Act I
----
----
"Run!" Pinkie Pie let out a trill screech as gigantic footsteps lumbered through the woods surrounding the Mane 6.
"Hey! Over here, you big bully!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew rainbow circles around the face of a towering Hydra. One of the heads gnashed at her but it carried on toward the other 5 as they fled on hoof, chasing them deeper into the woods.
As it caught up one of it's mouths came bearing down at them and Twilight concentrated. In a purple flash they reappeared further ahead of the Hydra again.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted in terror as she watched Fluttershy trip over a raised root on the forest floor and onto her face. The Hydra reared up and screamed with all of it's heads as it caught up.
"Hey!" A stallion's voice shouted as a dark colored earth pony in an ornate cloak swung into the scene on a vine. The Hydra's necks all intertwined as they snapped at the mysterious stallion. He then landed beside Fluttershy and pulled her up on her hoofs. "Are you injured?" He asked.
"I think I'm okay." She said meekly.
"Quickly!" He pointed his hoof off toward a thick growth of brush and ran in, the girls all followed as the hydra shook off it's daze and continued it's advance.
As they entered the brush he swung a blade at a vine and a section of the forest mat below them fell slightly and began sliding down an embankment.
"Weee!" Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully at the ride. Eventually their makeshift sled came to a stop at the bank of a stream with the forest well behind them.
"Thanks, whoever you are." Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"Ghost." The stallion stated.
"Ghost?" Fluttershy whimpered.
"That's what I call myself." he chuckled. "I spend so much time venturing around I'm not sure I even remember what my real name is." He winked.
"An adventurer, like Daring do!?" Rainbow Dash could hardly contain her excitement.
---
"Well if ya ever get bored o' wandering around we might ca' use another strong pair of hoofs like that on the farm." Applejack joked.
"Duly noted." Ghost winked to Applejack.
"That cloak, it's so magnificent!" Rarity beamed as she inspected the cloak.
"It's of my own design." Ghost boasted as he did a quick turn to show it off for Rarity as she swooned.
"I design a line of clothing myself" she boasted back.
"You sure have a lot of talents!" Pinkie screeched. "Can you throw a party too?" Pinkie tossed a heap of confetti in front of his face.
Ghost reached a hoof behind Pinkie's ear and produced a small, crude, pink wooden pony doll. "You have to be a jack of all trades to survive out here on your own." He explained. Pinkie's eyes lit up with excitement as she took the doll from him.
"No offense to the rest of you beautiful mares but I'm more interested in you." Ghost indicated toward Twilight with one of his hoofs. "Excuse me for being so blunt but you are an Alicorn?"
Twilight nodded. "The Princess of Friendship, at your service."
"Princess of Friendship?" He quizzed.
"You must have been away for some time." Twilight chuckled nervously.
"What is a princess and her friends doing in the woods like that?" He raised an eyebrow to the group.
"We got called by the Cutie-map and on our way back we got close to the edge of the woods. And the Hydra must have been wandering back into the woods and the only way to run was in." Twilight explained.
"Cutie-map?" he raised his hoof to his chin.
"I'll explain on the way back to the castle." Twilight smirked. "Why don't you come join us for dinner and meet some more of my friends!"
"That's all so generous but I prefer to spend my evenings under the stars." He dismissed.
"But there's a storm scheduled for tonight!" Rainbow Dash insisted.
"I have a tarp to keep me dry." Ghost motioned his head toward his saddle bags.
"Darling, that simply won't do!" Rarity insisted.
---
"I will if it pleases the princess." Ghost bowed down toward Twilight. The rest of the Mane 6 stared at her with pleading eyes.
"Well it has been a while since we had a guest." Twilight said as she watched the others for approval.
"YAY!" Pinkie Pie exploded with excitement and confetti.

Twilight explained the Castle of Friendship and the Cutie-map to Ghost as they made their way to Ponyville. Everypony made proper introductions as well along the way. The rain began right as they made it inside and eventually they found themselves all seated around a table in the dining hall.
"First molt?" Ghost quizzed Spike as Spike delivered his meal.
"Glad you noticed!" Spike replied excitedly, showing off his wings.
A bolt of thunder sounded outside and Fluttershy began to tremble.
"My dear Fluttershy." Ghost said in a comforting tone as he got up and walked around the table to her. "You need not worry about a storm in such a sturdy place." He placed his hoof on her shoulder comfortingly. "Just close your eyes and take a deep breath" He instructed. "Feel better now?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Thank you" she said quietly.
"It's a shame you couldn't meet Starlight Glimmer, she must be out for the night." Twilight interrupted the moment.
The rest of the dinner carried on much the same; Ghost exuded charm to Twilight's friends and it gave her a sense of unease.
"Spike, why don't you show Ghost to the guest chambers?" Twilight said.
"Really, Princess it's just a little bit of rain." Ghost insisted. Thunder crashed loudly. "Well, perhaps just for the night." He conceded.

Twilight stared blankly at her journal as she levitated a quill to an empty page. A knock came on her Chamber.
"Come in" She opened up the door and Ghost wandered in.
"Forgive the intrusion. I know it's late" Ghost apologized.
"Is your room to your liking?" Twilight yawned.
"It's wonderful. Just not ready to sleep I suppose."
---
"There's always time to talk to a new friend." Twilight smiled awkwardly as Ghost came nearer.
"You know alicorns aren't the only ponies with magic." Ghost reached behind Twilight's ear and produced a red rose.
"Everypony knows that trick." Twilight giggled nervously.
"Your friends. I can see in their faces the hallmarks of a heart, fulfilled" Ghost tucked the rose into the crown of Twilight's mane. "You on the other hoof."
Twilight looked back nervously and said nothing as he moved even closer yet and stroked his hoof through her mane.
"The duties of your own kingdom, weighing hard, tender to everyponies heart but your own." He moved his face within reach of hers.
"Yes." Moisture glistened in her eyes and her voice quivered as she whispered her reply. They both leaned in to each other and their faces met for a passionate kiss.
"Many things left owing to yourself..." His voice trailed off as he then began to rake his teeth against her neck.
"MMmhmm" She moaned and her legs shook. Her horn began to glow.

Suddenly she teleported carelessly over to her writing desk, bumping into it and knocking everything around in the process. "No. I can't. I mean I hardly know you."
"Princess I apologize!" Ghost walked over and tried to touch her on the shoulder but she batted his hoof away.
"I've never even had my first kiss- well now I have but I didn't imagine it like this." She sighed.
"It was a long day. Two ponies carried away. I shall return to my chamber. Nopony needs to hear of this." He sighed as he walked for the door. His cloak snagged on the side of the writing desk as he trotted off, pulling it up and revealing his blank flank.
"Markless..." Twilight moved into a defensive posture. "You're a Markless!"
"Princess Celestia's best kept secret." He sneered in sinister tone. "Only something a royal princess of Canterlot would know of." He chided.
"When the morning comes you have to leave." Twilight demanded.
---
"I've heard these words before." He scoffed.

"Rules of a kingdom that isn't made for me-
You conquer not by force but by decree. "
He began singing.
"Honesty? What is a lie?
Kindness? simply will not fly."

Twilight's horn glittered and glowed purple, ready to cast a spell. Ghost batted at the glow around her horn and glitter formed an image of a sad young colt as it rained down.

"Dad said "Son you better get your mark-
Or your future will be dark.
Surely you're not even trying-
so raise your head and quit your crying."
(Is this what you girls call Loyalty?)

"My mother of course proved to me-
a mother's love is not to be."
(She was long gone by then. Ran away with a soldier).

"Now onto generosity?-
I'm forced to settle for whatever comes to me!" he snarled

"Laughter?" He let out a maniacal laugh.
(Ok I like that one, it's a little more open ended).

"Magic? I don't need it to survive-
But without a purpose one will never thrive"
Ghost pointed his hoof at her cutie mark.

"This kingdom is a promise that can't be made to all-
If ponies knew it then your tapestry of rules would surely fall."
Ghost plucked a decorative tapestry from the wall and it disappeared in a jet of flame. Twilight gave him an angry look and with a sweep of his hoof the tapestry was back on the wall, intact.

"I'll leave your precious kingdom in the day-
To those who like it who am I to take away?"

"Just remember, princess. These are your rules; not mine." he chided as he walked toward the door. "Or rather Princess Celestia's rules!" He scoffed.
"I've known her since I was a foal!" Twilight snapped back. "If she doesn't trust your likes then I know it's for a good reason!"
"An easy perspective to gather when you don't end your childhood being chased into exile by your peers. When you aren't forced to spend your days scavenging for whatever scraps of food and comfort you can find while being chased like prey by every manner of beast."
---
The next morning Twilight came upon a commotion near the castle doors.
"You simply must stay a while longer, darling!" Rarity insisted.
"Twilight! Ghost says he's leaving today. Tell him he has to stay another day!" Pinkie screeched.
"I'm sure he has things to do..." Twilight said nervously.
"I wouldn't want to impose." Ghost smirked and looked over to Twilight. "But if it's alright with the princess."
Twilight pulled him over to her with her magic.
"Why haven't you left yet?" She whispered out of earshot of the others.
"I simply must meet this Starlight Glimmer." he taunted. "Then I'll be out of your mane forever and the great secret of Equestria will be safe once again."
"Fine." She fumed.
"Alright girls. I'll stay for one more day. But I must be off tonight." Ghost turned to them.
"Yippie!" Pinkie Pie cheered. The rest of the Mane 6 walked off with him laughing and chattering.
"Aren't you going to hang out too?" Spike came up to Twilight.
"I don't trust that pony..." Twilight fumed.
"Why not? He seems like a nice guy." Spike assured Twilight.
"I can't say why but just trust me, Spike." Twilight sighed.

Later that day the Mane 6 had their own matters to attend to and it was just Spike and Ghost in the castle when Starlight Glimmer finally came in.
"You must be Starlight Glimmer! Spike my dear friend may I have a moment alone?".
"Of course!" Spike wandered off humming a tune to himself.
"You must be that amazing wonder-pony everypony kept telling me about on my way in." She chided.
"Don't be so skeptical now. We have a lot in common you know." Ghost showed his blank flank to Starlight. A look of shock washed over her face.
"How do you know so much about me?" She huffed defensively.
"I may have taken a peak at Twilight's journal." he snickered.
"You what!?"
"I understand you're not one for protocols yourself." he jested.
"This is different. What do you want from me?" She demanded.
---
"It would be easier to show you. Come with me." Ghost started walking off.
Starlight followed. It was a quiet walk but it slowly became more taxing as they ventured into the forest. Eventually they wandered into a clearing. It was full of adult ponies with no cutie marks.
"This is MY town." Ghost sighed.
The village was full of makeshift huts and the hallmarks of poverty and despair were strewn all about. "Only our cutie marks weren't taken by force."
"But how?" Starlight quizzed.
"Not every pony has a chance to find a purpose in this world." he said grimly. "It doesn't mean we aren't good at anything." He pointed a hoof over to a weather-beaten stallion working on repairing a hut.
"Suspicion, superstition, general cruelty." He fumed. "Ponies that don't find their cutie marks by adulthood are eventually driven into exile as their peers treat them as failures."
"There must be some way-" Starlight sobbed in shock.
"There is no way. Here we are driven away from any chance of finding one. Most don't even make it through the woods and nopony here can agree whether they are really the lucky ones." he sighed.
"Have you told Twilight?"
"Twilight knows. Celestia knows. It's a royal secret of the highest order." He explained.
"Why don't they help?"
"Because if everypony knew of us their utopian delusions would crumble."
"But Twilight's a good pony." Starlight's heart sank.
"I've managed to rally them to form this community so we can at least survive. But beyond that despair has taken them over." He sighed. "But then I read about you in Twilight's journal. I apologize for my opportunism but that is what I live by."
"How can I help?" Starlight asked.
"If I could go back and deliver a message to myself in the past."
"Absolutely not!" She rejected sternly.
"Nopony will get hurt I promise. But if I take what I know now back I can prevent untold suffering for my people." he sighed.
"I'll think about it." She sighed as they set off back for the castle.
---
Ghost spent the rest of the afternoon beguiling the mane 6 (minus Twilight) while Starlight Glimmer had a heavy burden pondering his request. When her heart could no longer handle spinning in circles over the moral implications she distracted herself by thinking about the technical details; she needed only to sneak Ghost into the map room, and then use the time spell to turn the Cutie-map into a time vessel and from there it would be a mere blink of an eye. No pony would be any the wiser, except for whoever Ghost interacted with in the past. She would have to keep a close eye on him to make sure he didn't cause any serious changes in the timeline.

This line of thinking was dangerous because before she knew it she found herself in the map room with Ghost preparing to execute the plan. Unbeknownst to them Spike had been shadowing Ghost, heeding Twilight's warning not to trust him. He quickly sauntered off to wake Twilight up.
"Twilight!" He shook her
"What is it Spike?" She asked in a daze.
"Starlight, Ghost, The Cutie-map!" He belted out frantically.
Twilight jumped out of bed and galloped as quickly as she could to the map room. Starlight stood next to Ghost and the time spell was already underway.
"Starlight! Stop!" Twilight Jumped up onto the map with them.
She then felt a piercing pain. She looked down and Ghost's blade had pierced her.
"Twilight!" Starlight screamed. "You!" She fired a blast of magic at Ghost but he quickly parried and pushed her off of the map as it began to fade through the time rift.
Twilight felt weak as she saw her blood start to pool on the map beneath her. She looked over and saw Starlight's eyes welled up with tears as she fired a blast of magic at the Cutie-map.
The map broke in two; the larger portion where Ghost still stood disappeared into the time rift and there was a quick purple flash as the part where Twilight lay crashed down onto the floor.
---
end Act I
---