Ruki: Hey you people! I just want to say you all are my HEROES!

Ruki44: What are you even doing here? People don't know who you are probably!

Ruki: Doesn't matter. They didn't encourage you! IT'S GLORIOUS!

Ruki44: You know being my co-host for five years would make you realize by now that I am self-motivated.

Ruki: I know. But still, I want to give these people their props. I originally wasn't going to co-host with you for this story but hey, if its going to be like this it might be worthwhile.

Ruki44: Go away Ruki.

Ruki: Can't. My season is done, unlike the others. Surprised Rukia isn't here though. Or Hinata. She would like ponies. I never know whats going on through Tetra's mind.

Ruki44: You are infuriating. Anyways, I don't own MLP: FiM (Studio B, Hasbro, Lauren Faust, other people), Digimon Tamers (Bandai...Japanese people), Bleach (Tite Kubo, Tokyo TV, Funimation...other people), Naruto (I honestly don't remember. Whoever owns it), The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo...other people)

The Mysterious Mare

Rain fell heavily upon the once proud nation of Equestria. It was nothing unusual. It was rare to see a sunny day since the death of the last alicorn 1000 years ago. Since then an eternal grey plagued the land.

However, a lone figure cloaked in a worn brown mantle didn't seem bothered a bit by the torrential downpour. The figure was traversing the wild Everfree Forest, carefully making its way through the mud and the muck, all the while avoiding wild animals which were rumored to lurk in the trees.

"Hm, I could have sworn there was an earth pony settlement around here somewhere last time I was in the area." The voice of the figure was clearly feminine. Looking up at the sky the figure scowled. "Stupid rain. I can't get my bearings in this type of weather. What's the point of using stars as a guide if you can't even see the damn things?"

Muttering vulgarities under her breath, the figure continued the trek through the wilderness.

The figure just wanted to find the village which was supposed to be nearby. It had been so long since she had slept in a comfortable bed instead of the cold (and often wet) ground.

"Who!" The sudden break in the silence besides the beat of the rain startled the figure, causing her to jump and yelp in surprise before slipping in the mud. The hood which was keeping her head dry slipped down to reveal a young unicorn with a light blue mane with piercing blue eyes to match. Her coat was a dark purple and it blended in with the darkness of the forest.

The unicorn looked upwards to see an owl perched on the branch above her. Scowling and giving it her best glare, the unicorn picked herself up again.

"Stupid owl," she muttered, eyeing it as the rain quickly washed away the mud which had affixed itself to her. The owl just simply stared back. Breathing a sigh in resignation, the unicorn gave the owl a wry smile. "You wouldn't happen to know of a pony settlement around here, would you?"

The owl seemed to regard her for a moment before it spread its wings.

"Who!" It chirped once again before taking off, flying up a bit before looking northward. The unicorn raised its eyebrow. "Who!" The owl chirped again, this time more insistent then the last. A smile crept across the unicorn's face when she understood what the owl was getting at.

"Well I'll be," she murmured. "It seems I have a guide. Please lead on." The owl nodded its head before giving one last hoot, gliding northward keeping a slow enough pace that the unicorn could follow it through the obstacle course the Everfree Forest and rain had set up.

When the unicorn began to see lights she began to tear up. Finally, some shelter. She could imagine the soft beds and warm sheets already.

The sheets would be fuzzy to fight off any cold which may slip through the cracks of the window. A small hearth would be in the corner of the room with a fire crackling inside. The bed itself would be softer than any cloud, and when she finally laid down her body would just sink down.

"Who!" The owl's screech brought her back into reality. Looking over, she noticed was giving her a look that seemed to say "will you focus?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling self conscious for a reason she didn't quite understand. For a wildlife creature, it seemed to be highly intelligent. The unicorn hadn't seen another wildlife animal like it in many years. The owl seemed to shake her apology off as it glided towards town.

Passing past several buildings, the unicorn couldn't help but notice there wasn't an inn in sight. She felt herself frown when she realized this notation. While travelers weren't exactly commonplace, they weren't so rare that an inn wasn't needed.

This lead to her next point of concern. Where in the blazing sun was she supposed to stay if there was no inn? She couldn't exactly go up and knock on a door asking to spend the night. And while she had gotten used to sleeping in less than desirable weather conditions, she would like a couple days where can be like other ponies and sleep in a warm bed, sheltered from the elements.

She stopped following the owl and looked around what she inferred was the town square.

"Jeez," she murmured softly, a tang of depression in her voice. "I guess I won't be staying here very long."

"Who?" She looked up, forgetting about her owl guide. She gave it a serene smile.

"I'm sorry; I can handle myself from this point on. I do thank you for your help." The owl regarded her once last time before giving a final hoot and flying off. Watching the owl go, the unicorn sighed in resignation before slowly walking over to the overhang of the tall tower in the center of the pavilion. Leaning her back against the wooden wall, she stared at the moon which stared back, mocking her.

"Perfect, just perfect. I get to a town only to find no inn. And I am certainly not going to sleep on the street like some sort of bum," she muttered to herself. Sleeping outside in the wilderness was one thing. Sleeping out in the middle of the town was quite another. "Guess I'll only be staying until I get something to eat."

While food was never a pressing issue for the unicorn, she did like to indulge herself on something other than berries and roots while in a civilized area. She was a sucker for hay fries.

The clip clop of hooves broke the unicorn's fantasy of hay fries. Perking her ears slightly, she wondered who else besides her would be foolish enough to be outside in this torrential rainstorm. Squinting her eyes she could see an outline of a figure. She could only watch in confusion as the figure looked around plaza before finally settling on in her direction.

There was a moment of silence between the unicorn and the figure standing out in the rain. The tension between the two could be cut by a knife. In this day and age it was always best to be wary of strangers. You never knew who would stab you in the back. The unicorn hunched into a fighting position and a few light blue sparks escaped from her horn.

"Ah!"

Like that the silence was broken by the figure who upon realizing that yes, another being was stupid enough to be out in weather like this, sprinted towards her.

The young unicorn could only watch in shock when the other figure turned out to be a light purple unicorn who appeared to be the same age as her own. Her dark indigo mane with a strand of pink was mashed down due to the rain, covering her violet eyes.

"Oh my, so you must be the lost unicorn Owlowiscious was talking about," the unicorn said finally, sympathy ringing in her voice after a moment of the two unicorns staring at each other. "You're all soaked. Good thing I was still up when Owlowiscious came to fetch me. Most ponies aren't up at this time of night, let alone in this kind of weather. Oh where are my manners; I'm Twilight Sparkle."

Owlowicious? Could she be talking about her owl guide? What in the sun's name was going on here? First she gets lead by an owl to town, and now a unicorn appears in this weather? Over the years she has learned to watch her back, but this unicorn didn't even seem to see her as a potential threat. Was this town in such seclusion that this unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, didn't have a sense of self-preservation? Or was this foal just that trusting?

"Pleased to meet you Miss Twilight," the young unicorn said finally after a few moments in shock. Twilight looked at her with a calculating gaze. Well at least she had half the mind to not trust her blindly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing outside in this time of night?"

"I was looking for an inn. It seems this settlement doesn't have one. So, I decided to wait until morning and set out again after a meal."

"Why did you come all the way to Ponyville in the first place? We aren't a big town like Canterlot."

"I'm a traveling bard. I tell stories for a living. I was hoping-" That was far in the explanation the unicorn got before Twilight Sparkle cut her off.

"A bard? Stories? How wonderful! We haven't had a traveling pony stop in Ponyville for many years, and I don't know when the last time we had a bard!" Twilight gushed before becoming thoughtful. "In fact I didn't know bards still exist."

"A lot of ponies believe that about a lot of things I'm afraid," the unicorn replied with a wry smile. Much to her surprise, Twilight seemed to become a bit downcast after her retort. Did she offend the other unicorn in some shape or form?

"Yes, that is true," Twilight murmured looking down. "I certainly know how it feels." This pricked the unicorn's curiosity. What in the name of the blazing sun did Twilight Sparkle mean by that?

"Well, you are welcome to stay with me Miss, oh my I don't seem to know your name."

"You may refer to me as Selene."

"Well then Miss Selene, why don't you spend the night at my place?" Twilight Sparkle offered. "And then in the morning you can tell your tales in the town square. I would love to hear what you have to say, and I'm sure other ponies would love that as well."

Selene bit her lip a bit worriedly.

"Are you sure I wouldn't be putting you out?"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. I would be more than happy to accommodate you," she assured her, laughing her worry away. "Anyways, follow me. The quicker we get indoors, the better." Selene nodded, thanking whatever gods were out there for this stroke of luck in her mind.

Twilight lead Selene through the town before stopping at a humongous tree with glass windows embedded in several limbs and the trunk. A red door was carved into the bottom of the tree.

Selene raised her eyebrow a bit. While she was no stranger to the concept of having a home in a tree, she was unaware ponies have taken up the practice.

"I know it is a bit different," Twilight remarked as she opened the door. "But it makes it that easier to find. Anyways, do come in."

Selene took a step inside, taking a good look of her surroundings. Books lined the walls. All the walls. It was almost like it was a library. No wonder she took immediate interest when she mentioned she was a bard.

"You certainly have a lot of books," Selene remarked as Twilight closed the door.

"Of course," Twilight quipped. "This is the library."

"Ah."

Well that explained a lot.

"Anyways Selene, may we take your cloak?" Even though it was an innocent polite question, it made Selene freeze for a fraction of a moment.

"Thank you, but if you don't mind I would like to leave it on," Selene replied with an easy smile. Twilight regarded her with suspicion for a good minute as Selene kept the smile. Finally, she dropped the issue with a shrug.

"Ok, suit yourself. Anyways, I hope you don't mind, but I didn't have time to set up a guest bed for you."

"Oh, do not worry about it. It is more than enough you are offering us shelter. We cannot express our thanks enough."

Twilight Sparkle chuckled as she gestured for Selene to follow her to follow her up the stairs. Picking up a blanket and a towel with her magic, she dragged out a bed from who knows where. Landing the bed next to an unmade one with a stars blanket (Selene could feel her lips twitch into a smile at the design of the fabric), Twilight dropped the blanket and pillow on it.

"You can sleep there for tonight," Twilight told her as she climbed into the unmade bed. "Normally I would insist on a sleepover, but I am tired and I assume you are too. I'll wake you in the morning when I go down to the square."

For some reason Selene felt she dodged a bullet with the sleep over bit.

"I cannot thank you again," Selene told Twilight as she climbed into the bed which was provided for her. "You are being most generous. I only wish I can pay you back somehow."

"Don't worry about it," Twilight reassured her. "I'm glad to have somebody in the home again even if it is for a short while. Good night Selene."

With that odd statement Twilight turned off the lights. Selene shook her head and used magic to pull the blankets over her body, thankful for the warmth they provided.

"Good night Miss Twilight Sparkle."

Ruki: This is long! You haven't written something this long in a long while!

Ruki44: I know!