Hunter in the Night Ch. 4

>You are Applejack

“Apple Bloom! Who was that?”

>“Who was who?”

“Don’t play games with me, little missy.  Ah heard voices and Ah want to know who was talkin’ to ya!”

>Apple Bloom’s ears fell flat and she shrunk back into the covers.

“And don’t try lyin’ to me. You’re already in hot water.”

>After a long hesitation, Apple Bloom finally replied.

>“It was the thing from the woods…”

>Dumbstruck.

>That is the only word that can describe you right now.

“What was it doin’ here?”

>A million thoughts are rushing through your head.

>Why could it talk? Why was it in Apple Bloom’s room? How did it kn-…

>You pale as Apple Bloom begins to answer.

> “Well, sis, me an-“

“HOW DID IT KNOW YOUR NAME!?”

>It knew her name….

>Apple Bloom sunk even farther back into the bed, quivering with wide eyes at your sudden outburst.

>It was more than just a strong, murderous animal; it was something worse, something more dangerous.

“TELL ME!”

>Apple Bloom began to cry, and you felt a pang of remorse that warred with your desperate need to know.

> “Well… umm, well…. Sweetie, Scootaloo and Ah thought we could get our cutie marks in monster huntin’ so we went into the forest and then we got attacked by timberwolves and we thought we were goners’ till he showed up and beat them all up and then he took us home,” she said in a single breath.

>You were utterly floored.

>For a moment, you burned with a rage you had never felt before.

>But for some reason, it began to dissipate, and eventually changed completely as you gave more thought to Apple Bloom’s revelation.

>You knew Apple Bloom was telling the truth, and as you gazed at her sobbing, shaking form, you realized what you were feeling.

>You were relieved, and full of regret.

>Apple Bloom and her friends made a grave error in sneaking out to the Everfree forest.

>They could have died, or worse.

>As the thought of losing Apple Bloom hits you full force, you lift yourself onto her bed and lay a foreleg over her, and wrap your tail around her body.

>She begins to sob even harder, as you pulled her tight.

>“Ah don’t know what we were thinkin’, even after what happened with the cockatrice, we still went out there.”

>You said nothing, but simply rubbed her back with a hoof.

>Again, you retreated to your thoughts.

>Why would he save the fillies from the timberwolves?

>It couldn’t be because he wanted them as a snack himself, for obvious reasons.

>Why would he bring them home?

>If it was you, you would’ve done the same, because it was rather counter-productive to leave someone to their death after saving them.

>Who was this, so willing to save little ponies but could kill a cow without hesitation?

>Twilight’s books might have an answer.

>You looked down to see Apple Bloom still crying into your shoulder.

“Sugarcube?”

>“Yeah, sis?”

“Listen here. Ah’ll admit Ah’m a little upset at you sneakin’ off and all, but Ah’m more glad that ya made it back safe and sound. Ah cain’t imagine what Ah’d do if anythin’ bad happened to you. Now, if ya want, you can come with me over to the Treebrary right now and help me find a book about this critter that saved y’all in the woods.”

>“Now?”

“Ah reckon Ah ain’t gonna get much sleep if Ah don’t go look as soon as possible.”

>She looked up at you.

>“Ah’m really sorry about sneakin’ out, Applejack. Ah shoul-”

>You stopped her with a tight hug.

“Ah trust yah’ve learned your lesson, sugarcube. C’mon now, let’s go.”

 

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>You are Anon.

>And as you jogged through the orchard back towards the forest, you reflected on the events of the night.

>First and foremost, you had encountered some very small, talking ponies.

>These ponies were but three of many ponies that supposedly inhabited the nearby town.

>The longer you reflected on that, the more absurd it seemed.

>But it was true. Musing on it would only serve to waste time.

>More importantly than the nature of the townsfolk, was the comforting reality that they weren’t out to get you.

>They seemed to have knowledge of you, however, because the fillies’ goal in entering the forest seemed to be to find you.

>And lastly, you needed to find a new source of meat.

>As you reached the forest edge, you stopped.

>A gentle trotting reached your ear, and you turned to see the orange pony, Applejack trotting towards the town with Apple Bloom on her back.

>Several thoughts occurred to you at once, the most worrying of which was the prospect that Apple Bloom had told her sister, who was now on her way to raise a search party.

>With the events of the night barring any fatigue, and nothing better to do, you set off to discreetly follow the ponies into town.

>Luckily, it would seem Nature was on your side. The night was cloudy, and the wind blew against you, which kept your smell out of her nose, and rendered your passage in the forest beside the road virtually inaudible

>It also brought a strong scent of what could only be soap, but it failed to completely cover the musk of fear that this Applejack gave off.

>It was a little stale, almost unnoticeable, as if she was terrified a few minutes ago.

>Had she seen you?

>This possibility preoccupied you for the rest of the approach to town.

>Reaching town, you slunk up one of the fringing trees, in the hope of taking to the town’s rooftops for cover.

>Unfortunately, the majority of the roofs were thatched, and would almost certainly collapse with a single misstep.

>With a quiet, annoyed sigh, you drop to the ground, the soft grass against your bare feet completely muffling the impact.

>Taking to what small shadows the buildings offered, you continued your eager pursuit of the ponies.

>They were on a mission it would seem, as never once did they look back or pause.

>After a short while, they stopped before the hollow tree.

>Unlike the other homes, the windows were lit, and voices could be heard inside.

>You snuck back behind some hay bales as Applejack knocked on the tree’s door.

>The voices inside hushed for a moment, before the door swung wide, letting a warm light splash outside.

>Standing in the doorway was a small purple lizard.

>If things couldn’t get any weirder…

> “It’s Applejack and Apple Bloom!” he called over his shoulder.

>Cries of relief sounded from inside the tree and he beckoned them inside, closing the door as silently as he could.

>At that you slipped from your hiding place and into up to the tree itself.

>After scaling its branches, you hid yourself in the foliage outside a window which afforded you a view of a large rounded room.

>Inside the room were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applejack, the lizard, an attentive horned purple pony, an irate horned white one and a nonplussed blue winged pony with a magnificent rainbow mane.

>The white pony was dramatically weaving on about what could’ve happened that night, before she was interrupted by Applejack

>“Hold on, sugarcube. What happened on your end?”

>The pony paused for a moment before inhaling sharply.

> “Well, a couple of hours or so after I had gone to sleep, I was awakened by a dreadful thirst. So naturally, I decided to get myself a glass of water. To get to the kitchen however, I had to pass the girls room. I had insisted they leave their door open, for fresh air and in case they had nightmares. As I passed the room, I chanced a glance inside. To my horror, they were gone!!”

> You shuffled slightly closer to the window, making sure to stay outside as the pony carried on.

> “As you could imagine, my first priority was to go out and find them, so I returned to my room to grab myself a scarf for the nighttime chill. Once I found one, I made my way back down the hall, but I was stopped by the sound of these… two clambering through the window. So I wrung the truth out of them, and came here so that I could discuss this situation and see if Twilight had any ideas on the situation at hand.”

>“And you, Rainbow?”

>“I’m here because a very angry diamond-butt happened to walk underneath my house on her way to the library,” Rainbow replied with a slight grin. “She woke me up, I pieced together the story through the scolding, and got interested!”

>Sugarcube huffed before continuing.

>“What about you, darling?” she inquired of Applejack.

>Applejack summarized her bit, and was done rather quickly. It would seem she had heard you putting Apple Bloom to bed, but hadn’t actually seen you.

>“And Ah’m here for the same reason as you, Rarity.”

>Rarity?

>“Well that, of course, makes sense. Twilight, dear, you wouldn’t happen to have-”

>“No, sorry. I scoured the library after we investigated the farm, and I couldn’t find anything relating to Applejack’s mystery monster.”

>“What should we do then?”

>“We could try Zecora’s hut,” supplied Rainbow. “She’s been out there long enough that I’d be surprised if she hadn’t seen it.”

>“That’s actually a good idea Dash!” Twilight chirped. “We can leave the Crusaders here with Spike!”

>“You want to go now?” Applejack asked, bemused.

>It took Twilight a few seconds to answer.

>“Well, yes! There’s no better time. We can run to Zecora’s and see if she knows anything. Then, we can do a little ‘hunting’ ourselves!”

>“Ah don’t think it’s a good idea to go after this thing just yet.”

>“But now is the perfect time! After bringing the fillies back, the first thing it’ll do is go to sleep! With luck, we can at least find out where it’s made its home.”

>“I don’t know, Twilight…” muttered Rainbow.

>“Would you rather wait until day, when it’s awake?”

>You were now seriously wondering if these ponies had any inclination as to what “nocturnal” meant.

>“Alright. I say we got Zecora’s and then we decide as to whether or not we go after it, depending on what she can tell us,” said Rarity the Sugarcube.

>“Ah’d agree ta that.”

>“Me too!”

>“That makes all of us,” acknowledged Twilight.

>“Are we gonna go get Pinkie and Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked.

>“No. Pinkie makes too much noise and can’t sit still enough for this, and given that this creature is capable of speaking Equestrian, we don’t need to put her through the Everfree forest just for this.”

>“Makes sense. Now Apple Bloom, wait here with your friends, and behave fer Spike.”

>“Be careful, girls. It ain’t the creature you gotta be on the lookout for. It’s everythin’ else. Trust me.”

>Apple Blooms declaration brought a smile onto your face as you began to creep away from the window, intent on following the four ponies through the forest.

>They come out just as you reach the branches above the door and set off at a trot towards the forest.

>You wait until they vanish from sight before dropping from the tree.

>The second your feet hit the ground you hurtle towards the forest, following the clop of their hooves and the pungent, sickeningly sweet odor that the group left behind them.

>They followed a narrow and poorly worn track, almost a game trail, though the path was too deliberate for that.

>They passed through several clearings, and at one point, they were under the shadow of a large ridge, you had only once been close to.

>A funny smell lingered on the air, but the group didn’t seem to notice, and you moved out of its range fairly soon.

>After about an hour trailing them, they stopped at a small house carved from a very twisted trunk.

>You once again took to the nearest tree in the hope of getting closer without signaling your approach.

>They knock on the door of the hut after you settle on a branch and as you watch through a small gap in the foliage, the door swings open.

>Despite all of the color variations of ponies you had seen, it was a bit surprising to see one with a pattern.

>Alternating stripes of black and white colored her coat, and her mane stood on end. She was also wearing several large gold necklaces, as well as bands around one of re forelegs.

>“I can already tell something is not right. What brings you to my hut so late at night?”

>Neat! She rhymed it!

>Twilight was quick to answer.

>“Well, we came to ask if you had seen any strange new creatures in the forest. Particularly one that walks on two legs, is very tall and isn’t a minotaur.”

>“Such a creature, I have yet to see, but I never stray far in Everfree. Tell me about this creature you seek, so that I may help you catch a peek.”

>Twilight, along with her friends, then spilled everything they knew about you.

>It was a peculiar feeling, listening as someone tries to describe you, without having a strong grasp of what you are. Their knowledge of you was virtually non-existent, and it seemed the fillies weren’t very helpful in describing you.

>After they were done, the striped pony rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

>“I do remember something from weeks ago, but to recall it makes me shudder so. It was a frightening sight to behold, a manticore’s corpse in a nearby grove. Most strangely, it was stripped of flesh, despite what remained still being fresh.”

>Did she rhyme everything? Even so, the “manticore” may not have been your kill.

>“Are you sure it wasn’t an Ursa?” Twilight inquired.

>“If it was an Ursa-bear that killed the cat, there’d be nothing left to look at! Since nothing else can slay such beasts, I wondered what had left it deceased.”

>“Tell me we aren’t going to go looking for it, darling.”

>“Not yet. We will eventually, but we need to be more prepared for that type of encounter.”

>“You seek to catch this creature, yes? Without a little wisdom, that would not be best.”

>“What wisdom?”

>“Remember this about predators, to prevent your doom. Just when you think you are stalking it, it is actually stalking you.”

>You couldn’t help but chuckle internally at the ridiculous irony of the situation.

>The group grew suddenly suspicious and looked about their surroundings. None of them looked higher than their eye level however, and you remained hidden.

>After a few more minutes of conversation, the four ponies turned to leave Zecora behind.

>“Thanks so much for your advice, and good night!”

>“To you I also bid good night. I hope your hunt does not come back to bite!”

>The four began to walk off in earnest, and you waited until Zecora was back in her hut.

>Once she was, you turned in the direction of town, planning on affording the young mares the same courtesy as you had given the fillies, albeit incognito.

>You were sure they could handle themselves, but considering the amount of forest you had traversed, it was probably best you acted the silent guardian.

>You finally caught up to them in the shadow of the ridge, and the smell permeated the air.

>Their slow pace afforded you enough time to analyze the smell.

>Oh shit.

>It was the smell of decay, backed by a heat in the air.

>It was bad breath.

>The sound of leaves crushing under paws reached your ear, barely audible over the ponies’ gentle hoof steps.

>A flicker of motion caught your eye, and you exploded off of the branch towards the commotion.

 

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>You are Applejack

>And according to Zecora, she’d had about as much luck with this creature as you had.

>You look to the ground, deep in thought for a moment before glancing back up to your friends.

>Only to see them looking behind you, their eyes wide with fear.

>You whip around in a flash, only to see a manticore in mid leap, headed straight for you.

>Time seems slow, as you realize there is nothing you can do in the face of this creature.

>Your eyes drift shut, but before they can close, a pink blur smashes into the animal, and the two monsters land sprawling a few feet away.

>They are both quick to get up, and while you’ve seen manticores before, this other monster threw you for a loop.

>It was most certainly the hunter you had seen from afar, but distance had muddled the truth of the beast.

>You were right in believing it to be tall and mostly furless, but it wasn’t lanky or gangly. In fact, it was extremely powerfully muscled, judging by the way the skin seemed a bit stretched across its body.

>Every fluid and controlled movement it made caused the skin to ripple across its form, an intimidating factor in of itself.

>Both the manticore and the mysterious guardian fought with nothing held back, but it was obvious which creature was better suited for prolonged bouts of fighting.

>The mystery creature could sway and contort himself in ways the manticore couldn’t as well as change direction on a bit.

>Several swipes were aimed at the weaving creature, all which were evaded.

>Then, the cat pounced, only to have the creature dive underneath it, and roll to stand behind it.

>The creature leapt upon the manticore’s back grabbing its tail and driving the stinger deep into the cat’s flesh.

>Shame manticores are immune to their own poison.

>With an almighty buck, the manticore threw its rider off, who was surprisingly quick to return to his feet

>The monstrous cat wheeled around, and reared high.

>A big mistake for the beast.

>Using its powerful legs, it launched itself forward and with its front legs out stretched, smashed its paws under the ribcage of the cat.

>A roar rang out in the forest as a wing broke under the cat.

>The pink hunter landed on the manticore’s stomach and raised its front paws high above its head.

>For a fraction of a second the moon light played across its back, showing every muscle pulled taut in effort.

>Then both of its forelegs snapped down on the manticore’s head with all of the force of Celestia’s divine judgment.

>The mantcore’s head exploded like a bucked apple against a rock, and it lay still.

>After pausing to catch its breath, the creature turned to face your group.

>Its eyes wandered among you, until it found yours.

>The gaze was neither piercing nor demented, but concerned.

>All of your fear faded, and was replaced with a burning curiosity.

>It rose from its place on its adversary’s corpse and drew itself to its full impressive height.

>Covered in blood and gore, it began to move towards you.

>Another sudden movement caught your eye.

>You turned to see Twilight aim her horn at the creature, her eyes wide with fear.

>A wall of glowing magic appeared before it, and it gave her a look of shock.

>It strode into the wall and staggered, before collapsing completely.