//------------------------------// // Subject 11: Hard To Bear // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// “No, I don’t know why. Those weren’t even our most valuable books. Kinda strange if you ask me. The books come loaded up to the back of the store every night. I have security camera footage if you wanna see. Maybe there’s info there?” “Very much so, thank you.” The salespony mare handed me one of the cameras and hit playback. We could both see the books being loaded in on a cart yesterday afternoon. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. But then a dark shadow whizzed past the lens. My eyes keenly followed the image. “Slow-mo it.” “Are you sure? I didn’t see anything.” “Please?” She shrugged and pushed a button that slowed the footage down. My eyes were metaphorically glued to the image, as it slowed I could visualize the black shadow as it dashed across the camera’s line of sight. I couldn’t make out just what it was, but I could sense something was there. “Hrm...when’s the next shipment of books set to arrive?” She put the camera away, and looked at a nearby clock. “In about...20 minutes actually. You gonna try and catch the perp in the act this time?” “Something like that.” Meanwhile… “Sis...why are we doing this again?” The gold unicorn led her brother through the town, “Because you spend too much time inside all day playing those games and reading comics. Where’s your sense of adventure, bro?” “For you, that’s more like a sense of death.” “Don’t make me slug you.” “Okay, okay, fine! But I don’t understand why we had to bring Flu--I mean Whirlwind?” Indeed, Flurry Heart had disguised herself as a Pegasus with an illusion spell. To anyone else, she’d appear to lack a horn, and while her color scheme remained the same, she let her hair down so it was a full mane that went down her neck in a messy fashion, and her Cutie Mark changed to a tornado. And for good measure, she had on a pair of glasses. “I can only activate that hyperspeed spell once per day so I figured I’d just change into something a bit more casual. Besides, I know you love it, Pound.” “W-what makes you say that? And in any case, I don’t see the point in following this guy.” Pumpkin shot him a deadpan gaze that questioned his sanity. “You’re kidding? He’s obviously not an Empire Guard. I’ve read extensively on their battle tactics, and they wouldn’t simply start talking to other ponies, nor would they run off on their own. I’m just curious as to who he really is since ‘Whirlwind’ here won’t tell me.” The pink pegasus giggled, “Trust me, this is gonna be fun.” “Tch...how troublesome. If this lands us in trouble, I am so gonna--” With Pale... And so I waited. I napped beneath a tree--mainly for myself. Tree Hugger showed me just how much fun it could be to relax alongside nature. And from within my sleep state, I restricted my magical aura to reduce my presence in the shade. That way, no one would be able to spot me. I waited… And waited… And waited… It happened. I blinked awake and put my ear to the earth. Not only did I feel an abnormal magic presence, but I heard it as well. Something...strange was headed in this direction. Something I hadn’t encountered before. “...” I opened one eye and noticed a stallion wheel in a cart of books behind the store. Nothing out of the ordinary there. He was just doing his job. But the abnormal magical signature was still present. Strange. I opened both eyes and let out a yawn. The next moment that I blinked, I sensed a change in the stallion’s aura. As if his signature had swapped to a different being entirely. Eh, wot? This didn’t make sense. Not unless he had been possessed. And that sort of magic is extremely rare and borderline illegal. Just what happened to him? This wouldn’t do. I had to approach him. “Ex…” But before I could say anything, he had already dropped off the books and took off. The magic aura would promptly disappear, but I could still sense traces of it through the ground itself. Those traces led it directly to the Everfree Forest...where a much bigger magical signature lied in wait. No...this was too powerful. I dreaded the thought. But...I had no choice. I had to make sure whatever it was didn’t get into town. I rushed back home. And from within the deepest confines of my closet, I grabbed the weapon that Miranda Rights had entrusted to me many years ago alongside a note. “Kid...one day, I hope you make use of this for the benefit of those who never got a chance. Always remember what I taught ya. No matter what happens to me, keep this. I’ll always be with ya.” “Looks like it’s time. Or rather, I would hope I don’t need to make use of this. But still…” I grabbed my vest and tucked the item within it. From there, I ran back out and towards the forest. “Everyone! Go back to your homes, stay inside!” That’s when I heard giggling from a nearby bush. I turned to it and snapped, “What the buck are you doing way out here?!” Those darn twins and Flurry Heart--with a new look? Hm. Guess it was a good way to keep the attention away. The unicorn mare approached me first, “Sorry, sir. We just couldn’t resist! We knew it had to be more than just some boring book theft. C’mon, let’s go--” “Absolutely not.” I pushed her back with a hoof, much to the delight of her brother. “Thank you, man!” “Listen. You kids need to go right on back. I’m sensing something dangerous out there in the forest, and I’m not about to let you three get hurt.” The disguised Flurry Heart had gotten rid of her horn and donned glasses. I suppose that was all it really took. If it worked for Supermare, then. “Oh please. I’m all-powerful! Sure, mom and dad may have implemented caps on the magic I can perform, but that doesn’t mean I’m useless!” Pound Cake put his hooves together in a plea. “Please guys, stop. The guy said he doesn’t want any help. So why don’t we just go back…?” Pumpkin’s eyes shifted to her side, and shot Flurry a wink. “Okaaaay. I guess we can head back home. C’mon, everyone. Looks like there’s nothing to see here!” I glared at the mare and took a few steps back. “...Don’t sass me. I know all of ya’lls parents, don’t forget,” I turned and made a beeline for the forest. The unicorn snickered. “We’re still totally following him, aren’t we? I mean, he can’t do this alone, can he?” “Yup. We’re going.” “Nope!” Pound would attempt to run away, only to be restrained by the magical aura of his sister. “Hey! Put me down!” “You’re getting some outdoor activity in, even if it kills you. You don’t wanna end up fat.” Flurry-Whirlwind giggled as she flew after the two. Alright. That magical presence was heavy. That was certain. It wasn’t on the level of an alicorn, so that was good. But it was...chaotic. Like a wild beast that was aching to get loose. Concerning. I ran through the forest, but the closer I got to the aura, the farther away it felt. This was not normal. Something was moving beyond my ability to track it. Which was unreasonable. My sensory skills were highly tuned. This had to be something I hadn’t dealt with before. “Hmmm…” I stopped, and hid with my back against a tree. I looked at the weapon tucked into my vest. Its power meter dropped the more I remained idle. This would aid me if I ever needed it, but I prayed that I would not. I felt it. Once I ceased movement, the aura became clearer. It wasn’t getting away from me, because it wasn’t really here in the first place. What? What could this mean? This is too much. I was so used to chasing normal pony suspects--maybe the occasional griffon and minotaur--but this? This was hard to comprehend. “It’s almost time.” Even so, I wouldn’t let that stop me. I noticed there was a lack of smaller creatures in the forest. No hedgehogs, porcupines, squirrels, or even Timberwolves. Something out there had scared off everything. “Okay…” I pressed onward. Moving between each tree with precision to mask my presence. With the young ponies... “Sandbar, Rumble, Button Mash and I were gonna practice for the air hockey tournament next week. But nooo,” Pound complained as he walked along the path of the forest, “I have to be stuck with you guys because sis claims I’m not moving enough.” “Quit your complaining,” his sister urged him as she led their little trio, “I need to see what this guy is planning and you need to move more. Mom and dad wouldn’t want you being a couch potato.” “Tch. Just be honest, you’re doing all of this for the sake of that silly fanfiction you wanna write.” “Hey! It’s not silly! And it’s not fiction! My biography is gonna be the single most well-awarded book in Equestria by the time I’m done. So why not live out some exciting moments?” “Blech. Do you hear this, Fl--Whirlwind?” The disguised princess looked around the forest in awe. “Ooh...we don’t have lots of trees around the Empire back home. This was actually a pretty good trip!” Pound Cake slapped his forehead with his hoof. I arrived at a clearing in the middle of the forest. I felt the magic aura directly beneath my hooves by this point. It was here. Wait a minute. There was something very wrong here. I couldn’t put my hoof on it. But it was like something, or someone was nearby. But my senses were being thrown off. This wasn’t right. “Ah, over there!” Pumpkin spotted the open area in the middle of the forest surrounded by trees. “This has to be where it’s gonna go down. All the best stories have a showdown in a large field!” “Ughhh why am I here?” Pound groaned and leaned against one of the trees, filled with disgust. The pink pegasus smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Pounder. I got this. Like I said, I’m strong enough to handle anything.” “Wait...don’t tell me you’re about to go out there!” No. They didn’t. They couldn’t have. I ran around the edge of the field in the direction of those youngsters. Maybe I could stop before they would do anything-- And I saw Pound chase after his marefriend directly into it. “C’mon! Show yourself, monster!” “No! Get back you idiots!” I ran to try and jump in front of them, and we all crashed into each other. “...Ow. What the hell are you doing out here?! Didn’t I say stay behind!” “Listen, sir. I tried to tell Flurry it was a bad idea and then my sis made me follow--” I sighed. “At least you’re all fine…” Flurry on the other hand was rather annoyed. “Aw man! There wasn’t even any monster! Some stakeout this was. All that’s here is this silly piece of paper with scribbles on it,” she held the object in her wing. “Wait...let me see that,” I took it from her and sniffed it. Then I read the contents of the page. It was an animal book. One of the books that had been stolen! Okay, that was good. I got somewhere. But now what. “These strange markings…” “Eee! Ohmigosh, tell me everything that’s happened so far!” The sister of the Cake Twins had followed us out with a notepad and pencil to write everything down. Pound Cake flicked her horn, which temporarily disabled her magic, and caused her to drop the items. “Hey! That hurt, bro!” “That’s for making me come out here!” The two started to squabble while the princess loomed over my shoulder. “See anything interesting?” “These aren’t normal scratches,” I flipped the torn page around and was able to ready it more clearly. “They’re...runes of some sort. Hmmm…” ‘...the Bugbear chases its prey for as long as it can until it fires projectile venom from its stinger.” “...shit.” “Woah, what’s going on?” The runes on the paper started to glow and it grew hot to the touch. “Youch!” I let go of it and shook my hoof around to ease the pain. “Aw shit! Get back, ya’ll!” The twins ceased their physical combat with each other and looked up when I called their attention. They immediately took shelter in the nearby bushes and Flurry Heart joined soon after. A pillar of light erupted from the paper which pierced the sky. This had to be the work of magic. A summoning spell. Rather advanced. No average pony could make words fly off a page into reality so easily. This had to be the work of a veteran mage. From that light, an animal came into existence. A multi-armed, black and white bear with a stinger and a vicious hunger for pony meat. I stood on my hind legs and tried to reason with it. “H-heeey there big guy...I’m just gonna grab this and…” I tried to slink over to the piece of paper to swipe it but the insect monster wasn’t having it. It jumped into my face and let out a mighty roar that swept me off my hooves! “RAAAAGH!” “Ah!” I stood firm for a moment, the breath of the monster was nearly enough to make a pony cry on its own. “Woah!” The force of the roar pushed me back and sent me flying. I was tossed into one of the nearby trees with a violent thud. “Oof!” The crash was hard enough to make the pears fall and hit me on the head. “Grrr…” The youngsters had taken shelter in the bushes next to my impact. Pumpkin Cake in particular was busy scribbling in her notepad again. “‘And she bravely stared down the bugbear…’” “Meh. I’ve seen scarier,” Pound Cake commented, not at all intimidated by the creature, “Shin Megami Tartarus has loads of creepier monsters.” “Shin Ma--what?” “SMT. It’s a monster collecting RPG--you know what, forget it. It'd take way too long to explain right now.” The only one that was really scared was the princess. “Y-you okay, sir?” Flurry asked, and tried not to look at the beast with her wings over her eyes. “I...nghh...I’m fine…” I rose to my hooves in a shaky manner. The bear was on all fours now. It prowled with rabid saliva leaking from its mouth. It waited, nay, dared us all to make sudden movements. “Okay...when I count to three. You all run like heck back home. Don’t come back for me.” “What?! Ha!” The gold unicorn scoffed, “If you think I’m gonna turn down this chance to enhance my next chapter, you’re dead wrong.” “Sis, maybe he’s right. I mean, I’m not scared but what if you or Flurry got hurt? Mom, dad, and the whole Empire would throw a fit.” Flurry clapped her hooves. “No wait...I have a plan. We can send this thing back to where it came from and figure out who summoned it if we just--” “Absolutely not,” I cut her off and reached into my vest. “You three need to get out of here. Now.” Admittedly, I was somewhat afraid, given that I had never been up against such a beast before. Changelings were the extent of my foreign creature combat capability. But even still, I wasn’t going to let these kids get hurt. Over my dead body. “I really really hate to pull this card, but listen to your elder. Get out. Now.” “Are...you sure? Nopony’s defeated a bugbear on their own before.” “I am.” With a flick, I brought the weapon out. A custom-made lever-action sound blaster with a wooden stock, and a wide, megaphone like brass barrel. I took a few shots at the bear monster, and ran towards it. “C’mon you honey-loving bastard!” Pound must’ve been frothy at the mouth from the way I heard him speak. “Yooo...I need to get me one of those.” The weapon gained more power from motion along the earth. I had to engage in hit-and-run tactics with it or else I’d shoot nothing but air. If I could just distract it long enough to grab that piece of paper and tear it to shreds, that should be enough to dispel it. Or at least, I hoped. But the bear monster wasn’t so easily fooled. The very second I attempted to get around it, it hit me with a slash of its four sets of claws. “Ghh!” I was sent for a tumble, but got right back up. I fired off another blast of sound energy from my weapon, which distracted it for a second. I dove in. My body slid across the dirt to snatch that paper, but it was no use. “OW!” A slash of the beast’s stinger flung me across the field and back towards the youngsters who still hadn’t left yet despite my direction. I was furious. “I said get out! Why are you still here?!” “Listen sir,” Flurry Heart started to explain, “it seems like you need some help defeating this thing. You’re alright on your own, but together...we can do this. I know it. I already told these two how it can be done. Right Cakes?” Pound Cake shrugged, “Meh. Your idea sounded simple enough.” “Ooh, heheh! I get to be in the middle of the action! It’s gonna be perfect.” I sighed. I was beaten, and felt a slight swelling from the monster’s stinger. If the princess had an idea, I had no choice but to at least hear it out. “Fine...explain yourself.” “Okay so here’s the thing. A spell like this has to be maintained within close proximity to the object they’re controlling. The perp is still somewhere around here. So I’m gonna fly up and see if I can’t find them. Pound Cake is gonna help you fight it, and while you both have it distracted, Pumpkin Cake will use her magic to decipher the rune code and reverse it in order to shut it down. Sound good?” Wow. I didn’t peg her for a tactical strategist. She must’ve gotten that from her father. I stood, and looked at the Twins who nodded in agreement with this plan. I felt like a complete fool. But I really couldn’t accomplish this alone. “Gah...do what you wish.” “Alright guys, get into our combat formation!” Flurry flew straight into the air. Pumpkin started working her magic, “If you guys get hurt, I’ll heal your injuries. Just try and distract it so I can steal that paper.” “One sec,” Pound also flew into the air, but he returned moments later with some clouds in his hooves and caught in the feathers of his wings, “Alright. This’ll work.” “Clouds? You serious?” The young stallion suddenly reshaped a cloud into the shape of a hammer. “You’re forgetting we pegasi can control the density of the--” “Just get on with it!” His sister shouted, to which he rolled his eyes. “I’ll explain in more detail later. For now...the beast will taste the wrath of Pound Kahn!” I sighed again. This would either be the death of me or something worse. “Alright, kid. Let’s get this over with…” We both stared the monster down, ready to attack once more.