Yikes. Hydras are not fun.
Oh yes, you do not want to mess around with one of these guys.
Perhaps we should explain what a Hydra actually is?
Of course, a Hydra is a large, slimy, grimy, smelly, slippery, reptilian creatures with incredibly long, flexible necks.
They usually have either orangey-brown or murky green scales. This allows them to disguise themselves within the swamps and marshlands where they are found.
Most Hydras remain completely inconspicuous to the naked eye and can elude pony-kind very easily. Waiting and watching until the perfect opportunity to strike.
Just take caution when exploring boggy areas. Hydras, like most amphibious creatures, are rather fond of the ponds. Sometimes you can spot a Hydra if you pay close attention to the water.
Unfortunately for us, the time we met a Hydra was not one of those times.
Somehow we'd managed to get ourselves lost in the 'Swamplife Sanctuary' outside Los Pegasus...
What do you mean by 'somehow?' You read the map wrong!
I'm an old stallion, Shiera, I don't know how any of these fancy new technological items work!
Okay, first of all, you're twenty-seven years old and second: it was a paper-bound map, not a computer.
What's a computer?
Never mind. So, after Strongbolt got us stranded, we wandered around in the murky marshlands for a while.
Long story short: Hydra jumps out, starts flailing it's several heads around and runs towards us.
Luckily, Hydras only have two stubby, nubby, chubby legs to support their large bodies, in other words: they don't get anywhere to quickly. We managed to escape.
But don't be fooled, those guys can launch their heads towards you and make them spring back like gigantic, pony-eating yo-yos.
Remember: a Hydra is not a tourist attraction. Don't stop and stare or take pictures.
Or else the next vacation you take could lead straight to the Underworld.
If you do find yourself in a 'tense' situation with a Hydra, there's not too much you can do.
If you do find one, it's best to just run. Hydras do not have many weaknesses... well, apart from swords and knives and bullets and-
I think what Strongbolt is trying to say is: you should not attack a Hydra unless you are a trained expert.
In fact, I've created a little rhyme to help you remember:
Watch out for the Hydras, down in the swamp.
Their gigantic teeth go 'chomp, chomp, chomp.'
Get out of there quickly and don't hang around.
Or else you'll probably get eaten or swallowed then put through a painful digestion process that'll most likely dip you acid and rip you apart completely.
Wow, beautiful.