//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Blood Moon // by The Chronicler //------------------------------//         A thick mist slithered through the Everfree Forest like a serpent prowling through the night. Shadows clung to the trees and choked the underbrush beneath the stalwart luminance of the crescent moon. Innumerable stars bathed the firmament with the subtlety and grace of an artist’s masterpiece. However, while most of Equestria enjoyed the peaceful stillness of Luna’s demesne with a calm serenity, the dead silence of the Everfree was all but tranquil.         An unnatural darkness clung to the fog that permeated the forest floor. It was like a moss or a fungus that drained away whatever moonlight was snatched by the canopy and strangled the natural orchestra of the woods. There was not a single cricket serenading its obnoxious cousin, the cicada, or the gentle hoot of an owl hunting for its breakfast. There was no wind. There was only darkness – and silence. Cold, dead, silence. Then the howling started.         A lithe form exploded from the bushes and galloped through the underbrush. Her pale coat was almost white beneath the dim moonlight, and the dense fog parted in the wake of her mad dash. She clenched her wings tightly against her barrel as she weaved through the foliage. Fluttershy panted heavily. Each hoof-fall was a crumpled leaf or a broken twig – a blinding flare alerting her pursuers. A ravenous snarl came from her left. She darted to the right and dove under a fallen log. The loud snap of a branch (or jaws) ignited a burst of speed – as much as she dared, for fear of harming her precious cargo.         She glanced at her saddlebags. While the left was nearly empty, save for some emergency supplies, the right bag contained a small furry body. Fluttershy shifted her weight mid-stride and ensured the bags were firmly centered. Another growl. From the right. Dodge to the left. Another snap. Glowing green eyes – hunger, malice - glinted in her peripherals.         Fluttershy whimpered. She knew they were trying to herd her. They were probably forcing her into a dead-end where she would be cornered against a rocky out-cropping of the forest. Then they would close the circle, nip at her fetlocks, and then the alpha would lunge and te—        No, bad Fluttershy! She steeled herself and vaulted over a camouflaged hole. A yelp squeaked behind her followed by several cracks and a thud. Now was not the time to think like that. Fluttershy knew this forest almost as well as the Whitetail Woods. All she needed to do was find Zecora’s property and she could lose them with her wards. Yes. That’s the plan. Find Zecora, escape the timberwolves, save the baby badger, and be home for breakfast. Shouldn’t be too hard…         A snarl rumbled in front of her, and Fluttershy scrambled to a stop before a set of wooden jaws – with very sharp teeth – snapped inches in front of her muzzle. The timberwolf’s sickly green eyes burned with hatred, and Fluttershy nearly retched from the acrid stench of rot and decay that saturated the creature’s breath. She leaped back on reflex, barely avoiding a swipe of its claws, and darted into the bushes.         It howled. Though she could no longer see it, the awful sound still sent shivers down her coat. If the Everfree was truly as unnatural – as cursed – as ponies said, then the timberwolves personified the very essence of the forest’s foul magic. Fluttershy always hated dealing with them. They were cunning and always hungry.        The chase continued for several minutes. Her breaths were ragged and the howls closer. Sweat drenched her coat. Fluttershy was no earth pony. By now she would have tried to hide in the underbrush, but there was no hiding from a timberwolf’s nose when they had your scent.          Fluttershy was sure she stank horribly at this point.         Where in the world was Zecora’s hut!? Surely she hadn’t passed it already. It was left, left, right, loop at the tree, follow the path a hundred feet, and another right… Right? She should be almost there…         Fluttershy rounded the corner and came muzzle-to-muzzle with the largest tree trunk she had ever seen. It was nearly twice as thick as she was tall and stretched a dozen body-lengths in each direction. She ran to the side but was blocked by a growl and a pair of green eyes. Fluttershy yelped and galloped to the left. Another pair of eyes greeted her. She gulped.         Maybe she didn’t know the forest as well as she thought…         She turned around, back against the fallen tree, and willed the quivering in her hooves to stop. Three massive timberwolves, all two or three times her size, lumbered out of the trees. She scrunched her nose in revulsion at their stench and gagged. Fluttershy glanced to her sides, where another pair emerged.         “G-get lost, you b-big meanies!” Fluttershy stamped her hoof and glared. “H-haven’t you eaten enough tonight?!”         The center – and largest – timberwolf snarled and snapped its jaws. It sprayed spittle and rotten plant matter across the ground. Fluttershy eeped and fell to her haunches. She trembled and frantically searched for an avenue of escape, yet she was surrounded on all sides. Teeth, hate, and hunger met her at every angle.         Fluttershy whimpered and sniffed as she unbuckled her saddlebag. She held it close in her hooves with her passenger pressed against her chest. The pegasus let out a quiet sob as she curled around the saddlebag and pressed against the trunk of the tree with her back facing the wolves.        “I’m s-s-sorry, g-girls…” Fluttershy cried. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it to our picnic tomorrow…”         Fluttershy closed her eyes and waited.         Snarling.         And waited…         Barking.         And waited…         Rot and decay.         And… Thud.         Fluttershy flinched as the ground shook. She shivered while a low rumble, like thunder, emanated above her. Why were they taking so long? Were they really so cruel as to torture her like this? She slowly opened an eye, craned her head, and gasped.         A massive white paw, bigger than her head, ground into the dirt just two hooves from her face. Razor sharp claws, black as obsidian, dug into the dirt like trowels. It was not the rotting detritus and branches of a timberwolf - but a real paw. It was white as snow and almost glowed in the dim moonlight.         Fluttershy turned to face the timberwolves and furrowed her brow. They were still snarling and barking, but most had stepped back into a defensive posture. She looked up and gawked at the massive thing that stood above her. Silvery-white fur covered the enormous bipedal body that towered above the timberwolves. Fluttershy realized, to her astonishment, that the thunder was actually the creature growling. Thick drops of spittle landed on the ground. Hands, armed with the same dagger-like black claws as its paws, clenched at its sides. She couldn’t see its face, but she could practically feel the primal ferocity radiating from the beast. It was an animalistic fury that dwarfed the bloodlust of the timberwolves, and if Fluttershy could sense it…         The alpha snarled and snapped its jaws. The beast standing above Fluttershy replied with a growl that reminded her of grinding boulders. Finally, the alpha stepped forward in defiance of the newcomer.         That was its final mistake.         The beast’s leg muscles coiled like bands of iron before it vanished. A white blur flashed and wind buffeted her mane. Fluttershy shook away the strands of hair to see the alpha gone as well – replaced by a sizable hole in the foliage and several broken branches.         The pack was thrown into chaos. They barked, yipped, and snarled as they tried to discern the location of their leader and their adversary. One of them turned their hungry gaze on Fluttershy.         A deafening roar pierced the night.         It was unlike anything Fluttershy had ever heard. Not even the dragon she faced all those months ago could compete with its power. The sound rolled like thunder, but was stuffed with so much anger and hunger that it shook the ground and felt like a spike of ice in her heart. The other timberwolves whimpered and their leafy ears pressed against their wooden skulls. One bolted toward the trees. It made three steps before exploding in a shower of wooden shrapnel and kindling.         Fluttershy gawked. She nearly missed it with a blink. The moment the timberwolf tried to flee, the creature bolted out of the trees and slammed into the wolf with the force of a train. Wood buckled, bent, cracked, and splintered like bones. The creature never slowed. It galloped into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing with the same fluid – and deadly – motion as if the timberwolf was never there.         Fluttershy’s heart hammered against her ribs and it struck again. It was like a bolt of lightning armed with claws and rage. The timberwolves, with all their ferocity and cunning, could never match the speed and strength of the greater hunter. Each time they tried to escape, the creature would strike with just as much brutality and destruction.         Only one timberwolf remained. It whimpered and bounced on its front paws. Fear flickered in its magical eyes as it scanned the trees in search of its tormentor. The wolf’s gaze found Fluttershy and it snarled. She gasped as it pounced. However, it hardly flew six inches before the creature’s massive front paw shot out of the shadows and snatched the timberwolf by its hind leg. The timberwolf slammed into the ground and scrambled to get away, but the paw held its grip. Claws sunk deep into the wooden flesh.         The creature emerged from the trees. Fluttershy could only just make out the color of its coat and its bipedal stance in the darkness. It lifted the timberwolf by its hind leg and watched it dangled. There was something in the creature’s eyes… It was hunger and the intensity found only in a predator, yes, but there was something else… Something--         It grabbed the timberwolf’s throat with its free hand and raised the wooden construct above its head. The creature snarled – its massive teeth glinting in the moonlight – and it pulled. Fluttershy trembled as the timberwolf’s whimpers and whines grew frantic. Wood cracked. Bark splintered. Sap drizzled onto the ground. It flailed and writhed, but nothing could escape the monster’s titanic grip. She pressed her hooves over her ears as the beast unleashed another roar. It was joined by the sharp crackling of lumber being rent apart. Finally, the beast tossed the two halves of the timberwolf on opposite sides of the clearing.         A shower of sappy splinters rained on Fluttershy and she held back a retch. The clearing was silent except for the creature's rumbling breath. Its soulless crimson eyes swayed across the clearing and its nostrils flared. The beast’s gaze fell on Fluttershy. She shielded her eyes with her wings and trembled. However, the gruesome death she was expecting never came. Fluttershy peeked through a wing and saw the monster drudge off into the dark. It stumbled around like a drunk pony, shoulders slumped and legs crisscrossing every other step. The monster snarled at the shadows, as if daring – no, demanding – something else to come out and fight it.         Fluttershy squinted at the figure as it shambled away. It must have been a trick of the light or her own fears altering her perception, but it looked smaller now. She blinked. The creature was smaller. A series of sickening snaps and a deep muted growl assaulted her flattened ears. Fluttershy watched in morbid fascination as the creature morphed and twisted. Its limbs and muzzle shortened while the torso became narrower. It was still bipedal, but was only about twice the height of a pony. Finally, after stumbling about for a moment, the creature collapsed to its knees and fell onto its face.         Fluttershy eyed the prone figure from several body-lengths away as her heart slowly calmed. Several moments passed. Her gaze shifted between the mutilated remains of the timberwolves and the strange creature lying several yards away. She bit her lip and whimpered.         “Oh dear… ohmygoodness ohmygoodness… What do I do now?”         She looked down at her charge. The baby badger trembled in her forehooves, but was otherwise safe. Fluttershy sighed in relief before strapping her saddlebags onto her barrel. Then she turned her gaze toward the strange and terrifying creature. The silence of the forest had returned - broken only by her throbbing heartbeat.         Several more moments passed before Fluttershy worked up the courage to stand. She shuffled her hooves, taking care not to step on any errant twigs, and made her way over to the thing’s resting place. It was sprawled out across the gnarled grass and vines and, much to Fluttershy’s relief, appeared to be out cold.         It was nothing like anything she had ever seen. The silver-white fur was gone, replaced by a peach-colored skin everywhere except for its head. A dark brown mane hung over its neck while a very thin coat of brown fur covered the creature’s back and limbs. Fluttershy inspected its paws and frowned. The razor sharp claws, with a grip that could shred timberwolves like paper, were gone. What replaced them reminded Fluttershy vaguely of Spike’s claws, except the ends (fingers?) were much longer and looked far more fragile.         Fluttershy poked its side with a hoof. It groaned and she squeaked while backpedaling several paces. She was relieved that it was alive – and even more so that it was in no shape to attack and eat her. The pegasus hummed thoughtfully.         “Poor thing must be exhausted…” Fluttershy whispered. “I don’t care if you helped me just to eat me yourself. You saved me and this poor dear, and it would be very rude of me to just leave you here all by yourself for when the timberwolves reform…”         Fluttershy pressed her muzzle against the creature’s side and gently shifted her head beneath its barrel. She gritted her teeth and heaved the creature onto her back with a grunt. Once she was satisfied with her footing, Fluttershy hobbled into the dark with its back feet dragging through the dirt.         “Now... Where was that path?”