Trombone2525

"But you are different colours..." Moonstone was getting confused, but he was close to just suspending his disbelief. Some animals had different colourations... Like sea serpents, and dragons. Moonstone hadent seen many of those, but when he did, they were always different colours... "Okay." He released the immobilization spell. "You are ponies, like me." he said, still somewhat hesitant, though. He smiled, albiet shyly.

"But ponies dont have wings, them! Birds have wings! I'm a pony, and I dont have wings, me. Birds dont have horns, they have wings, them. And ponies dont have wings, they have horns." Moonstone was having a hard time grasping the concept of subsets within a species. "And why do you look different? Timberwolves and Manticors dont look different, them. They all look the same."

"But how? If you are ponies like me, then you shouldnt have wings. You should have horns, like me. But Lightning doesnt, her. Just wings. Why?"

Years of hunting had trained Moonstone's ears. "Quiet, you." He said to Lightning. He turned to Light. "You have wings, like a bird, you. How?"

It was at that moment that Moonstone dropped in front of the pair. He projected a field around them, immobilizing the two. "I've got some questions, me. And I'm going to get some answers." He said to the frozen ponies, his voice full of confidence. They were deep enough into the forest that nopony could attack him, and his keen eye would notice any predators approaching.

Moonstone watched the exchange, thinking, planning. Lightning was the aggressive one. She was not planning with the other pony to hunt him. But Moonstone was still wary of her. Light Harmony, on the other hand, seemed to genuinely care about him. Both of these ponies had wings. It was all so new to Moonstone. They talked different, they looked different, they acted different. Why didnt Light just heal himself? He had a horn. Maybe not all ponies with horns could use magic? Moonstone would have to learn more... He silently leapt from tree to tree, following the two ponies.

Moonstone turned, looking behind him. Backlit by the light of the tunnel, he saw the mare coming towards him. "Not done with the hunt, huh? Two can play at that, them." He stopped, levitated himself into a tree, and waited, a distortion spell hiding him from view.

Watching the ponies, seeing that they were too injured to fight, he let his horn dim. Moonstone was confused. Were these two working together? Was it a trap all along? Maybe the images were right... Maybe ponies should be avoided... Moonstone took a step back, watching the two. Then he turned and galloped into the forest, disappearing quickly into the darkness.

Moonstone, still not completely comfortable with the concept of other ponies, took a defensive stance towards the both or them. His horn was glowing brilliantly, charged to deliver any spell the next attack might deem necessary.

Hearing the loud noise, Moonstone reflexively charged and released a defensive wave spell, sending all the ponies flying outward from him. Since he charged it in such a short time, it was not as powerful as it could have been, and the two ponies ended up landing only a dozen feet or so from Moonstone.

"And all those creatures... They were ponies too, them?" Moonstone asked, looking at Light's wings. He lifted the wings, examining them. Years of solitude left Moonstone with out any real sense of personal space.

"So, you're really a pony, you? Like me?" Moonstone asked. He began circling around Light, observing him from every angle. Though Moonstone was pretty sure the pony was harmless, he kept his magic prepped. Not quite ready to cast, but prepared to drop the energy into another defensive wave.

The pictures stopped. The pictures, the memories that werent his, of war, pain, and fear were gone. It was a visible change, his body relaxed, and he seemed to kind of... Drop into himself. He looked at the pony he had trapped, then the cage disappeared, its energy bars dissapating. Moonstone still was wary of the stallion, but he seemed to be more willing to accept him. "I... I'm Moonstone, me." He said, eyeing the stallion suspiciously.

Upon being touched, Moonstone shifted into defence mode. He let out a wave of energy, pushing everything away from him, including the stallion. He jerked up to his hooves, his horn ablaze with magical aura. His teeth clenched, he sent a magical cage towards the stallion, trapping him.

Moonstone ran, crying, alongside the tunnel. Images were pouring through his mind. Ponies cowering in fear. Ponies fighting against a wave of shadows. Moonstone was scared. He was scared because he didnt know what was happening to him. Tears blured his vision, and he accidentally turned into the tunnel. He tripped and fell, rolling along the tunnel until he came to a stop. A detached part of him knew the other pony saw him, and Moonstone felt ashamed. He knew what he looked like. A scared foal with a dirty mane, crying in a ball. It wasnt the dirt that bothered him, he had lived with dirt all his life. It was the crying. The last time he had cried was when a manticore had ripped apart his favorite bird. Moonstone had always loved the birds, and envied their ability to fly, to go beyond the forest. They had motivated him to learn self-levitation. An when that manticore tore into that beautiful crane, Moonstone had cried, much like he was now. A crumpled ball of sobbing colt.

Moonstone couldnt believe it. Another pony! He was so excited! But then a feeling crept in... He suddenly felt distrust for the pony. It wasnt anything based on logic or reason. It felt like an instinct, like a memory forgotten, but still learned from. Then it disappeared. The feeling just went away. "I... I dont know, me!" The sound of somepony running could be heard, moving down the tunnel.

"You are... A pony, you?" The voice said, confused. Could this, this thing so different from him, really be the same? All the animals that Moonstone hunted usually looked about the same. So he assumed that, if he were to meet another pony, it would look like him...

Moonstone stopped when Light began moving the light. He swiftly dodged those luminous blades, staying out of sight. This time, Moonstone decided to answer. "What are you?" He said, throwing his voice to seem to be coming from farther down the tunnel.

Moonstone strode through the tunnel in the dark woods beside the pony. He could see the ponies face much clearer, and the face he saw was one of benevolence.

This stallion was persistant. He claimed to hot be there to hurt him... Moonstone sat dead still. Maybe... His horn glowed visibly, since he was no longer supressing its glow. He had learned to do this in order to stay hidden when hunting, but it resulted in a less powerful spell. His horn glowed, giving away his position directly in front of the stallion. He was charging a light spell, going to reveal himself, but changed his mind. He diverted the energy through the magical channels in his mind and body, diverting the power to another spell. A wave of force expanded from his horn, pushing trees and shrubs out of the way, creating a divet in the edge of the forest. When the leaves and dust settled, there was a tunnel that led into the forest. The tunnel was lit by unseen lights, and Moonstone was nowhere to be seen.

The stallion replied sarcastically. Moonstone was surprised. The creatures spoke the same language as him... He didnt quite remember learning to talk. It was just something he knew how to do. He broke out of his confusion when the stallion began walking towards the forest. Moonstone had mixed feelings. He wanted to find out more about these creatures, but he felt the need to protect his forest, and himself. After a moment, he decided the potential risk of loosing his life, of inviting harmful creatures into the forest did not justify his curiosity. Using magic to amplify and alter his voice, he let out a roar, deeper and more gutteral than a manticore, more piercing than a cockatrice, more terrifying than a hydra. It was a trick he had learned to scare away predetors. Whenever he entered a new area, he would let out this roar, sending it in all directions. This time, he directed it towards the stallion. Anypony else would hear nothing more than a dull growl.

Moonstone watched the stallion. He determined that the creatures were similar enough to him that the words he somehow knew were used for ponies applied. Then he noticed something. The stallion was scared. Despite being easily twice his siye, the stallion of Moonstone. Moonstone desided to play with the stallion. He picked up a stick and sent it flying towards the stallion.

Moonstone kept watching everypony, when suddenly, the most peculiar creature came into view. He was obviously male. Living in the forest, having to identify creatures at a glance, usually without the best lighting, Moonstone became very good at making distinctions like that. But this pony had a horn and wings. He scooted a little closer to the edge of the tree, trying to get a better look. When he saw the creature look into the forest, he cast an illusion spell, blurring his outline. It wasnt as good as full invisibility, but Moon hadnt learned how to do that quite yet. He wasnt sure it was even possible... The winged unicorn sat in front of the forest. What was he looking for? Moonstone dropped the spell and backed farther into the tree, then slowly climbed down, silently landing on the ground. He moved through the shadows, keeping an eye on the alicorn.

(Okay. Maybe seeing somepony with both powers will finally pique Moonstone's curiosity? Hehe, post when ready )

(Yeah, thats fine. Is he an alicorn, or just a prince like Blueblood?)