Fang and Byakkasha could only stare at the creature, feeling the raw power it emited pressing against them. The pony stood still, her face void of any expression, all while the aura of shadow kept dancing around her body.
"Scootaloo?" Fang said, but the filly didn't react.
"Fang, what the hell did you do to that kid?" Byakkasha hissed.
When he spoke, the monster turned its head to look at him. It raised a hoof and took a step forward, and the ground shook as if by a terrible weight. Byakkasha was overwhelmed by an unnatural feeling of dread, as if it was death itself that approached him.
"H-Hey! You stay away!" he cried and, panicking, fired a bolt of lightning at the pony from his tails.
The bolt swerved in the air, twisting into a spiral before being sucked into the black spot at the center of the monster's chest and disappearing completely. The monster was unharmed. Its expression didn't change, but it spread its wings and the black aura surged, forming two much larger wings flaring from its back – wings made out of jagged shadow, each one as large as the monster's own body.
The ground under the monster's hooves was suddenly crushed into a deep crater, as if struck by something large and heavy. But the creature itself remained exactly where it was, hovering for a moment before rising into the air. It raised a hoof, pointing at the tiger.
Sensing the build of power, Fang immediately leapt away from Byakkasha just as a terrible force was brought down on him, pressing him against the ground. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to push against it with all his strength, but even so he could only barely remain on his paws.
The monster made another gesture with its hoof. The force abruptly reversed and Byakkasha was pulled into the air, only to be slammed back down like a ragdoll. The monster made a pulling motion and the tiger was once again lifted upwards, this time flung into a collision course with the dark creature. As he closed in, the monster struck him hard in the abdomen with an uppercut. For a moment nothing happened, then all the power behind the blow seemed to release at once. It launched Byakkasha into a wide arc and he landed hard on the ground, rolling a few times before stopping. He let out a pained whimper, then lay still, out for the count.
Still hovering above the ground, the monster turned its head and looked at the nine-tailed fox, as if trying to judge if she too posed a threat.
Fang had faced many dangers and encountered many strange powers in her long life, but she could sense that this was beyond even her understanding. Her supernatural senses didn't even register this dark creature as a pony at all. Its magic was immensely heavy and felt unnatural and warped. Even so, Fang still sensed Scootaloo through their bond, though the girl seemed distant and silent.
Hesitating for but a moment, Fang took a step forward. "Scootaloo?" she said. There was no response. Fang focused her will on the bond and tried again. "Scootaloo, can you hear me? I know you're still in there. It's over. We've won. You don't need to do this anymore. Whatever is happening to you, wherever you are right now, you need to come back to me!"
For a few more moments, the creature just kept looking at her. Then the black aura faded along with the oppressive power. Fang could see Scootaloo's eyes return to normal just before they closed, and then the filly simply dropped out of the air.
Fang quickly caught Scootaloo with her tails, gently curling them around the little pony before setting her down on the ground. Bending over, the fox looked down at her familiar with a worried look on her face. "Scootaloo? Are you alright?"
"I'm... cold..." Scootaloo's eyes flittered open and she groaned. "...Fang? What happened?"
"I was rather hoping you could tell me that," Fang replied.
Sitting up, Scootaloo gently shook her head to clear it. "I don't know. That's never happened to me before. It was as if... as if I was stuck inside myself while something else was controlling me. I could see you and Byakkasha but I couldn't do anything to stop myself. Or, I dunno, more like I didn't want to do anything about it. I didn't want to think about any of it, like it didn't matter. I hurt Byakkasha..." She looked up at the fox and frowned. "Fang... I-I think I was about to hurt you too!"
Letting out a sigh, Fang smiled at her. "Well, you didn't, and that's what counts."
"It was the curse," Scootaloo whispered, looking down at her hooves. "Wasn't it?"
Fang nodded. "More than likely. A sort of... defense mechanism, perhaps? It was designed to protect itself, after all. But we can figure that out later. You're safe now, it's over."
"It's... not... over!"
They both turned their heads to see Byakkasha struggling to his paws, gritting his fangs and digging his claws into the dirt. Small sparks shot from his tail as he tried in vain to summon magic for a spell. "It's... It's not over yet, Fang!"
Fang opened her mouth to speak, but in the same moment Scootaloo stood up and started to walk over to the tiger. Fang frowned. "Scootaloo?"
"Give it a rest, Byakkasha," Scootaloo said as she approached him without even a hint of fear. "You're just being stubborn now. Fang's right, it's over."
"No!" Byakkasha growled. "I can't give up now! I've waited too long for this! You don't understand! You don't know what she did to me!"
"You're right," Scootaloo said. "I guess I don't. But I do know what it feels like to be left behind. I know what it's like to be alone. It hurts, and sometimes you get angry at everything because you don't know how to deal with it. But I don't think you hate Fang, and I don't think hurting her is what you really want. I could feel it while you two were fighting. You still care about her, don't you?"
"No, I don't!" Byakkasha yelled. "I never mattered to her, so why should she matter to me? I only cared because I was weak, and now I'm stronger than ever! I don't need her anymore!"
"Then why are you crying?" Scootaloo asked.
"...W-What?" Stunned, Byakkasha raised a paw to his face. Tears were running from his sky-blue eyes, slowly dripping unto the fallen leaves on the ground. "N-No, I don't... This can't be..."
"Byakkasha." Fang walked passed Scootaloo and sat down on the ground in front of the tiger. "...I'm sorry."
"What?" Byakkasha snarled. "After all this, you... you think you can just apologize?"
"You don't have to forgive me," Fang said gently. "But even so, I'm sorry. You were right. I did close myself off from you, even before Sakloth, perhaps years before that. All of this is my fault."
She sighed. "...I was always a solitary creature, a wild fox born out of some dark, nameless forest far in the distant past. I came from nothing and relied on nobody, and I thought that was my nature. Even after I met others who taught me about camaraderie and friendship, I never truly believed I needed anyone but myself. Then you came along. I met you by chance and made you my familiar on a whim, but... The truth is, it scared me. Being able to feel how much I came to matter to you, and then starting to realize just how much you mattered to me. That precious, fragile closeness, I had never felt that way before and it terrified me. I didn't know how to handle those feelings, so I chose to distance myself from you, refusing to show you the affection you deserved. I was a coward, and because of my cowardice I caused you suffering."
She paused, raising her face to the sky and drawing a deep breath. "After that battle, when I thought I had lost you, I realized I had made a terrible mistake. There was so much I should have told you, so many words you deserved to hear from me. But once again, I was too cowardly to look for you. I couldn't bear the thought of finding you among the dead, knowing it was my fault for dragging you into a fight you were not prepared for. Perhaps, on some level, I hoped that if you had survived, you might find a better life without me around to ruin you further. And yes, I know that's just another excuse from a worthless coward of a master."
She turned her head down a looked at him with a sad smile. "But whatever else you might feel about me, I want you to know this: You were a magnificent familiar, Byakkasha. Far, far better than I deserved. I was, and still am, very proud of you."
Byakkasha just stared at her in silence, his tears still falling.
"Fang..." he wispered. "That's all I ever wanted you to say."
Then he turned his head back and cried. And as he cried his massive form grew diffuse, dispersing and vanishing like smoke. A moment later the tiger was gone. All that remained was a two-tailed white tabby cat, sitting there among the leaves, bawling like a child.
Fang reached her paw out and gently stroked his head. "Hey. Hey, it's okay."
"I-I'm sorry, F-Fang!" the cat mewled between deep sobs. His voice had lost its rumbling base, replaced by trembling tenor. "I'm s-so sorry!"
"Shhhh," Fang hushed. "It's okay. It's okay."
Scootaloo had watched the heartfelt exchange in silence, her own eyes having teared up somewhere along the way. "Huh. He turned into a cat," she mumbled.
"This is his true form," Fang said, still stroking Byakkasha's head. "There, there, Xiaogui. There, there."
Scootaloo had never seen a cat actually cry before. It was strange, yet heartbreaking. Not knowing what to say, she kept watching them in silence. Soon, Byakkasha seemed to calm down, sniffling with his head turned down as if too ashamed to look at Fang. Scootaloo could only faintly sense their hearts by then, but she could tell their enmity had completely evaporated.
In a sudden attack of self-awareness, she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with her hoof and looked up at the giant fox. "So... is that your true form?"
Fang hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Are you afraid of me?"
Scootaloo chuckled. "How many times are you going to have to save me before you stop asking that?"
Fang blinked, then gave her an awkward smile. "I just wasn't sure how you'd react to seeing me like this. I know this form is... intimidating to ponies."
"I guess you're a bit scary," Scootaloo shrugged. "But it's, like, a cool kind of scary. Honestly, I expected something worse. Like a giant bug or a squid-monster or something."
"Oh, I'm not scary enough for you?" With a grin full of sharp teeth, Fang reached out with a tail and tussled the filly's mane. She raised a paw and wiggled her claws in a jokingly threatening gesture, winking. "Well, I am a shapeshifter, so who knows? Maybe for my next trick."
Scootaloo laughed...
...then she felt something pull her along in a sudden flash of bright rainbow colors and for a moment the world zoomed past her eyes. Next thing she knew, she found herself held in the hooves of Rainbow Dash, hovering in the air a distance away from Fang. Scootaloo vaguely realized that Rainbow must have swooped out of the sky and grabbed her.
The older pegasus quickly put her down on the ground, then took a defensive stance in front of her facing the fox. "Scoots, you okay? It didn't hurt you, did it?"
"What?" As the momentary confusion cleared, Scootaloo suddenly realized what the situation must have looked like and immediately launched into a frantic explanation: "Ah, no! Hold on, Rainbow, you've got it all wrong! That's not some kinda monster! I mean, yeah, it kinda is, but that's Fang!"
Still looking at the fox, Rainbow's eyes widened. "That's Fang?"
"Yeah, I sorta got kidnapped by a magic tiger who was actually just a talking cat," Scootaloo said, hearing how crazy that sounded as she said it. Telling the truth was really difficult sometimes. "It's complicated, okay? Anyway, Fang saved me. I know she looks scary, but she's still the same as before! Um, kinda."
Frowning, Rainbow looked at the clearing. It mostly resembled the aftermath of a small war: Every single leaf in the area had been knocked to the ground, many trees had been shattered, cut down or burned into coal, and the ground was scarred by multiple gashes and craters.
Rainbow looked at Fang again. Her eyes narrowed and she started moving forward. "Scootaloo, stay back."
"But..." Scootaloo began.
"I said stay back!" Rainbow snapped. She kept advancing with a determined look on her face. Fang moved to meet her, transforming back into her unicorn form as she walked. The two of them stopped in front of each other.
"I guess I owe you an explanation?" Fang asked.
"I dunno about that," Rainbow said. "I think I pretty much get what's going on here. So, what are you? Some kinda fox monster?"
"Yeah, basically," Fang replied. "Don't worry, though. I'm not going to hurt anypony."
"Oh, is that right?" Rainbow said.
Then she punched Fang straight across the face. Fang's head snapped sharply to the side and she staggered on her hooves, her expression one of genuine surprise.
"...What?" Scootaloo said.
Fang turned her head back to calmly face Rainbow's angry scowl. "Okay, I'm going to be the adult here and let you have that one, but..."
Rainbow threw another punch, but this time Fang got her own hooves up and deflected the blow. Rainbow tried again only to be deflected a second time, but managed to land a surprise kick to Fang's abdomen. Fang grunted and threw a punch of her own. Rainbow only barely dodged it.
"Hey... Hey, hold on a minute!" Scootaloo said, her voice rising to a shout as the scuffle quickly turned into a full-blown hoof-fight before her eyes. "What are you two doing!? You don't have to fight each other!"
Neither Rainbow nor Fang seemed to be listening. They were both going all out now: Rainbow with straightforward, explosive karate moves; Fang responding with what looked like kung fu, graceful and precise but no less forceful. Grunts turned into battle cries as the fight intensified.
"Darn it, you two!" Scootaloo shouted and stomped her hoof. "Stop fighting and listen to me!"
"Crane Kick!"
"Brilliant Ancestor Eagle Claw!"
"Rising Dragon Hoof!"
"Reverse Fragrant Lotus of Two Mountains!"
"Ponies' Elbow!"
"That rainbow one ain't half bad," said a voice next to Scootaloo. "For a pony, anyway. Still, call me biased but if we're taking bets, my money's on Fang."
Scootaloo looked down to see that Byakkasha had sat down next to her, watching the fight with a neutral, almost bored expression. Scootaloo frowned. "You're still here?"
The cat shrugged. "It's not like I have anywhere left to go."
"Well, if you're going to stick around then make yourself useful and help me stop them!" Scootaloo said.
"Why?"
"Because they're being stupid!"
Byakkasha chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. But they're both grown-ups, so if they want to be stupid and punch each other for a bit, that's their decision." He shrugged. "Let them fight."
"Oh come on!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "What is wrong with everypony? We just got this mess sorted out and now Rainbow's gone and started a new one all over again!"
"Oh relax, kid," Byakkasha said. "Fang isn't taking it seriously. She's not even using magic, much less her true form. As for the pegasus, she seems to have something personal to work out with our dear master. Knowing Fang, she probably did something to deserve it. Just let them get it out of their system for now."
Meanwhile, Fang had managed to get behind Rainbow and attempted to lock her into a hold, but Rainbow countered by throwing Fang over her shoulder. Rather than hitting the ground, Fang started floating in the air, trying to gain distance.
"What the...?" Rainbow shot away from the ground like a rocket. "Oh no you don't!"
She hit Fang in a flying tackle and the two rolled through the air, still trying to grapple and pummel each other. The furious ball of punching and kicking hooves quickly floated away above the treetops, away from the two familiars.
"Well, there they go," Scootaloo sighed. "I just hope they don't hurt each other too much."
Byakkasha glanced at her. "So, Scootaloo? Mind if I ask you something?"
"I've got a feeling you will either way," Scootaloo muttered.
"What are you, exactly?"
"Who, me?" Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "I'm just a deficient mortal pony kid, remember?"
Byakkasha looked at her in silence for a moment, then let out a chuckle. "Right. I think I'm starting to see why Fang took a liking to you."
The air battle over the forest continued with unabated intensity. Fang found it fruitless to attempt escaping the faster Rainbow and opted to focus on defense in close quarters, but without solid footing it was difficult for either of them to fight efficiently at that range.
Fang hadn't expected a difficult fight, but she was already worn out from her previous clash with Byakkasha and she grudgingly admitted to herself that her martial arts skills were rusty to boot. Rainbow meanwhile made up for her recklessness and somewhat unpolished technique with relentless energy and aggression fueled by her anger.
Fang struck out with her hoof but Rainbow caught it, spun around and used the momentum to fling the sorceress at a downward angle. Passing through the canopy of the forest, Fang corrected herself just before landing, her hooves sliding and cutting into the soil before coming to a stop. Rainbow wasted no time swooping down towards her, launching into a combo of punches as she closed the distance.
Realizing she had to seal Rainbow's movements somehow, Fang intercepted both of her opponent's hooves and locked them together with her own, pulling the pegasus closer and holding her firmly in place.
"Not bad, pony!" Fang grinned. "But you're a hundred years too early to be a match for..."
Rainbow cut her off with a headbutt to the face. As the two broke away from each other, Fang stumbling back in surprise, Rainbow saw an opening and launched herself into a flying kick. At the same time, Fang regained her balance just in time to throw a hard punch.
Their hooves passed each other and they both struck the other in the face. Momentarily reeling from the cross-counter, they toppled and fell to the ground at the same time.
For a few moments they both lay there on their backs, groaning from their bruises and spinning heads.
"...Tell you what," Fang said, "let's call it a draw."
"I'll show you a draw!" Rainbow growled, already starting to get back on her hooves.
Getting up as well, Fang sighed. "Look, I get that you're protective of Scootaloo, but I'm not going to eat her or anything."
"Oh, shut up!" Rainbow snapped. "That's not the point! I don't give a flying feather if you're a monster fox!"
Fang paused, looking confused. "You don't?"
"No! You could be a two-headed minotaur in a pink tutu for all I care!"
"Then what were we fighting about?"
"'It's nothing', you said!" Rainbow spat. "'I'm sure Scootaloo is fine', you said! Back there, you knew she was in trouble, didn't you?"
"Well, yes."
"And you didn't tell me!" Furious, Rainbow pointed an accusing hoof at Fang. "You just lied about it and ran off on your own! What, to protect your stupid secret identity or whatever? Do you think you're the only one who cares about her? Horseapples, that girl's like a sister to me! What in the absolute hay made you think it was okay to keep me out of something that important?!"
"Ah..." Fang suddenly looked sheepish. "Would you believe old habit?"
"You unbelievable egotist!"
"No, no," Fang raised her hoof in a calming gesture. "You're absolutely right, Scootaloo's safety is not my personal business and I shouldn't have acted like it was. What I did was really inconsiderate and I apologize." She sighed. "Wow, first Byakkasha and now this. Today sure turned into one big humble pie buffet just for me. Look, if you want to punch me again, go right ahead. I won't try to stop you."
Rainbow grit her teeth and raised her hoof, letting it hang in the air for a moment. Then she put it down with a grunt and turned away from Fang. "Whatever."
Taking a moment to relax, Fang willed her body to mend itself. All the bruises, sprains and other minor injuries she had accumulated in the brawl quickly faded. Rainbow was still pretty roughed up, however, and Fang approached the pegasus who still simmered in silence.
"Your eye is starting to swell," Fang said as her horn started glowing. "Let me fix you up."
"I don't need your fixing," Rainbow muttered.
"Please," Fang insisted. "Consider it part of my apology."
Rainbow glared at her for a moment, then shrugged without a word. Taking that as a concession, Fang began to beam a ray of healing magic at her.
After another few moments of tense silence, Fang spoke: "I realize this is probably a stupid question, but you know that Scootaloo is an orphan, right?"
"Yeah, I know," Rainbow replied. "What about it?"
"Have you ever thought about trying to adopt her?"
Rainbow remained quiet for a moment. "Of course I have."
"And?"
"Me, a mom?" Rainbow sighed. "It's a nice fantasy, but I'm like the last pony in Equestria who should be caring for a kid."
"Why is that?"
"Because I'd suck at it," Rainbow snorted. "I can barely take care of my pet tortoise, for pony's sake. Besides, I live in a cloud and even if we figured out a way around that, I'd worry she'd fall off some day. Even if I moved to a regular house, I finally made it into the Wonderbolts now so I won't be able to spend as much time with her as she deserves. And yeah, all that stuff sounds selfish but that's the point. I'm just not parent material, not yet anyway. Scootaloo needs a real family who cares about her above everything else. Like, Applejack could totally do it, maybe even Fluttershy or Twilight. But me?" She shook her head. "I can't be the mom she deserves."
Having finished healing the pegasus, Fang extinguished her spell. "I understand. Though, I think you are a far more responsible pony than you seem to believe, Rainbow Dash."
"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow stood up and gently stretched her limbs. "I guess you're okay. For a fox. Um, sorry for losing my cool back there. I don't usually get that violent but, you know..."
"It's alright," Fang chuckled. "I've gotten into worse fights for much dumber reasons. But we should get back to Scootaloo now, so she doesn't think we've killed each other." She suddenly frowned. "Come to think of it, leaving her alone with Byakkasha was probably not the best idea."
Hearing this, Rainbow tensed up. "Oh, shoot! I kinda forgot about that! You think he'll try something again?"
Fang shook her head. "No, I rather doubt it. More likely he's telling her embarrassing stories about me. We should get going."
Rainbow nodded and gave a flap with her wings, rising to the sky. Fang followed suit, levitating off her hooves and floating up next to the pony. Rainbow gave her a curious look. "So, is that a spell or something?"
"Not really," Fang said. "It's a fox monster thing."
"Showoff," Rainbow scoffed.
They flew side by side above the trees, an awkward silence lingering between them until Fang broke it: "Do you mind if I ask one more question?"
"Sure, why stop now?" Rainbow replied.
"Yesterday, when we ran into Stately Warden," Fang said. "You asked why we were lying to him, but then you just dropped the subject all of a sudden. Why?"
Rainbow looked a bit surprised by the question. "What, that? I told you, I don't exactly like Warden anyway so I guess I don't really care if you lie to him. So what?"
Fang raised an eyebrow. "He is Scootaloo's legal guardian and we flat out admitted that we were deliberately deceiving him, yet you didn't seem concerned about it at all. I just find that a bit odd."
Rainbow frowned, and for a moment she seemed uncertain how to answer. "I dunno. When you put it like that I'm not even sure what I was thinking back there. Just didn't seem like it was my place to ask, is all."
Fang studied the pegasus in silence for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. "...I see."
Before either could continue the conversation, they found that they had reached the clearing where Scootaloo and Byakkasha were waiting. As they landed, the filly ran over to them with the cat trailing after her.
"Fang! Rainbow!" Scootaloo called out. "You're not fighting anymore? You two okay now?"
Fang and Rainbow shared a glance. Rainbow nodded. "We sorted it out, I guess."
Scootaloo sighed in relief. "Oh, good. Just don't do that again, okay? I don't want you guys to fight each other."
"What about you two?" Fang asked.
Scootaloo and Byakkasha looked at each other and suddenly they were both grinning. "Heh, yeah, we're cool," Scootaloo chuckled. She seemed to be restraining herself from laughing.
Fang frowned. "What's so funny?"
"...Fried tofu," Scootaloo mumbled, then broke down in a fit of giggles.
Fang turned to Byakkasha. "You didn't."
Byakkasha shrugged, cocking his head with an innocent look on his face. "What? Just getting to know my successor a bit better."
Fang groaned. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."
"So, this is the bad guy, huh?" Rainbow looked at the cat with an amused grin. "I expected you to be taller."
"Watch your tongue, pony," Byakkasha said, his eyes narrowing. "I am a noble mystic beast, and I command great power!"
"Oh yeah, you're so scary!" Rainbow laughed, pretending to shy back. "I'm shaking!"
Glaring at her for a moment, Byakkasha suddenly transformed into his tiger form again, letting out a low rumbling growl. Rainbow stopped laughing, having to turn her head to adjust to his new stature. She blinked.
"Okay," she said. "That is actually pretty awesome."
Fang gave the tiger a sharp look. "Speaking of your great power, Byakkasha, I was wondering about that. Care to tell me who has been helping you with this roaring rampage of revenge of yours?"
"Um..." Byakkasha immediately shrunk back into his true form, averting his eyes. "Helped me? I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Fang rolled her eyes. "Come on, Xiaogui, don't play coy with me. I may be weaker than I used to be, but I'm not so weak that a half-baked nekomata like you should have been able to match me. I don't believe for a moment you could have grown this powerful in a mere decade all on your own." She bent down and looked him dead in the eyes. "So, I think someone gave your magic a rather significant boost, and I'd like to know who."
Byakkasha nervously fidgeted with his paws. "...I'm not sure I should tell you."
Fang paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Oh well. I suppose I'll just have to bring you over to Celestia and Luna, then."
"What?" Byakkasha's eyes widened. "Now hold on, Fang..."
"You did attack their castle," Fang carried on. "Which, if I'm not mistaken, counts as an act of war."
"He what?" Rainbow said.
"At any rate," Fang continued without missing a beat, "I bet they'd be very interested in all of this."
"Okay, okay! I'll tell you!" Byakkasha sighed. "It was Nancy."
"Nancy?" Fang seemed surprised. "Aunt Nancy? Are you serious?"
Scootaloo gave Fang a confused look. "Your aunt?"
Fang shook her head. "Oh, she's not my aunt. Goodness, no. That's just her name." She turned to Byakkasha again. "But that doesn't make sense. What would Aunt Nancy possibly have to gain from setting you up to attack me?"
"She didn't 'set me up', Fang." Byakkasha looked a bit offended. "I chose to go after you on my own. She just found me on Sakloth and took me in for a while. Once I recovered I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you. Then a while ago she got in touch and said she knew where you were and, I dunno, she decided to help me out a bit."
"What, out of the kindness of her heart? Because she felt sorry for you?" Fang asked, her voice full of sarcasm. "Are we talking about the same Aunt Nancy? I know you're not that naive."
Byakkasha shrugged. "Fair enough. I don't really know why she did it. I mean, I didn't bother to ask and I doubt she would have told me the truth anyway. I just figured you'd done something to get on her bad side and she wanted a bit of payback, you know?"
Looking thoughtful, Fang cast a glance at her other familiar. "What about Scootaloo?"
"What about her?" Byakkasha frowned. "How's she involved in this? I just thought she'd be good bait."
"Watch it, cat," Rainbow muttered, putting a wing over Scootaloo. "So who's this Nancy anyway? Friend of yours, Fang?"
"I honestly don't think she has any friends," Fang said. "Still, this is rather strange. Last time I saw her we were allies, and that was ten years ago. I can't imagine a reason she would have it out for me now." She shrugged. "Oh well. If I know Aunt Nancy she won't try anything this soon after a gambit, so we can probably relax for now. We should get back to the other ponies."
"About that," Rainbow said. "We heard this loud roar type of sound and it kinda got everypony spooked, so they've all left by now."
"...Ah," Fang nodded. "I see. Then I guess we can all just go home." She nudged Scootaloo and grinned at her. "I think we've all had enough exercise today."
Managing a tired smile, Scootaloo chuckled. "Yeah, today got a bit more exciting than I expected."
The group started moving out of the clearing when Fang noticed Byakkasha sitting still with his head hanging. She turned to face him. "Well? Are you coming?"
Byakkasha hesitated. "...You already have a familiar," he muttered.
"No, I have two familiars," Fang corrected. "There's no rule that says I can't keep both of you around. Scootaloo, what do you think?"
Scootaloo shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I don't mind."
Byakkasha turned his head up with a hopeful look on his feline face. "Really?"
"Really." Fang smiled. "Let's go home."
Suddenly smiling, the two-tailed cat quickly lept into the air and floated over to them, landing on Fang's back. "Thank you," he mumbled.
"You sure about this?" Rainbow whispered to Scootaloo. "He did kinda kidnap you."
Scootaloo glanced at Fang and Byakkasha. Seeing the look in their eyes, she smiled. "...Yeah. I think it's going to be okay now."
And so, their strange little group headed home. Unnoticed by them, hidden among the branches of one of the trees, a black clockwork spider watched them leave.
"Are you sure it wasn't like a bird or something?" Lucky Clover asked.
"Yes, Lucky," Caramel said, looking slightly annoyed. "It definitely wasn't a bird. It was like... a roar or a howl or something. I'm telling you, it had to be some kind of big animal. I've never heard anything like it."
As the day began to turn to evening, various ponies had found their way to Ponyville's local tavern. Though business was slower on a Monday compared to the weekends, a few patrons still assembled after work for a relaxing time with friends and a few beverages. After his experience in White Tail Woods that day, Caramel had felt a pressing need for both. Thus he, Lucky Clover and Thunderlane were seated by a table, drinking cider and discussing the matter.
"So, what about the Running of the Leaves?" Thunderlane asked.
Caramel shrugged. "We've sent a request to Canterlot to investigate if the woods are safe. I guess the race will be delayed until they've made sure, at least."
"Well, that's just great," Lucky scoffed. "I still think you ponies just got spooked by some woodland critter and overreacted."
"I don't know, Lucky," Thunderlane said. "There's been a lot of strange stuff going on lately."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Like, you know that storm we rolled out last Thursday? I talked to some ponies afterwards and several of them swear they heard some kind of weird screaming and the sound of something big running past their houses."
Lucky rolled his eyes. "It was a storm. Storms make a lot of noise and sometimes ponies get scared of 'em."
"Yeah, but here's the freaky part," Thunderlane continued. "Afterwards they found tracks in the streets. Like, not from hooves, they looked like some kind of huge claw marks. Supposedly they headed straight into the Everfree."
Lucky frowned. "...Okay, yeah, that is pretty weird."
"Huh, that reminds me of something," Caramel said. "I was talking to Golden Harvest a while ago and she said she'd heard howling coming from Sweet Apple Acres that night, right after the storm passed."
"Timberwolves?" Thunderlane asked.
Caramel shrugged. "Normally I'd think so too, except Golden Harvest said she looked out the window and she saw something big and furry running past her house. She didn't get a good look at it but she said it looked like a huge dog or something. I tried asking Applejack about it but I couldn't get a straight answer out of her." His brow furled. "...Actually, AJ's been acting weird lately. She seems pretty worked up about something and, like, you know how she gets when she's trying to hide something but it's obvious she's trying to hide something? Like that."
"This is getting spooky," Lucky commented. "So, giant dogs running loose in Ponyville? That's where we're going with this?"
"I don't know," Caramel admitted. "But you've got to admit, it sure sounds like something strange is going on."
While they were talking, a tall dim-blue unicorn a few tables away listened in silence. They hadn't noticed the volume of their conversation rising and it was not difficult for his ears to pick up every word.
"Speaking of ponies acting odd," Thunderlane said, "I hear Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer have both been kinda on edge lately, like they're stressed or worried about something. You don't think Princess Twilight knows something we don't?"
"Oh come on!" Lucky exclaimed. "Now you're just sounding like a conspiracy nut. Twilight is the Princess of Friendship and she's been looking out for us ever since Nightmare Moon showed up. If she knew about something dangerous, why would she keep it from us?"
"Maybe she doesn't want to cause a panic?" Caramel suggested. "A lot of ponies around here are pretty skittish."
"Look who's talking," Lucky deadpanned.
"Excuse me, gentlecolts?"
The trio fell silent and looked up to see that the tall unicorn stallion had silently approached their table, levitating a mug of cider in a pale blue aura of magic.
Caramel frowned slightly, trying to determine if he recognized the newcomer. "Uh, can we help you, Mr..."
"Stately Warden, at your service," Warden said, correcting his glasses. "Pardon the intrusion, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. May I?" He made a gesture to one of the empty chairs and, barely waiting for the others to nod, took a seat. "Is it true, then? There have been sightings of a creature, and other strange happenings?"
"Seems that way," Thunderlane said. "What, you know something about it?"
Warden shook his head. "No more than you, I'm afraid. I know about the rumor, of course, but I didn't think there was anything to it until now. That's why I took an interest in your discussion."
Caramel, Lucky and Thunderlane shared a puzzled look. "Wait, what rumor?" Caramel asked.
Warden looked surprised. "Oh, you haven't heard?"
"About what?" Lucky asked.
Warden leaned forward slightly, causing the other three to unconsciously do the same. "Well, word is that there is a monster in Ponyville."
"A monster?" Lucky frowned. "What kind of monster?"
Warden shrugged. "Nopony seems to know for sure, but I've heard a lot of ponies of late talk about strange sounds in the night, clawed pawprints in the streets, that sort of thing. Supposedly this monster is hiding itself somehow, perhaps in disguise."
"Sounds like a changeling to me," Thunderlane commented.
Lucky shook his head. "Can't be, those guys are pretty much harmless these days and don't even bother hiding anymore. Hay, I hear some of them are looking to move here."
"True," Warden said, "but there are other beings capable of using magical disguises. I recall reading about such creatures back when I studied magic, and some are even more dangerous than the changelings ever were."
Thunderlane gulped. "That doesn't sound good. So, it could be anypony?"
"Perhaps." Warden cocked his head slightly. "Though if I remember correctly, they would typically enter a community disguised as a traveler of some sort. That way, they could quickly move on if the local ponies grew too suspicious."
Caramel stroked his chin. "That would make a lot of sense. And if there is a monster in Ponyville pretending to be a pony, it would explain a lot."
Thunderlane seemed to think of something. "Hey, you know that unicorn mare who showed up a while ago?"
"The tall, gorgeous one?" Lucky grinned slightly. "Oh yeah."
Thunderlane nodded. "Yeah, her. I was just thinking, didn't all of this start around the same time she came to town?"
Lucky's grin died away and he frowned. "Wait, are you saying she's the monster?"
"No? I'm just saying she might be, that's all."
Caramel suddenly looked thoughtful. "...Now that you mention it, she was with us in White Tail Woods today. I saw her talking to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I'm sure of it. Only, when we heard that weird roar, she wasn't around anymore."
There was a pregnant pause.
"Well, shoot," Lucky sighed. "There goes asking her out, I guess."
"Okay, but seriously," Thunderlane said. "If she is some kind of dangerous monster, shouldn't we do something?"
"Like what?" Lucky asked. "We don't even know that for sure. It's not like we can just chase her out of town with pitchforks and torches on a suspicion."
"No," Caramel said, "but maybe we should, like, at least warn our friends and families about it? Tell everypony to be careful if they see her around town, you know, just in case?"
As the three of them kept discussing the matter, Warden casually raised his cider mug to his mouth so that they couldn't see him grinning.