Chapter 2: Shadows of the Everfree

	Skar somehow lost the path he was following through the Everfree Forest. He didn't know where he was going. He could hear birds chirping and critters scurring across the dead leaves covering the ground. Dim light shined through the holes in the tree tops with floating dust only visible in the light. The trees were a dark brown color, almost charcoal looking. This place was far different from Ponyville. It seemed as though this is where the mysteries, hate, and darkness hid from the brightly colored town. It was probably why it was not wise to go off trail when traveling through the forest. Sniffing, Skar could only smell the mix of nature and death. This wasn't a normal part of the Everfree Forest either, Skar knew he was in deep. 
	"Where am I?" Skar said to himself. He came across a cliff. Looking down he couldn't see the bottom, only darkness. Just then, the ground let out beneath him. He began to slide down the cliff. He lost his balance however and began to roll. He finally reached bottom, rolling right into a tree, slamming his back into it. Skar groaned from the pain. He stumbled as he stood up, almost falling, but was able to catch his balance. He felt pain surging through his spine. Skar turned around and looked at the steep cliff he had fell down. 
	"Argh, that was one doosey of a fall." Skar declared. He shook his head. Then he heard the snapping of a twig, which made him quickly turn his head to the sound. His eyes quickly turned left, right, then left again. He then looked straight and began to move forward. He heard a low growl, sounding like a wolf. A timber wolf. Skar said in his head. Skar had heard about the dangerous Timber Wolves of the Everfree Forest. They were unrelenting and pose a serious threat to a lone pony.
	Skar kept walking through the forest. He heard dead leaves crackle underneath his hooves with every step. From the corner of his eye he seen a grey blur, which he quickly looked toward, only to find nothing but darkness. He was getting anxious, ready for them to attack. Then, from the darkness, a grey and white timber wolf lunged from the darkness of the forest at Skar. Skar quickly jumped, spinning around to counter attack it, but then a second black wolf jumped at him from the darkness, slamming him to the ground. The black wolf, on top of Skar, attempted to bite at his neck, but Skar used his hind legs to kick the wolf off. Skar quickly got to his hooves and got into a battle stance. They grey and black wolves began to circle Skar. 
	Skar, waiting for them to attack, kept following them with his eyes. Then from behind he heard one of them lunge. He quickly lifted his hind legs and thrusted them outward, bucking the grey wolf in the face. The sound of snapping bones rang in Skar's ears as his hooves made contact with the wolf's snout. The wolf went flying backwards, slamming against a tree. It began to yelp in pain. Looking forward, Skar seen the black wolf jump at him. Skar lunged forward at the wolf, head bashing each other. The wolf went flying and landed on its back. Skar then rushed at it, pinning it down. He lifted his right hoof and jabbed the wolf through the rib cage, stabbing its heart. Blood spewed from the gash he had just made, and all life left the wolf. Skar pulled out his hoof, now covered in blood, and stepped off the wolf. He turned around to the grey wolf. It was still yelping in pain from its face being smashed in. Seeing that Skar was looking at it, it quickly ran in the opposite direction, dissapearing into the darkness. Skar sat down, letting gravity take him. He made a thud when his flank hit the ground.
	"I'm not in Ponyville anymore." Skar declared. After resting for a little bit, he got back to his hooves. He turned around to the cliff he had fell down. Best find a way back up. Skar jumped at the steep cliff and attempted to climb it. He didn't make it far, and only slid back down to the bottom. Too steep to climb, there has to be some kind of path somewhere. Skar turned left and began to follow along the cliff's bottom. As Skar walked he could hear birds in the treetops.
	"Seems to be peaceful above this darkness." Skar declared. "Can't even tell what time it is." In the corner of his eye, Skar spotted a gray object. He turned to it, and seen it was some kind of stone statue in the distance. He then made his way to it. When he reached the statue it was in an opening of the forest. Observing the statue, he seen that there was a plaque on it, but it was covered with vines and couldn't read it. He took his hoof and brushed away the vines so he could.
Scorn, the Hatebringer.
This is where he has been sealed away by Princesses Celestia and Luna.
It was the creation of a powerful spell that fused two ponies together.
The two ponies had an intense love for each other.
The spell reversed these feeling however.
The result was Hatred at its purest form.
	He looked up at the statue and studied it. It was quite a sight. Stitches went down the middle of the face and then covered the entire body. It looked like a patchwork of two different ponies. Although it was stone, some parts of it was darker than other parts, which meant a different color. The face had the features of two ponies. One half was female while the other was male. The mane seemed to be that of two different designs. The wings were part of the darker skin, while the horn was part of the lighter skin. It was a twisted version of an alicorn.
	"A spell that fuses two ponies together. Never heard of a spell like that. Although I'm not too knowledged in magic anyway." Skar turned around to head back to the cliff but he was frozen in fear by what he saw. It looked to be a skeleton pony made of shadows. It's eyes glowed red. It's hooves were not hooves at all, but steel blades.
	"What in Equestria is..." Skar was interrupted when the dark pony lunged at him, lifting one of it's steel blades in front. Skar had no time to react, so the blade rammed into Skar's right eye, which made him yell in pain. Blood splattered on the dark pony's blade and then pulled it's blade out causing blood to shoot out, splattering onto the ground. Skar stumbled backward, gritting his teeth. He couldn't feel the pain because of the adrelenine. Blood covered the right side of his face. He kept the right eye closed, but kept his left eye on the dark pony. The dark pony then lunged again, in attempt to stab him again.
	Skar countered it, jumping backwards and then jumping at it, doing a spin so he could buck it. He thrusted his hind legs, bucking the dark pony in the face. He heard the crunching of bones when his hooves made contact. The dark pony stumbled backwards and let out a moan of pain that had a metallic sound to it. Skar turned back around to the dark pony. Good I can hurt it. Skar thought to himself. Blood was pouring out of Skar's closed right eye. He kept his left eye on the dark pony. It then began to walk toward Skar in a calm manner. Something different? Skar thought to himself. Skar began to back up from the dark pony. It was then that Skar bumped into a tree and the dark pony lunged at him.
	Skar evaded to the left by jumping but the dark pony was able to slash right above Skar's cutie mark. Skar counter attacked and bucked at the dark pony's side. Again he heard the crunching of bones when his hooves made contact. The dark pony went flying, falling onto it's side, and sliding across the ground. Then it evaporated into black smoke and dissapeared. He deafeted it. Blood was pouring out of the new wound above his cutie mark, covering half of the mark.
	"Yeah..." Skar said worn out and then coughed horribly. "That... wasn't so... hard..." He began to rock from side to side. The pain then hit him making him yell out. His sight began to fade. He then collapsed. He had lost too much blood. Skar was out cold.