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Hunter in the Night Ch. 2

By: LightningStruckTower on Mar 31st, 2013 | syntax: None | size: 13.68 KB | hits: 135 | expires: Never

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>You are Applejack
>And for you, dawn came as blessing after seemingly an eternity of waiting.
>As soon as the first rays of Celestia’s sun shone through the bedroom window, you were up and out of bed.
>You then hastily scrawled a note to Twilight, and left for the farm.
>The journey back to the farm was nowhere near as long as last night’s trip, and soon you found yourself stepping through the front door of your home.
>“Applejack!”
>You practically wet yourself and let out a cry of shock.
>You turn and notice the rest of your family sitting around the kitchen table.
>“Where did you get off to last night? You were supposed to be watchin’ the cattle!
“Ah did watch the cattle Granny, and what I saw, well… Apple Bloom, can you leave Granny, Big Mac and Ah alone fer a minute?
> “Awww, but Applejack…”
“No buts, missy.”
>Apple Bloom left the kitchen, though not without a substantial amount of grumbling.
>You waited for the door to slam.
>When it did, you dove into the full story of what had happened the night before.
>At the end of your tale Granny Smith, Big Mac and, unbeknownst to you, Apple Bloom all had wide eyes.
“Ah’m worried about what Ah’m gonna tell the cows. How do I tell them? Ah mean if they’re likely to trample Ponyville if they see a snake, who knows what’d happen if we told ‘em about this?”
>“Well youngin, I think it’s best if we just move ‘em, and not tell ‘em anything. If they ask anything, we’ll just change the subject. They’re so easy to distract.”
“Ah guess so…”
>You called Apple Bloom back, and failed to notice that you didn’t hear a door open before she trotted back into the kitchen.
“Alrighty, so today we gotta move the cattle, and for good measure, the sheep to a safer place.”
>A few hours later, after having successfully moved both the cattle and sheep living arrangements (not that there were many) to the barn, you were out in the orchard, setting out baskets for the up and coming applebuck season.
>You glanced off into the orchard and caught a glimpse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders racing towards their clubhouse in the wagon pulled by Scootaloo, bringing with them what looked to be a lot of building materials.
>“APPLEJACK!!”
>Having been staring into the distance, you were a little startled when someone nearby shouted your name.
>“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay, Twi. Ah just didn’t hear you comin’, and Ah didn’t sleep very well last night.”
>“Did you have nightmares last night? I got up once to get some water and I heard you hyperventilating, but by the time I reached your bed you’d calmed down.”
>You blushed ashamedly, cursing your Element.
“Just some silly old dreams, sugarcube. Nothin’ to be worried about.”
>“I’ll admit I was really put on edge by what you told me, but I can’t imagine what witnessing that first hoof must’ve been like. I’m sincerely impressed you got any sleep at all.”
“Thanks Twi,” you said as you placed the last bucket and turned to face her. “And hey y’all!”
>You wondered as to why she had brought the rest of your friends.
>Everyone responded in kind, but Twilight, gauging by your inquisitive look, answered your unasked question.
>“I told the girls your story, and they were interested in seeing you today!”
>“Well darling,” said Rarity. “We are… a little less inclined than Twilight to believe your story.”
>Both you and Twilight cast an askance glance at the other four.
>“Don’t be mad at us AJ,” Rainbow quipped. “I mean seriously, a giant, two legged thing that kills cows in the middle of the night?”
>“The only reason I have any doubt is because I’ve never seen any evidence of such a creature,” Said Fluttershy, trying desperately to not upset you. “I’m sorry.”
“Ah hope y’all ain’t callin’ me a liar.”
> “I think you believe you saw something, but didn’t know it wasn’t real, so you are telling your truth even if it isn’t the real truth,” supplied Pinkie unhelpfully.
“If’n you don’t believe me y’all can look around the pen and such. Ah’m sure there’s some evidence of it!”
>With a general acquiescence from the group, you made your way over to the old cows’ enclosure and let the girls peek around.
>With the ground heavily trampled by the moving cows this morning, there wasn’t anything left to find.
>Fluttershy, however, had flittered off into the field a ways and was staring intently at the ground.
>She blanched.
>“Girls! Girls!” she called, barely louder than her normal speaking voice.
>Luckily, no one was really talking, and you all headed over to see what she wanted.
>When you got there, you found yourself wrapped in a hug.
> “I’m so so sorry for having any doubt in you Applejack. I should have believed you and helped you immediately. Can you ever forgive me?”
“You’re forgiven, sugarcube. Ah understand.”
>You couldn’t help but feel a slight sinking in your stomach. Though the girls calling you a liar was a little hurtful, you would have preferred that over the reality of the monster.
>Fluttershy then let you go and addressed the group as a whole.
>“When it comes to critters, a lot can be told about them by their tracks. The pattern of the prints can tell how many feet it walks on, the depth of an impression can show roughly how heavy it is and the distance between prints can both show how big it is as well as the speed it was moving. I’ve never seen prints like these, and there are two sets here, one to the stable and one returning to the woods.”
“How do ya know which is which?”
>“Well for starters, on this set, it was going to the stable, because the impressions are shallower than the others, and its tracks are random. It always uses its hind legs for moving but there are points where it uses one or both of its forelegs to assist. The distribution of its weight and shallow prints with shorter strides indicate it was sneaking. On this other set, it is on two legs, carrying a load, and judging by the distance between prints, it was both moving extremely fast and has a gigantic stride, over one and a half times that of a sprinting minotaur.”
>You looked around, trying to appear smug instead of scared, and were met with looks of worry, curiosity and feigned fearlessness on the part of Rainbow.
“Well Twi, Fluttershy? What do we do?”
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>You are Anon
>The late afternoon sun shined on your face, coaxing you from sleep.
>You stood up and shrugged off one of your recent leather creations, a poorly made blanket, made from the first couple cows you caught.
>It was now time to butcher the cow, a task you admittedly enjoyed.
>You glanced to the animal.
>If there was anything that stood out among your complaints with this area, it was the size and proportionately low-muscled nature of the cattle.
>After butchering one of these cows, you were left with about 160 pounds of edible meat and 20 pounds of tallow (which you barely used), and a little over half of that, you littered away from your cave to keep the local wildlife from pestering you.
>Not that you couldn’t handle them, it was just easier then killing pack after pack of those fucking wooden wolves, or those winged scorpion lion things.
>70 pounds of meat.
>Barely enough for a week of eating.
>Fucking pygmy cows.
>You dragged your most recent kill out into the clearing and grabbed the sharpened rock you used in lieu of an actual knife.
>Even though it was a pain in the ass, you were starting to get the hang of skinning with the rock, and you were shredding the muscle less and less with each animal.
>As you went about your work, you began to reflect on the previous night.
>You were certain someone called out to you as you were leaving the pen, yet you had never had any inclination a person came out.
>Generally, Shepherds weren’t capable of sneaking effectively, and they reeked of their livestock.
>Unlike you, who was designed by nature for the Hunt, a Shepherd’s body was too weak and clumsy to perfect the art.
>All you had seen was their pet horse-thing.
>And you had never seen an animal quite like it.
>But you had seen plenty of crazy shit at home too, which reminded you of another rule your parents had taught you.
>“New area, new rules.”
>It was because of this that when you discovered the nearby town from a distance, you vowed never to stray near it, unless it was an utter emergency.
>There was simply no telling what the rules could be here, and what kind of people made the rules.
>But you needed to put your mind at ease.
“Do I investigate the area, or not?” you asked yourself.
>By this time you had finished skinning the animal, you removed its head and you strung it up by its legs to a tree and cut it down the middle, forcing the sternum to shatter and the ribs to splay.
>And then came the organs.
>You couldn’t help but give a grimacing smile, as ever since your childhood you had found this part of the process fun, albeit in a very sick way.
>While you cleaned out the insides and disposed of them, you came to a decision.
“I’ll go in the night, and poke around the town. If they have any semblance of what my home is like, a few minutes shouldn’t hurt.”
>You spent the rest of the day removing the meat from the carcass while the blood drained, and scattered your forest offering about.
>Leaving out tonight’s dinner, you placed your keep in a large leather sack, tied it shut very tight and lowered it to almost submerged in the nearby stream, tying off the top to a tree root on the shore.
>You had learned pretty early on that the stream was excellent for keeping your food at a preserving temperature.
>Night came fairly soon and you ate your meal in peace, and afterwards settled down for a nap, mentally preparing yourself for the foray into town.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>You are Apple Bloom
>“MOO!”
>And the sound of a whispered yell roused you from your light sleep.
>You glanced out your window to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waving you out.
>You slipped over to your closet, donned the cardboard armor and grabbed the wooden sword you had made for your latest crusade.
>In a short while you made your way outside.
“Alright girls, y’all ready?”
>“With our armor and weapons, we’re more prepared than last time!” replied Sweetie Belle.
>“Cutie Mark Crusaders Monster Hunters are go!” whispered Scootaloo.
>And with a quiet group hoof bump, you made your way towards the Everfree Forest.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>You are Anon.
>And you force yourself awake.
>It’s time.
>You shed your blanket and shake the remaining sleepiness off of you.
>You make your way out of the campsite, climbing a tree and begin traveling from branch to branch in an effort to remain invisible to potential nuisances on the forest floor.
>The trip is relatively uneventful.
>Until…
>“Back off, timberwolves. We aren’t afraid of you!”
>Your first instinct was to bail, but a second’s worth of thinking later revealed to you that those were children’s voices.
>You moved closer to the sound, quickening your pace as a number of audible growls reached your ears and a strong smell of fear reached your nose.
>Once you reached a tree overlooking the spectacle, you slunk along a branch and quietly spread the foliage for a view.
>What the hell.
>Three very small horses, wearing cardboard hats and armor, as well as carrying little wooden swords and spears were surrounded by five timberwolves.
>Ignoring the oddity of the spectacle, you looked around for the children, but didn’t see any, which further piqued your curiosity as to who made the statement.
>Then the little white one dropped the sword in its mouth long enough to speak.
“I’m warning you! Get away!”
>What.
>The.
>Fuck.
>Talking horses?
>Fucking really?
>Then a wolf pushed closer to the small orange one beneath you and snapped its jaws.
>Well, even if they were horses, they were obviously young and obviously afraid.
>And you didn’t fucking like those wooden dicks anyway.
>Without much more hesitation, you leapt lightly from the tree and smashed the advancing wolf.
>The foals squealed in fear, but remained frozen by it.
>A wolf then leapt at you and a sufficient swat was enough to send it careening off into a nearby tree where it promptly shattered.
>The next two perished similarly, and the last ran off into the night.
>You then looked at the three little horses, and they had ready themselves to fight you.
>The little orange one spun in a circle and threw the spear in its mouth at you, with surprising accuracy.
>Anticlimactically, it hit you with a negligible sting and dropped to the ground.
>“This must be the monster of the Everfree forest!” It said with its now empty mouth.
“Wait, monster?”
>Three horses gasped, the white one dropped its weapon.
>“You can speak?” it asked, its voice cracking at the end.
>God damn it, it wasn’t just weird, it was adorable.
“Yes,” you reply haughtily.
>There’s no such thing as adorable to a Hunter.
>“Wow, this is amazing!” said the little yellow one, speaking in an old Ozark accent.
>Check that, there is now such a thing as adorable.
>They removed their armor and helmets, revealing a horn on the white one, wings on the orange one and an oversized bow in the last one.
>“Ya ain’t gonna eat us, are ya?”
“Uhh…. No….”
>“Great!” the orange one yells.
>“I’m Scootaloo!”
>“I’m Apple Bloom!”
>“And I’m Sweetie Belle!”
>“AND WE’RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!” they shout in stereo.
“I’m Anonymous…. But you can call me Anon.”

create a new version of this paste RAW Paste Data

>You are Applejack
>And for you, dawn came as blessing after seemingly an eternity of waiting.
>As soon as the first rays of Celestia’s sun shone through the bedroom window, you were up and out of bed.
>You then hastily scrawled a note to Twilight, and left for the farm.
>The journey back to the farm was nowhere near as long as last night’s trip, and soon you found yourself stepping through the front door of your home.
>“Applejack!”
>You practically wet yourself and let out a cry of shock.
>You turn and notice the rest of your family sitting around the kitchen table.
>“Where did you get off to last night? You were supposed to be watchin’ the cattle!
“Ah did watch the cattle Granny, and what I saw, well… Apple Bloom, can you leave Granny, Big Mac and Ah alone fer a minute?
> “Awww, but Applejack…”
“No buts, missy.”
>Apple Bloom left the kitchen, though not without a substantial amount of grumbling.
>You waited for the door to slam.
>When it did, you dove into the full story of what had happened the night before.
>At the end of your tale Granny Smith, Big Mac and, unbeknownst to you, Apple Bloom all had wide eyes.
“Ah’m worried about what Ah’m gonna tell the cows. How do I tell them? Ah mean if they’re likely to trample Ponyville if they see a snake, who knows what’d happen if we told ‘em about this?”
>“Well youngin, I think it’s best if we just move ‘em, and not tell ‘em anything. If they ask anything, we’ll just change the subject. They’re so easy to distract.”
“Ah guess so…”
>You called Apple Bloom back, and failed to notice that you didn’t hear a door open before she trotted back into the kitchen.
“Alrighty, so today we gotta move the cattle, and for good measure, the sheep to a safer place.”
>A few hours later, after having successfully moved both the cattle and sheep living arrangements (not that there were many) to the barn, you were out in the orchard, setting out baskets for the up and coming applebuck season.
>You glanced off into the orchard and caught a glimpse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders racing towards their clubhouse in the wagon pulled by Scootaloo, bringing with them what looked to be a lot of building materials.
>“APPLEJACK!!”
>Having been staring into the distance, you were a little startled when someone nearby shouted your name.
>“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay, Twi. Ah just didn’t hear you comin’, and Ah didn’t sleep very well last night.”
>“Did you have nightmares last night? I got up once to get some water and I heard you hyperventilating, but by the time I reached your bed you’d calmed down.”
>You blushed ashamedly, cursing your Element. 
“Just some silly old dreams, sugarcube. Nothin’ to be worried about.”
>“I’ll admit I was really put on edge by what you told me, but I can’t imagine what witnessing that first hoof must’ve been like. I’m sincerely impressed you got any sleep at all.”
“Thanks Twi,” you said as you placed the last bucket and turned to face her. “And hey y’all!”
>You wondered as to why she had brought the rest of your friends.
>Everyone responded in kind, but Twilight, gauging by your inquisitive look, answered your unasked question.
>“I told the girls your story, and they were interested in seeing you today!”
>“Well darling,” said Rarity. “We are… a little less inclined than Twilight to believe your story.”
>Both you and Twilight cast an askance glance at the other four.
>“Don’t be mad at us AJ,” Rainbow quipped. “I mean seriously, a giant, two legged thing that kills cows in the middle of the night?”
>“The only reason I have any doubt is because I’ve never seen any evidence of such a creature,” Said Fluttershy, trying desperately to not upset you. “I’m sorry.”
“Ah hope y’all ain’t callin’ me a liar.”
> “I think you believe you saw something, but didn’t know it wasn’t real, so you are telling your truth even if it isn’t the real truth,” supplied Pinkie unhelpfully.
“If’n you don’t believe me y’all can look around the pen and such. Ah’m sure there’s some evidence of it!”
>With a general acquiescence from the group, you made your way over to the old cows’ enclosure and let the girls peek around.
>With the ground heavily trampled by the moving cows this morning, there wasn’t anything left to find.
>Fluttershy, however, had flittered off into the field a ways and was staring intently at the ground.
>She blanched.
>“Girls! Girls!” she called, barely louder than her normal speaking voice.
>Luckily, no one was really talking, and you all headed over to see what she wanted.
>When you got there, you found yourself wrapped in a hug. 
> “I’m so so sorry for having any doubt in you Applejack. I should have believed you and helped you immediately. Can you ever forgive me?”
“You’re forgiven, sugarcube. Ah understand.”
>You couldn’t help but feel a slight sinking in your stomach. Though the girls calling you a liar was a little hurtful, you would have preferred that over the reality of the monster.
>Fluttershy then let you go and addressed the group as a whole.
>“When it comes to critters, a lot can be told about them by their tracks. The pattern of the prints can tell how many feet it walks on, the depth of an impression can show roughly how heavy it is and the distance between prints can both show how big it is as well as the speed it was moving. I’ve never seen prints like these, and there are two sets here, one to the stable and one returning to the woods.”
“How do ya know which is which?”
>“Well for starters, on this set, it was going to the stable, because the impressions are shallower than the others, and its tracks are random. It always uses its hind legs for moving but there are points where it uses one or both of its forelegs to assist. The distribution of its weight and shallow prints with shorter strides indicate it was sneaking. On this other set, it is on two legs, carrying a load, and judging by the distance between prints, it was both moving extremely fast and has a gigantic stride, over one and a half times that of a sprinting minotaur.”
>You looked around, trying to appear smug instead of scared, and were met with looks of worry, curiosity and feigned fearlessness on the part of Rainbow. 
“Well Twi, Fluttershy? What do we do?”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>You are Anon
>The late afternoon sun shined on your face, coaxing you from sleep.
>You stood up and shrugged off one of your recent leather creations, a poorly made blanket, made from the first couple cows you caught.
>It was now time to butcher the cow, a task you admittedly enjoyed.
>You glanced to the animal.
>If there was anything that stood out among your complaints with this area, it was the size and proportionately low-muscled nature of the cattle.
>After butchering one of these cows, you were left with about 160 pounds of edible meat and 20 pounds of tallow (which you barely used),  and a little over half of that, you littered away from your cave to keep the local wildlife from pestering you.
>Not that you couldn’t handle them, it was just easier then killing pack after pack of those fucking wooden wolves, or those winged scorpion lion things.
>70 pounds of meat.
>Barely enough for a week of eating.
>Fucking pygmy cows.
>You dragged your most recent kill out into the clearing and grabbed the sharpened rock you used in lieu of an actual knife.
>Even though it was a pain in the ass, you were starting to get the hang of skinning with the rock, and you were shredding the muscle less and less with each animal.
>As you went about your work, you began to reflect on the previous night.
>You were certain someone called out to you as you were leaving the pen, yet you had never had any inclination a person came out. 
>Generally, Shepherds weren’t capable of sneaking effectively, and they reeked of their livestock.
>Unlike you, who was designed by nature for the Hunt, a Shepherd’s body was too weak and clumsy to perfect the art.
>All you had seen was their pet horse-thing.
>And you had never seen an animal quite like it.
>But you had seen plenty of crazy shit at home too, which reminded you of another rule your parents had taught you.
>“New area, new rules.”
>It was because of this that when you discovered the nearby town from a distance, you vowed never to stray near it, unless it was an utter emergency.
>There was simply no telling what the rules could be here, and what kind of people made the rules.
>But you needed to put your mind at ease.
“Do I investigate the area, or not?” you asked yourself.
>By this time you had finished skinning the animal, you removed its head and you strung it up by its legs to a tree and cut it down the middle, forcing the sternum to shatter and the ribs to splay.
>And then came the organs.
>You couldn’t help but give a grimacing smile, as ever since your childhood you had found this part of the process fun, albeit in a very sick way.
>While you cleaned out the insides and disposed of them, you came to a decision.
“I’ll go in the night, and poke around the town. If they have any semblance of what my home is like, a few minutes shouldn’t hurt.”
>You spent the rest of the day removing the meat from the carcass while the blood drained, and scattered your forest offering about.
>Leaving out tonight’s dinner, you placed your keep in a large leather sack, tied it shut very tight and lowered it to almost submerged in the nearby stream, tying off the top to a tree root on the shore.
>You had learned pretty early on that the stream was excellent for keeping your food at a preserving temperature.
>Night came fairly soon and you ate your meal in peace, and afterwards settled down for a nap, mentally preparing yourself for the foray into town.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>You are Apple Bloom
>“MOO!”
>And the sound of a whispered yell roused you from your light sleep.
>You glanced out your window to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waving you out.
>You slipped over to your closet, donned the cardboard armor and grabbed the wooden sword you had made for your latest crusade.
>In a short while you made your way outside.
“Alright girls, y’all ready?”
>“With our armor and weapons, we’re more prepared than last time!” replied Sweetie Belle.
>“Cutie Mark Crusaders Monster Hunters are go!” whispered Scootaloo.
>And with a quiet group hoof bump, you made your way towards the Everfree Forest.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>You are Anon.
>And you force yourself awake.
>It’s time.
>You shed your blanket and shake the remaining sleepiness off of you.
>You make your way out of the campsite, climbing a tree and begin traveling from branch to branch in an effort to remain invisible to potential nuisances on the forest floor.
>The trip is relatively uneventful.
>Until…
>“Back off, timberwolves. We aren’t afraid of you!”
>Your first instinct was to bail, but a second’s worth of thinking later revealed to you that those were children’s voices.
>You moved closer to the sound, quickening your pace as a number of audible growls reached your ears and a strong smell of fear reached your nose.
>Once you reached a tree overlooking the spectacle, you slunk along a branch and quietly spread the foliage for a view.
>What the hell.
>Three very small horses, wearing cardboard hats and armor, as well as carrying little wooden swords and spears were surrounded by five timberwolves.
>Ignoring the oddity of the spectacle, you looked around for the children, but didn’t see any, which further piqued your curiosity as to who made the statement.
>Then the little white one dropped the sword in its mouth long enough to speak.
“I’m warning you! Get away!”
>What.
>The.
>Fuck.
>Talking horses?
>Fucking really?
>Then a wolf pushed closer to the small orange one beneath you and snapped its jaws.
>Well, even if they were horses, they were obviously young and obviously afraid.
>And you didn’t fucking like those wooden dicks anyway.
>Without much more hesitation, you leapt lightly from the tree and smashed the advancing wolf.
>The foals squealed in fear, but remained frozen by it.
>A wolf then leapt at you and a sufficient swat was enough to send it careening off into a nearby tree where it promptly shattered.
>The next two perished similarly, and the last ran off into the night.
>You then looked at the three little horses, and they had ready themselves to fight you.
>The little orange one spun in a circle and threw the spear in its mouth at you, with surprising accuracy.
>Anticlimactically, it hit you with a negligible sting and dropped to the ground.
>“This must be the monster of the Everfree forest!” It said with its now empty mouth.
“Wait, monster?”
>Three horses gasped, the white one dropped its weapon.
>“You can speak?” it asked, its voice cracking at the end.
>God damn it, it wasn’t just weird, it was adorable.
“Yes,” you reply haughtily.
>There’s no such thing as adorable to a Hunter.
>“Wow, this is amazing!” said the little yellow one, speaking in an old Ozark accent.
>Check that, there is now such a thing as adorable.
>They removed their armor and helmets, revealing a horn on the white one, wings on the orange one and an oversized bow in the last one.
>“Ya ain’t gonna eat us, are ya?”
“Uhh…. No….”
>“Great!” the orange one yells.
>“I’m Scootaloo!”
>“I’m Apple Bloom!”
>“And I’m Sweetie Belle!”
>“AND WE’RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!” they shout in stereo.
“I’m Anonymous…. But you can call me Anon.”

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