"TWILIGHT TIME TWILIGHT TIME TWILIGHT TIME!"

"Hurry before Twilight sees!"

"But how do ya suppose we get them to leave?"

-
The moonlight was vaguely showing through the clouds when the I stood up. Same dream for the millionth time! I thought to myself before grabbing an apple out of my bag. I began eating the apple slowly, savoring its juice. Food like apples was hard to come by since the "incident." Apples made me thing of my best friend's farm. Apples, who knew they would become the most valuable thing I would have. I sat in the dark woods, the Everfree Forest was the safest place in all of Equestria, anywhere else and you'd be snatched up by one of Sombra's Black Knights. I had been alone for 3 months, almost a 3 months since this had all begun. No sun was ever risen thanks to Nightmare Moon's eternal night. You never knew if it was day or night, or what time it was, or if it was going to be a month, but I had my ways of keeping track of time. I had a watch in one of my bags, and every 24 hours I scribbled a line on a sheet of paper. It wasn't the best method, or the most precise, but at least I knew.

There were very few ponies left that were free. Most of the time if they were caught, they were put to work somewhere. If you met a free pony though, you can't trust them. They might seem friendly and alright, but in reality all free ponies want to do is take everything you have and being a foal makes you one of the easiest targets in Equestria. Being a pegasus filly who cant fly, well, that just makes it worse. When I finished my apple I picked out the seeds and threw the core onto the ground. Seeds of the apples were also very precious, if you could start an apple farm where Black Knights wouldn't be able to catch you, you could make a living and survive! That's all ponies really care about now a 'days. I mean, it would be amazing if I could find one of my friends or my "sister." I still hope that one day Twilight and Rainbowdash and everypony else will just appear and defeat Nightmare Moon and Sombra. If anypony can defeat them it would be them, the Elements of Harmony. I packed up my things and started trotting down a remote part of the Everfree Forest. I used to be frightened by stories of the headless horse pony, and I imagined it chasing me through the trees. It made me laugh at first, but laughing made me think of Pinkie Pie and every other pony who was dead or missing.

The Crystal Empire and Canterlot were the two most populated places with slaves and thieves, areas you never tried to roam around in. In every city there were Black Knights and new factories. I would love to go back to Ponyville and look for somepony, but I know that there wouldn't be anypony that I knew. I missed them so much. Why did this have to happen to me, to us, to everypony!? Thinking about it formed a pit in my stomach. The thought of never seeing my friends again was just too horrible! Where were they? They couldn't be dead right? They were too strong to fall to Sombra! Rainbowdash was alive too, I just knew it! Then again, I hadn't seen them for 3 months. Where was I going? What was I going to do with life? Maybe it would be easier to just die. I thought. NO! I couldn't just die! Rainbowdash had taught me to be strong, I wouldn't just go down without a fight! I made up my mind. I had to go to Ponyville to find my friends! We have to be reunited, so we can save Equestria! That's what I'd do... if I could. I couldn't save Equestria, I was just a handicapped filly in world full of knights, slaves, thieves, and death. I began to sob right there in the middle of the woods, but just as I started to cry, I remembered a certain pony who might not have been caught because of the destination where she lived! My hopes were shooting out of the sky, as I galloped as fast as possible to Zecora's hut.

My heart sank to my hooves when I arrived at Zecora's. Her hut was nothing but ash, herbs, medicines, and broken tea pots were scattered everywhere, and nothing remained out of the entire place. I trotted around the hut for a little bit, but found nothing. I sighed, as I glanced around. There really wasn't ever going to be anypony I could find. I felt tears forming in my eyes again, but that's when I realized that I was super close to Ponyville! This time I told myself not to get my hopes up for anything. I had learnt that ages ago and wondered why I even had the slightest hope of seeing Zecora. I galloped through the Everfree, cautious of Black Knights and blue flowers. Upon reaching the border of the Everfree and Ponyville, I slowed my pace to a turtles. I peeked out of the bushes to look at what I had once called home. I saw a dark smoke rising from behind some of the destroyed homes. The entire place was covered in black crystals and statues of King Sombra and Nightmare Moon. I saw Black Knights roaming the streets and laughing. I wanted nothing more than to just run right up there and have fun with all of my friends, but it's so hard to imagine that in this world. I turned around to head back into the Everfree, and that's when I noticed two Black Knights standing right in front of me. My eyes widened in shock and horror, fear crept through every vain in my body. I felt the wind in my mane, I was running, running straight for Ponyville.

Ponyville was getting closer every step, but I couldn't let the guards catch me. I panicked and halted to a stop. This caused the knights to run straight past me, and it was too late by the time they noticed and spun around. I was already back into the Everfree. I heard that knights say "Add her to the list." What did that mean? I was to focused on getting away from there to ponder it for long. I finally stopped galloping after I was past Zecora's. I rested for a bit and got a drink of water from a pond near by. I reached into my bag and grabbed a framed photo with everypony that I cared for on it. I had been carrying it around since it all started. From the moment I fled from Ponyville. I had traveled to Canterlot, then Manehatten, then Fillydelphia, and then Baltimare, and finally to the safe Everfree forest. All those places in the matter of 3 months. I had assumed that it only took 3 months because when I stopped in one place it had already been attacked and was defeated, so I would just always be traveling. I always feared that I would meet my doom from one of the Black Knights, and what I had done, I just out-smarted them! I guess they were kind of stupid! I couldn't wait to tell Rainbowdash! I believed that if I could get away from two knights, Rainbowdash could too!

I guess I had fallen asleep with the photo in my hooves because I woke up on the edge of the pond with the photo tucked under me. I got up and looked around, and I realized that all of my bags were gone! Oh no, no no no no no no no! I needed everything that was in those bags to live! I glanced around frantically making sure that I hadn't just misplaced them. A thief. There was a thief in the Everfree. I had to find them and take my things back! I knew in my heart that I would never be able to, but I had to do something, or find something, anything. I trotted along the bushes of the Everfree with nothing besides my dignity and the photo. I trotted for a long time until I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a dark figure that moved swiftly. I heard a branch break from behind me. "Who- Who's there?" I sputtered out. All of the sudden, I saw a pegasus crash down from the sky right in front of me. I gulped, then felt nauseous. The pegasus examined me for a moment. I realized that I had looked frightened, so I stood up a little straighter and made my eyes look a little bit fiercer. The pegasus smiled just a bit and said, "You know kid, I didn't mean to steal your bags. I thought you were dead." She tossed my bags on the ground and turned around. She was brown with a black and gray mane, all different shades. She wore a sand colored hat with a green strip and a military green uniform shirt. She looked awesome, but why had she given me my bags? "Um, wait up!" I said as I ran up to catch up with her. I had my bags back on now and she looking at me questionably.

"Look kid, I work alone." she said staring at me.

"Great!" I said, "What kind of work?"

"Uh, it doesn't matter because I work ALONE!" she shouted.

I backed down. She picked up her pace a little bit. I wanted to go with her, but I assumed she didn't like me.

"Maybe I could go with you for a just a month?" I asked.

She sighed, "You know, maybe you could tag along for a short amount of time. Just don't get in the way of my work."

"Anyway, what's your name kid?" she asked.

"Scootaloo." I responded.

"I'm Daring Do."