/*Author's Note: This is my first story. So please, I encourage all comments and suggestions. In fact, I would love suggestions on the readers on what they want to see in the story later when I get further into it. That is besides the fact. Point being, first story and I will make mistakes. I need your help so I can fix them and better my own writing skills. Now, enjoy the story.*/

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. Going through my usual morning routines, I showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast. Today was my first day off in three years, something not common in the Marines. I didn't expect to do much today, but I needed to do something. The stress of the military was finally getting to me, and there is only one way we release stress in the military, and that is with good 'ole guns.

Walking over to my closet, I opened it and glanced at the top. I searched for a minute, until I finally found what I was looking for. Pulling on a piece of string, a hidden shelf folded outwards revealing a couple rifles, a pistol, and multiple boxes of ammo. I couldn't help but smile at the sight, and I knew today would be a good day. I grabbed my favorite camo duffel bag and began to stuff it with necessities similar to that of a hunting trip.

Shooting near the city would surely get me in trouble, but the solution to that was simple. I would be travelling into the woods near my house, and if I got lost I would have enough in my bag to survive. You never know what could happen in those woods, strange things happen there all the time. It doesn't actually have a name, but kids around here call it the "CreakingTree Forest", and the name seemed fitting, so it stuck.

I grabbed my favorite gun first, a semi-automatic ACP pistol with a sleek silver finish. After some thought, I decided two guns would be good, not too heavy, but definitely not light. I grabbed an 8mm hunting rifle, ammo, some food rations, and some water.

Before I left, I decided to do something most people would think a military lieutenant like me would never do. I switched on my computer, and switched on the latest episode my favorite TV series. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic flickered to life on the screen. Halfway through the episode, the computer ran out of battery and shut down.

As sad as I was, I was slightly happy as this meant I would have more time to shoot and have some fun. I threw the duffel bag in the bag of my jeep and got in the driver's seat. I loved this thing, off road, and with the black paint it made me look like a real stud.

After about an hour of driving I found the spot me and my buddies set up before we went into the military. Back then, we were soft, and stuck to smaller guns. Now, I had much more practice. I opened the door and got out. Walking to the back of my car, I opened the trunk and took out the duffel bag. Gently sliding the pistol out of bag, I slid it into my gun holster.

Slinging my rifle over my back, I walked up and saw targets were already set up. I chuckled in surprise; I didn't think anyone had been here in a while.

"Guess that saves me time," I said to myself. I set my duffel bag and rifle on the ground next to me. Taking out my pistol, I slid a new clip into my pistol and took aim at a smashed TV sitting on a stand. I slowly pulled the trigger, enjoying the moment.

*BANG*

Then everything went black…

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were speaking with the Royal Guards when all of the sudden…

*BANG*

Everyone looked up in surprise, and the Princess of the Moon was the first to react.

"What the buck was that?" said a very shocked Luna, "What could cause something so loud!"

Princess Celestia did not know, but sensed something was off within her land.

Celestia spoke in a calm voice, "My dear sister, did you sense anything…strange, accompanying the presence of that strange noise?"

Celestia could not help but chuckle on the inside as her sister's face changed from a look of astonishment, to curiosity.

"I cannot believe I did not notice it earlier. Forgive me, sister, but I sense a powerful magic has been released momentarily from the direction of Ponyville. Perhaps it was your dear student Twilight Sparkle performing a newly acquired spell?" said Luna, trying to figure out what could have created such powerful magic, "Are you sure discord is still in his statue prison?"

That was a something neither of them had thought of. Flying out the window, the princesses flew top speed towards the garden of statues, fearing for both Equestria's safety and their own. As the garden came in to view, the princesses could sense no power emanating from the garden nor anywhere nearby.

"Strange," inquired Luna, "it is as if all the magic used has simply disappeared."

Luna couldn't quite grasp what could have caused such an event. Even in spells, magic has never been released in such an instantaneous matter, disappearing as soon as it appeared. This would require further investigation.

Princess Celestia broke Luna's train of thought.

"Luna, we are here!" Celestia whispered, "We must be quiet, if the public knows about this they may fall into a panic."

Luna knew Princess Celestia was right, but she simply could not focus. She kept losing herself in her thoughts. She had never experienced such an event before, and Celestia had never spoken of one occurring while she was banished to the moon.

Princess Luna could not stop herself, she had to ask. "Celestia, has anything like this ever happened before while I was…gone?" Luna spat out the word "gone" in a shaky tone.

Celestia recognized this, but decided not to call her out on it and further complicate things more than they already are. She knew her sister was emotionally unstable when it came to that subject.

"I am afraid not, my dear sister," Celestia said, reaching a hoof up to pat Luna on the back, "however, if that magic and sound was not caused by discord, I assure you it cannot be that bad. In fact, we have work that needs to get done. Discord is still in his prison," Celestia tapped the Discord statue, "Ponyville and Equestria are safe as far as I can tell. Maybe Twilight will find something out, and send us a letter. Let's go back home."

Celestia crouched and readied to launch into the air, and Luna did the same. Staring into each other's eyes, they both nodded, and off they went. The princesses flew off into the afternoon sky.

On the way, Princess Luna could not help but wonder. "It is not like Tia to brush something like this off. She usually orders a full investigation. Does she know something I don't? What is going on with her?"

"What just happened?" I moaned, still on the ground, staring at the sky. Judging by the sky, I must have been out for at least 8 hours, it was almost night! This had me worried a bit. I tried to sit up, but found I had a slight pain in my head. "That's it," I thought to myself, "I must have feinted and hit a rock after I fell or something." It was a weak conclusion, but I couldn't make sense of what just happened. I looked to my right, and saw my duffel bag and rifle still there. I glanced to the ground, and saw my gun lying next to where I had collapsed. I walked over to pick it up, knowing I couldn't just leave it there. I slowly bent down to grasp the handle, trying to ignore the slight throbbing pain in my head. Checking the clip in the gun, I was shocked at what I found. I was so astonished I couldn't help but yell out loud in shock.

"It's a full clip!"

That isn't possible, I thought to myself. I heard the gun shot, I am sure of it! I looked at my surroundings, panicked about what else might have happened. The shooting area that was set up was gone. I was standing in the middle of a small, circular clearing surrounded by forest.

"What the fuck," I said, "what is happening?"

"Calm down Dan," I thought to myself, trying to think logically, "no matter what's happening, one thing is still the same. It is almost night, and I need a place to take shelter and sleep." It hit me that if my guns and duffel bag were with me, maybe my car is still somewhere nearby.

While searching for my car, I came across several odd things. The creatures in the forest seemed different. I came across a family of rabbits, but they did nothing but stare at me. I was close enough to grab one of them; they should have run by now. That struck me as odd. I saw what looked to be my Jeep in the distance, although it was hard to tell. It nearing night, mixed with the black paint made it hard to see. As I neared the Jeep, I noticed it was now in patch of blue flowers.

"Wait!" I said, "I recognize these flowers!"

It was an impossible fact, but I couldn't help but think back to that My Little Pony episode I watched before I went out here.

"No, it can't be that, can it?" I asked myself, "It can't possibly be Poison Joke can it? I mean, that only exists in a cartoon, right?"

I wasn't going to take the chance. I turned around, only to see a giant shadow block my path.

"Oh, excuse me. I wasn't watching-" I was cut off by a roar, similar to that of a lion.

What I saw next made me lose my sense of reality. Standing in front of me was a very angry looking creature. It had the body of a lion, a scorpion's tail, and wings. I slowly took my pistol out of its holster, and took aim. If it attacked, I would be ready.

"Hey there," I said in a gentle voice, "nice lion. I am just going to back away and-"

Next thing I remember was flying into a tree, with intense pain emanating from my back, and scratch marks going across my arm. The pain was unbearable.

"Fuck, my arm!" I screamed. Surprising myself, I am not usually the kind to react to pain. One thing was for sure though; this creature did not want to be friends.

I brought my pistol up and looked through the sights. Quickly taking aim, I pulled the trigger.

"Damn!" I said in frustration.

I missed the creature by a long shot. I looked at the creature again and noticed it only seemed pissed off at the loud noise made by the gunshot, instead of scared or shocked. This only rushed me further.

"Calm down," I said to myself, "you won't hit it if you try to rush it like that."

I took aim again, this time to carefully and expertly aim for the head. Taking a deep breath, I slowly pulled the trigger.

*CRACK*

Blood and brain matter flew everywhere, covering me in it. I looked at the now headless creature as it fell to the ground. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and my heart was beating a mile a minute. I looked down to see I was covered in the creature's blood. I couldn't help myself as I felt bile rise in my stomach. I threw up everything in my stomach. Even when my stomach's contents were emptied, I dry heaved a few times.

Finally taking my current situation into thought, I started calming down and thinking logically again. I don't want to take any chances, so I am not staying in my car. If I did, I would have to go through those blue flowers. I grabbed my duffel bag and made up my mind. I will go find some water and try to wash some of this blood off me, then I will go in search of a town, or people at least. It was obvious I was not in the same place I had been before I went unconscious.

Sliding my pistol back into its holster, I started walking, towards what I suspect to be south. Strange noises were all around me, but I did my best to ignore them. I could see a path up ahead, and that seemed like my best bet for finding any sort of intelligent life.

When I finally reached the path, I looked further down and saw a tree house. It was literally, a house made inside of a tree. It looked old, and gave off a creepy vibe, but I head for it anyway. "Might as well, if there is a house there must be people," I thought to myself.

Finally reaching the door to the tree house, I knocked three times. Not a minute after, the strangest thing happened. A zebra opened the door.

"A guest, I see. Bloodied by Manticore blood. Tired, you must be." the zebra spoke, "come in, you must. You mean no harm, I trust?"

"Holy shit!" I said, shocked. This zebra could talk! While it talking in cryptic was slightly annoying, it could talk none the less! I better play this as polite, no telling how she will react to me.

"Sorry, I was simply shocked. I mean no harm, I was attacked by a creature in the woods," I said, trying to sound scared to earn this zebra's sympathy, "My name is Daniel. Daniel Pierce. Might I be so kind as to know your name as well?"

The zebra stared at me, almost as if it was staring into my soul. Eventually, it replied.

"My name is Zecora," the zebra said, "Do you need a place to stay? For you, there is no pay."

Still speaking in cryptic. Typical…

"I would love that. Thank you Zecora." I replied softly, "but first, do you have a washroom or water source, I need to get this stuff off of me." I said, gesturing towards the blood.

"I have water in the back. Afterwards, you may help yourself to a snack!" Zecora replied, giving off a comfortable smile at the mention of a snack.

I returned the smile, and headed towards her back room. I placed my duffel bag next to the door and took off my clothes. To by disbelief, Zecora had a shower. Shaped like a human shower, with human knobs and everything. How they grabbed the knobs was beyond me, but I could ask that later. I slipped into the shower and twisted the knob, which I assumed was the hot water knob, and proceeded to cleanse myself of the blood and grime off my body. It felt good to finally get that all off. As I stepped out of the shower, I came to a realization that disgusted me. I had no other clothes to wear. I would either have to go out of the house naked, or where the same gory clothes I fought the creature that attacked me with. Zecora may not wear clothes, but that may be her culture and society. I am not going to stoop that low in my own society.

As I finished slipping on my clothes, I grabbed my duffel bag beside the door. As I walked out of the room, I heard a knock on the door. I expected a person or zebra to walk through the door. I was shocked to see that it was…a horse. Wait, no. Not a horse, it was a pony. And a purple one too!

The purple pony took one look at me, and screamed. I assumed she was scared because I was not only an unfamiliar creature, but my clothes were covered in blood as well.

"It's okay," I said, in as calm and a gentle voice as I could manage, "I will not hurt you."

She stopped screaming, and closed her eyes. I thought I got her to calm down, until I noticed her eyes were squinting, and it looked like she was concentrating. I became curious as to what she was doing, but then noticed a purple glow start to form around me. I looked towards Zecora, and was about to ask her what was going on.

"Zecora, what-" Before I could finish, I went flying into a wall. And for the second time today, everything went black…