Six strange creatures in Equestria

by sykko

The return

On the southern edge of Equestria where the rolling green planes and hills meet the flat open stretches of the savannas, Zecora walks among the tall grass, a bright colored cloak with complex geometric designs is draped across her barrel and head. She pauses pulling back the hood, dark cyan eyes scan the terrain, her ear twitches hearing rustling in the grass. "If it is havoc you are looking to wreak, you had better learn to properly sneak.", she say in a challenge. She pulls a short, ornately carved staff from under the cloak and closes her eyes, reaching out with her senses and innate magic. Sensing dark magic, she begins slowly circling, tucking the ornate staff in the crook of her leg. "I'l give you one chance, depart for it is not with I whom you want to dance."

A twisted griffon lunges out of the tall grass, Zecora launches herself upwards with her staff. As the griffon careens past, she balances inverted on the staff, her other three limbs splayed for balance. Zecora smiles calmly as the twisted griffon clatters its beak in frustration as it circles. "I spoke the truth when I said you had no chance, but you still sought this dance." The griffon charges and she gracefully tumbles in the air, cracking her staff down on top of its head. She balanced on a hind leg in a partial crouch, the staff stretched out in one direction and her other hind leg crossed across her thigh.

Closing her eyes again, Zecora focuses her senses and magic once again. The griffon leapt forward, she rolled backwards, flipping the twisted creature away from her and effortlessly sprung up to her hooves, the griffon twisted its body through the air, landing on all four feet, a low growl of frustration in its throat. Zecora reaches under her cloak and pulls out a small portion of green powder, she rubs it on the inside of her lip. She begins a side-to-side dance as she slowly circles the creature twisted by dark magic. The griffon clearly confused clacks it beak as it slowly circles, kicking up clumps of dirt with its hind claws.

The griffon lunges again as Zecora expertly spins away, it takes to the air and swoops at her, she spits a cloud of green mist in its face as she spins aside. The griffon howls in pain as it tumbles across the ground, wiping at its face with its talons, the green mist making its eyes burn and sting. Zecora pulls out a pouch of red powder as the griffon continues to wipe at its eyes.

After several minutes, the griffon manages to wipe the offending substance from its eyes and blinks back its focus. Propping the ornate against her wither, Zecora smiles as the griffon hisses and snarls in anger. The griffon charges and she flings the contents of the pouch around her, obscuring her form in a cloud of red dust, it it stops, staggering backwards avoiding the cloud of red dust. Seeing an opening, the griffon swiped out with a talon, but only pulls back a few scraps of brightly colored cloth, the red dust cloud clears revealing the brightly colored robe propped up with the ornate staff.

Zecora launches out from a nearby clump of tall grass with a rear hoof extended and connects hard with the side of the griffon's face. As the griffon tumbles away stunned, she uses her momentum to grab the staff and lands gracefully on her hooves. She begins an intricate dance, rolling the staff around her barrel and neck as she closes on the twisted griffon. The griffon slashes out with a talon and she launches herself over it with the aid of her staff, bringing it down across its flanks with a hard smack. The griffon rakes out with a hind claw, forcing her to leap away.

The griffon takes to the air and lunges at the Zecora, forcing her to roll away. Before she can lash out with the staff, the twisted creature uses its flying speed to launch itself higher into the air. The griffon dives straight down at the zebra and she spins away, cracking it under the chin with the end of the staff.

The griffon give a smirk and rushes forward again. A she launches herself into the air again with the aid of her staff, the griffon leaps up with the aid of its wings, forcing Zecora to bring the staff across her body in defense. The griffon pins Zecora on her back, snapping its beak. She twists her body under the bulk of the twisted creature as it tries to rake its hind claws across her.

Zecora slams her hooves into the griffon's midsection, launching it off of her. As the griffon is launched into the air, it hangs on to the staff, wrenching it from the zebra's hooves. Using its feline reflexes, the griffon lands on its feet, tossing the staff away. Zecora kips up, launching her hooves at the creature, forcing it to dodge away. Landing on her hooves, she continues in one fluid motion, pressing the attack, forcing the twisted creature on the defensive.

The griffon strikes the ground with a talon, kicking up several clods of dirt, forcing Zecora to back flip away. It was the turn for the griffon to press the attack, forcing her to duck, roll and spin away. As the griffon swipes low, she launches herself through the air, kicking out with a hoof. The griffon balls up a talon and slams in into the zebra's gut, then grabs her by the back of her mane, slamming her face first into the ground. Zecora spins her body, extending her rear hooves to each side and catches the griffon in the side of of its face, knocking it away.

Zecora spins up to her hooves, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, She spits out a gob of saliva and blood on the ground then smiles.

"Hss! K-k-k-k-k! Give it up zebra, you a re beaten. K-k-k-k!", the griffon mocks hissing and clacking its beak.

"You think you have won and this is the end? Though I've had my fun. I was merely stalling waiting for the arrival of my friend."

Before the griffon could respond, a shadow looms over it. Turing to face the new attacker, a lithe, dark-skinned hand lunges out with a short-handled spear with a long, wide blade. The spear bites deep into the griffon's neck with a wet thud. Bright red blood pours from its beak with a gagging sound as a foot wrapped in a shoe made from wood and leather kicks the twisted creature backwards. A lithe hand flips back a brightly colored hood, revealing a dark-skinned woman with strong, well defined handsome features, deep brown, nearly black eyes and a shaven head. The woman kneels, wiping the blood from her short spear on the dying body of the griffon. "Are you unharmed friend of my father?", she asks in a tone as smooth as caramel.

"It is no big deal, my injuries are slight and will heal.", Zecora answers, "Imbali Enhle, we must be on our way."

Zecora gathers up her staff, then her and Imbali make their way north.
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In Ponyville, normally late summer is a time of celebration but since granny Smith had passed a few days prior, the town was silent and morose. Black wreathes hung on every door as the town mourned along with the Apple family. The shadows lengthened as the sun slowly set.

In the lengthening shadows, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked to a familiar cottage on the edge of town to feed the animals and take any that were sick or injured to the vet. Applejack sniffled as she turned to Rainbow, "Ah know Ah shouldn't be sad because she didn't suffer when she passed, but Ah caint help it." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

Rainbow pulled her wife in close for a hug. "I know it hurts. I'm sad too, after we were engaged, Granny took me in as a part of the family, no questions asked.", he voice began to crack, "I miss her too." The two embraced as they cried.

Pinkie came running up to the cottage, her Pinkie sense twitching. "Guys!", she shouted, "Pinkie sense going off!"

Applejack and Rainbow began looking around nervously, before ducking under cover.

Pinkie gave her two friends a cross look. "Nothing is falling, this time." She twitched again. "Futtershy!" Another set of twitches. "Sweet Apple Acres!" Her legs warbled. "Weird-thingy-stuff!" She took off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash took off after Pinkie. Arriving at Sweet Apple Acres, they found Fluttershy sitting under the tree she and Harald used to eat lunch under, a turquoise earth pony filly and a bluish-gray unicorn colt sat on either side of her.

"Pink pile!", Pinkie shouted as she launched herself in the air and did a tackling hug to Fluttershy. Applejack and Rainbow Dash joined the hug pile.

After the four ponies parted from hug, Applejack looked Fluttershy over, her graceful build had bulked up with knotty muscles, her pink mane and tail had tight braids, a patch of red hair was woven in with one of her braids. "It's good tuh see ya Fluttershy!", Applejack exclaims, "So who're the foals?"

Fluttershy placed her forelimb around the filly, "This is Weeping Belle Irontoothson.", she placed a hoof around the colt, "This is Polished Gold Irontothson."

Pinkie tapped her chin. "Did you and Harald have foals?"

"Pinkie...", Rainbow said facehoofing, "...She's only been gone a year. These colts are at least eight."

"Harald and I adopted these two nearly ten months ago.", Fluttershy said pulling the two foals close.

"Speakin' o' which, where is he at?', AJ asked, "Rainbow an' Ah have a couple things o' his."

A loud crunch of an apple being bitten drew the attention of the three ponies. A hand extended from behind the tree as Harald waved.

"What in th' name o' Celestia?!", AJ exclaimed in surprise, "How long ya been there?"

Harald replied in slightly accented Equish, "Long enough to notice a new grave in the eastern field from here."

AJ and RD cast their eyes to the ground. "Oh, well a few days ago Granny passed.", AJ said sadly.

"My condolences.", Harald said with a slight accent, "I'm sorry I couldn't be here for the funeral. We were...what's the word? Ah yes, indisposed." He stood up dusting off his pants. "Is the Sky Queen in her keep?"

"Uh, yeah Twi is in her castle.", Rainbow said, "Though she's changed and has grown up a lot."

"I sensed as such.", Harald replied, "Come along children, it's time to meet your sacred bonded aunt."

Twilight was walking through her castle looking over paperwork when she felt a familiar energy in her blood. "Can it be?" She walked to the front door and opened it. "Harald!" She pulled him in close for a hug.

Harald smiled as he embraced Twilight, after parting, his expression became serious.

"What's wrong?"

Harald sighed. "The draugr walk the land."

Author's Note:

Chapter one of Six strange creatures in Equestria.

Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy.

Feel free to offer any comments or criticism as you want.