeah, I will apologize in advance for things like poor story structure, and OOC character traits. I will try to keep them to a minimum, but I am not sure I can make many promises.

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, any of the characters belonging to it, nor am I making any money from this.

Chapter 1:

"Life was always tricky. I could never really figure it out. Not in the sense of its origins, or what the purpose may be. But in its very motivations. I suppose life is the wrong word to use? Maybe something more akin to the cosmic will, or the driving forces of karma? Eh, I suppose life is as good a word as any... And yet, I never had that problem with death...

Maybe that's why I was always the weird one? The creepy, depressing kid that sat alone in the corner of the lunch room. The one that had imaginary friends through middle school in lieu of real ones. The one who wasn't even a noticeable presence in high school and beyond. Or maybe I was just crazy, I don't know. But I always had a respect for death. Not a fear. Fearing death was like fearing the sun in the morning, or the air you breathed. It was something that would ultimately come for you. When your time was up, it didn't matter who you were, it would be there. Unavoidable. Inevitable.

But this wasn't really about death. This was about life. Whereas death is the epitome of fair, claiming everyone sooner or later, life tended to cheat. Tended to indulge in underhanded dealings, favoring some, while taking from others. Granting boons to those who deserved nothing, and taking what was left from people who had precious little left to give in the first place. Like I said, I never understood its motivation.

Especially when it came to me. It always gave me just enough. Just enough food to eat to keep from starving, while still being hungry. Just enough money to keep me from losing what little I had. Just enough sleep to allow me to function without being rested. Just enough hope to keep me from having death make a house call.

But the funny thing about 'just enough'. It wears out really damn quick. So, I decided to change the rules. If life wanted to give me just enough to keep me alive, I decided to see just how far I could push its twisted little game. In retrospect, it's a gamble I probably shouldn't have made."

Somewhere in the Everfree Forest, just as the light from Celestia's sun was starting to wane, the glorious golden sphere descending from the sky to make room for the silver orb of her sister, a somewhat nervous alicorn trotted, her wings rustling restless, and her purple eyes sweeping the area around her. Her saddlebags, full of herbs and various scrolls containing very detailed notes, jostled at her brisk pace. The sound of the shifting contents mingling with that of trotting hooves and breathing served as the only soundtrack to the coming night.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was not a fan of the Everfree Forest. True, she had a better grasp on it than almost anypony else she knew (with the possible exception of her friend, and current guide, Zecora), but that didn't make it any less dangerous of a place to be after nightfall. And yet, that was not what was causing the lavender mare's anxiety. Truthfully, a large part of what was causing it was that she didn't know what was causing it. Something just seemed off about the forest tonight. It was too quiet, and the air felt almost oppressive. She knew it was probably all just some baseless nonsense, just her nerves playing tricks on her, yet try as she might she couldn't shake it. And that caused her even more anxiety.

"My dear Princess Sparkle, are you feeling well? Something is bothering you, this I can tell." Twilight blinked, pulled out of her musings by the voice of her zebra friend Zecora, who often served as her guide on these herb and information gathering excursions. She offered a sheepish smile, and shook her indigo mane back from her face. "I'm fine Zecora. Or, I will be once we get out of the forest. It just seems... extra spooky tonight. Probably just my mind playing tricks on me." She finished with a nervous chuckle, though it didn't help alleviate the ominously silent atmosphere of the forest that night.

Zecora merely nodded, offering a smile to her companion, before her gaze returned to the front, and her smile faded into a more serious look. "The Everfree can hide many things, best not to wait and see what the night brings."

The two continued to trot onwards towards Zecora's hut, before something caught Twilight's eye. Jolting her head upward, she had almost missed it. A falling star. But just one. And she was fairly certain that Luna had no plans for meteor showers for at least a month. And it winked out after only a few brief moments. And just like that, the feelings of anxiety that she had been able to push away for the latter part of their walk came back. Something about that just felt wrong. She couldn't explain it if she had wanted to. Instead, she increased her pace, nearly to a full-blown gallop, in her attempt to get back to Zecora's hut post-haste. If the zebra thought it odd, she said nothing, merely keeping pace with her friend.

Of course Zecora knew about Twilight's anxieties. The forest had felt odd for the last several hours. Or, more odd than was usual. She had actually hoped to ask if Twilight had any idea what may be happening, locked away in that huge reserve of knowledge she had. But the fact that Twilight, who had perhaps the single most brilliant mind in Equestria, seemed baffled by this was very troubling indeed.

He found it was hard to put the pieces together. He had remembered he had been running, but had he been running too something? Away from it? He couldn't remember which way he was heading, and none of his surroundings looked familiar. But then, that wasn't saying much. His mind wasn't much use right now. It seemed to be crammed full of nothing so much as disjointed memories and senses. Places he may have been, or may not have been, or may not even exist but he could remember them all the same. Names and faces that meant nothing to him aside from a vague sensation that they should mean more. Sounds, snippets of memories, nostalgic things that he couldn't even tie down as being his own. All of it overlapped into a static that echoed through his head, drowning out his capacity at the moment for rational thought.

His body though, was proving it didn't need his ability for thought. His legs carried him blindly through... wherever he was. He wasn't even sure. Occasionally something would scratch at his shoulders or face, tangling in his hair. Yet he couldn't bring himself to stop. His body was left to its own devices as his mind was forced to try to confront the disorienting haze that had somehow seized hold of it.

However, as fate would have it, he was not doomed to run forever. No, a rather abrupt stop was set out right before him in the form of a rather solid stone wall. One that did not even register to his notice, until his impact with it had stolen his consciousness away.

Upon arrival at her hut, Zecora shrugged her saddlebags off and set them down near her shelf of potion ingredients, before she turned her gaze to her friend. "Please come in and have some tea, and we can discuss the Everfree."

Twilight shifted nervously. It was getting late, and she wanted to get home soon. But she knew it would be awfully rude of her to turn down her friend's request. "Well... Just one cup. Sorry Zecora. I don't want to be rude, but it's just..." She trailed off, scuffing her hoof against the ground and looking away from the zebra. Zecora merely nodded and set about preparing two cups of Moonblossom tea. "My friend, I understand your worry. Many things through the dark forest scurry. But this night is different, quiet and eerie. I was hoping perhaps, that you had a theory."

Twilight took a seat, giving a nod of thanks at the cup that Zecora had offered her, her magical aura grasping it, and moving it to her lips so she could take a careful sip of the steaming liquid. "I wish I did Zecora. By all accounts it just doesn't make sense." She scrunched her brows up in a way that made quite clear she was deep in thought, and was growing a little more vexed that the answer was still eluding her. "I think a lot of it comes from how little we know about the forest itself. The Everfree Forest is said to be an ancient place, tied to mysteries and magics lost to modern knowledge. If it was ever truly understood in the first place. But, it's almost like..." Twilight set her teacup down on the saucer provided, and tried to think of how to explain the odd sense she got. "I don't know... Almost like the forest was... Scared? Anxious maybe?" She kept trying, but her brain just seemed unable to grasp the right word for the concept. After a moment, she chuckled softly, though the hint of anxiety was still there. "I'm sorry Zecora. It really must be getting to me. Listen to me, I'm making almost as much sense as Pinkie Pi-AAAIIEEEE!"

The cause for the sudden change in pitch from casual conversation to high pitched scream was easy enough to figure out. Something had collided with the outer wall of the hut with enough force to cause several items on the shelves to rattle, and were it not for Zecora's quick reflexes and Twilight rapidly composing herself and grasping several of said items with her telekinesis, Zecora's cabin would have been quite a mess in very short order.

"Oh my! What could that have been?! To have my hut rattled so, I've not before seen!" Zecora called out in the aftermath, replacing the items she had caught before hurrying over to the window, trying to find the beast that had assaulted her home. As Twilight trotted over to join her, Zecora's eyes came to rest on the culprit, and she gasped audibly. Laying in a heap was a pale grey colt, with a charcoal black mane. But what caused the gasp was the more noticeable color. A deep crimson seemed to shine in the light of the newly risen moon. It trickled from the end of his snout, and a rather nasty gash on his forehead. The end result was almost that this stranger was wearing a ghoulish red mask.

Twilight also gasped as she arrived at the window, seeing the train wreck that was the colt. "Oh my goodness! We have to help him!" She wasted no time in opening the door, and rushing to the colt's side, Zecora following half a step behind. When they arrived, Twilight knelt down next to him, her horn already charging with the magic needed to perform the teleportation spell. Zecora meanwhile pulled his eyelids open carefully to reveal a pair of pale blue eyes. She said nothing, merely turned to look at Twilight with a nod. And then, in a burst of purple-pink energy, the trio was whisked away to the Ponyville hospital.

A/N:Okay so, that's chapter one. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I know it's not great. I do plan to incorporate the other cast members as well. And, there may be some odd ball chapters where it switches things up quite a bit. I'll try not to get too carried with them. Anyway, let me know what you think. Reviews, comments, criticism all are welcome.