You stumble away your reflection in the water, its foreignness taunting you as you gasp - but not in pain. Something far – far - worse has happened to you than the few scrapes and bruises blemishing your unfamiliar body. Something is missing - something inside you – It's like you're missing a lung. You don't know what it is that has been stolen, but the gaping emptiness that has replaced it threatens to engulf you with its appalling sense of loss.
The forest is closing in on you, the think gnarly trees blotting out the foggy night sky. You squint, attempting to penetrate the oily shadows that have begun to swirl around you almost as if they have a life of their own.
You are plunged into complete, all-encompassing suffocating darkness.
But you're not alone. You may be reeling from shock, but you can sense a presence – a foreboding shadow reaching out to you. The wind is starting to scream around you like an enraged wraith and you find yourself spinning around, trying to cover the whole glade at once.
Cold, high taunting laughter - Echoing from all directions – It's impossible to tell where it's coming from. You have no idea how to defend yourself. You squint and notice that oily shadows that have begun to swirl around your hooves like snakes – hissing and slithering. You cry out, kicking away at the physical darkness that is rising around you.
And then a voice - Deep, cold and taunting.
"This is the darkness. This is my domain!"
You can't see a thing – but you can feel the shadows – icy cold and oily - crawling up your legs. Dread finds its way into your heart and you panic, falling back and tripping over yourself, landing spread eagled.
The voice laughs loudly, drinking in your fear like a thirsty child. You let out a cry, only for the solid shadows to seep into your mouth – pouring down your throat, thick as water – you choke and collapse, swallowed by shadows and then…nothing.
"I'll be watching you - Doctor Whooves. Your path has already been chosen for you by forces beyond your comprehension… you will simply walk. The shadows will be observing you…and waiting."
The shadows that have invaded every cell of your body leave as quickly as they entered - leaving you gasping for air. The darkness dissipates and the stars are again visible overhead, lighting the grove.
You can't bare the emptiness inside you a moment longer and you scream. An agonising, pain enriched roar that echoes and reverberates among the forest trees - silencing all life nearby. You scream until your throat grows hoarse, your throat is burning and you fall to your knees with the sense of loss overwhelming you.
"My, what do my ears hear? A lost pony, crying in fear?"
You jump to your feet – your strength returned - glaring at the shadowy figure hidden in the darkness of the trees.
"Show thyself!" You attempt to growl, but your raw throat translates your demand into a croak.
"My friend, believe me for I mean you no harm! I promise there is no need for alarm."
The shadow replies. It's not the same voice as before. You don't recognise her accent, but it sounds highly exotic, conjuring images of sun and golden sand in your mind.
"I bid thee to show thyself!" You demand, narrowing your eyes at the shadow.
"You are troubled tonight, that much is clear - For the wood itself can sense your fear." The shadow says, stepping into the moonlight of the glade.
You gasp at the sheer exotic nature of her appearance. Her light grey fur is painted with sharp dark shapes, the most noticeable upon her flank which is the shape of a spiral sun. A number of golden ringlets are clamped around her neck and leg.
Her eyes fix on yours, sparkling with curiosity.
"From my home I heard your painful cries, but I now see the desperation in your eyes. A lost pony is all I can see, how did you come to be in Everfree?"
You gulp down the bile as the realisation hits you hard in the face.
"We…don't know…" you admit, desperate tears blurring your eyes.
Derpy jumped out of the Tardis and took in the familiar surroundings with two independent, yet curious eyes. Several large
but welcoming looking cottages littered the landscape, and huge, carefully pruned trees decorated the grass in-between. The air was filled with flower petals and the sounds of chirping birds. Ponies were trotting about their daily business.
"I thought you said we could be anywhere Doctor?" Derpy wondered out loud, as a small crescent chested robin flew down and landed on the bridge of her nose, happily chirping away.
She heard the slam of the TARDIS door behind her and then Whooves trotting up to her, his face puzzled.
"Well, I suppose this does count as… anywhere."
Derpy laughed suddenly, causing the bird to take flight for a more stable resting place.
"We're still in Ponyville!" She giggled happily, spinning around on her back hooves and promptly falling over.
"That's not possible!" The Doctor retorted, his features confused. He brought up his strapped leg and gave it a little shake, causing one of the leather flaps to fall open revealing a rather handsome silver pocket watch.
"Nooooo, we've moved. There was some definite movement back there…"
He span around and glared daggers at the TARDIS as if it had done him a great personal wrong. The one pony shed sized outhouse remained oblivious to its owner's displeasure. Whooves inspected the grass around the small wooden construct for a moment, his blue eyes shimmering with curiosity. And then indignant rage.
"Four inches!" He yelled up at the indifferent box. "That's the best you can do? Four measly inches?"
Derpy rolled around on the grass for a moment, enjoying the late evening sun on her face and then frowned, looking up at the tree the Robin had fluttered over to.
"I don't remember that tree being that big…" She said, frowning.
Whooves frowned, noticing it as well. "I think-"
What Doctor Whooves thought, Derpy would have to wait to find out because at that moment, the travellers chatter was interrupted by the sound of thunderous yelling.
"Hello, hello….What's going on?" Whooves wondered out loud, looking towards the source.
They looked over, and saw a small red headed filly with a pink bow, yelling, no, screaming at two terrified looking adult Unicorns.
"I know it was you!" The filly was screaming at the top of her lungs. "I KNOW IT WAS YOU!"
The two unicorns were backing away slowly, but were being pushed towards the wall of one of the cottages, unable to escape. Derpy noticed how incredibly well dressed the pair were. One, the male had a monocle and top hat, as well as a very sharp suit that stopped only to show off his cutie mark, that of three golden crowns. He was looking around anxiously. His partner was stunningly pretty, her coat a perfect white and her mane a delicate pink. She was glaring at the little filly with venom in her purple eyes. It was the male unicorn who elected to talk first.
"Now now, Applebloom… I realize you are going through a difficult time at the moment, you have obviously never really recovered and I am deeply sorry but-"
"Liar!" Applebloom screamed up at him, her voice growing hoarse. "My sister was on er' way to see you! YOU!"
"'Ow dare you-"The pretty female unicorn snapped in a velvety accent. But the other silenced her with a look.
The drama was now attracting quite the crowd, as more and more ponies were being drawn along by the commotion.
Derpy and Whooves were closer now, and could see the three Ponies clearly. Applebloom was openly sobbing, tears were running down her cheeks, but she was refusing to back down.
"That's Fancypants," Whooves muttered beside her, gesturing to the well-dressed Unicorn. "And that's his wife, Fleur De Lis if I'm not mistaken."
"Where is she?" The filly continued to sob, "Where's ma' sister!"
Fancypants bowed his head, looking absolutely exhausted, but Fleur was growing more livid by the second.
"'Ow dare you accuse us of doing such a thing, child? In front of everyone! I've never been so-!"
"That is enough, my dear." Fancypants interrupted, and Fleur's mouth snapped shut. "Applebloom, I promise you I know nothing whatsoever of your sister's disappearance. She was to meet me that day, this is very much true. She and I were to discuss terms for supplying apples to lower Manehatten. But she never arrived."
Applebloom let out another sob, and collapsed to her knees. Derpy gasped, and before Whooves could say anything, she had pushed her way through the crowd and placed a wing over the young girl's shuddering body.
"It's alright, shh….It's alright…" She whispered to her, keeping her close as Applebloom's tears continued to roll down her cheeks and drip down to the grass.
Fancypants sighed, and turned his attention towards the crowd of concerned faces.
"This young one deserves some privacy; I would ask you all to kindly return to your daily business. This is not something for everypony to gawk at."
The crowd seemed inclined to agree with the unicorn, especially as he started to frown at them and they began to dissipate slowly.
Doctor Whooves however, trotted forwards his face full of concern; he nodded at Fancypants earning a mild look of recognition in return.
"Terrible business." The unicorn sighed. "Truly."
"What exactly brought this about?" Whooves asked, gazing pitiably down at Derpy's comforting of the young Pony.
"I suppose I should have predicted it today, of all days," Fancypants replied sadly. "It was a six months ago today it happened after all. Shocking business. Appalling. They never found a single trace of the poor pony."
"Six months?" The Doctor asked again. "What's happened?"
"Applejack went missing. Just vanished into thin air."
Applebloom let out a fresh wail.