//------------------------------// // Hunting Her Prey // Story: The Mage Outlaw // by qiley //------------------------------// Twilight treaded carefully through the forest, constantly peering back and to her sides. Only a couple days had passed since her most recent encounter with the guards, so she had to be fully aware of her surroundings.  Guards weren’t the only thing she had to be wary about, however. Wild animals and bandits were some of the many things that could potentially endanger her. Not only that, but traversing the terrain proved to be challenging, even for somepony like Twilight. “Note to self, never take the forest route ever again,” Twilight grumbled after she landed face first after tripping on a root. Sitting up and rubbing the dirt off her face, she took a deep breath and looked up into the sky. “WHERE IS THE BUCKING ROAD?!”  Birds flocked into the sky as her voice echoed throughout the forest. Twilight shook her head quickly before getting back on her hooves. She stood still, listening to her surroundings. Soon enough, she heard hoofsteps in the distance approaching her. Smirking, she ignited her horn, disappearing from the clearing she was in. Standing up in some trees nearby, she saw a group of ponies emerging from the other side. Swords and other weapons hung on their sides. These ponies, however, were not dressed in armor like guards usually were. They simply wore ragged clothing, meaning they were most likely bandits. Twilight simply watched them in silence. “Are you sure you heard somepony yell?” One of them asked sternly. “I swear we did, boss!” the pony replied. The ‘boss’ glared at the group. “You guys haven’t been eating those berries again, have you?” “We promise we heard a mare yell from this direction!” Another one said. “Look, there’s even some hoofsteps going into the forest.” The boss looked down at the muddy floor, spotting the hoofprints. “You’re right,” The boss grinned. “Who’d be dumb enough to enter this forest alone? Especially a mare.”  “I know right?” One of his lackeys snickered. “Once we catch her, she’s going to regret ever leaving whatever whore house she came from!”  “You boys go catch her. She couldn’t have gotten far if she decided to keep moving,” The boss ordered. “I’ll stay here with Thunder Metal and make sure she doesn’t loop back around.” “Yes boss!” The group of ponies said in unison before galloping into the forest. The boss watched their backs, the grin still on his face. “Boss, I don’t mean to ruin your fun, but there’s a possibility that the mare we’re hunting is the infamous mage, Twilight,” Thunder Metal said. “I heard rumors that she escaped into this forest  after killing some guards..” “Pfft, what’s one mage going to do against seven ponies?” “You’re right,” Thunder Metal nodded hesitantly. “I hope…” he muttered under his breath. Just then, something cracked behind them, causing them to quickly turn around and draw their weapons. However there was nothing there except the broken branch. “That wasn’t here before, was it?” Thunder Metal asked, inspecting the branch. “Who knows?” The boss shrugged, placing his mace on his side. “Probably just some stupid animal or something. Stop being such a wuss.” Then there was another crack behind them, the two spinning around. Thunder Metal tilted his head. “Another branch?” “What the hell?” The boss shouted, his eye twitching slightly. Walking up to the broken branch, he kicked it off to the side. There was another crack behind him. “I swear if it’s another branch,” The boss growled. Turning around one more time, his eyes widened. In front of him was Thunder Metal, standing up tall. There was something very wrong with him, however.  His head was twisted in the wrong direction. “Holy shit!” Stumbling back, he drew his mace again and planted himself into the ground. “Whoever the fuck did that, show yourself now! I’m not scared of a pony like you, scurrying around and striking when it’s easy.” Thunder Metal’s lifeless body fell onto the ground with a loud thud, splashing up some mud. The boss simply stood there, looking around all around him.  “I said show yourself coward!”  The culprit, however, remained hidden away. At least that’s what Twilight made the poor stallion believe. The boss had seen his companion fall into the mud, but he didn’t see the hoofprints slowly creeping closer to him. “Regroup boys, we’re under attack!” The boss shouted, his voice echoing through the forest. Their footsteps slowly became louder and louder as they approached the grove. It would only be a few minutes before they arrived back. “You guys sure are organized for a group of bandits,” Twilight said, appearing right behind the boss.  “What the-”  A bolt passed right through his kneecaps, instantly dropping him face first into the mud. He screamed as he tried to get up, only to fall down like a foal first learning how to walk. Gritting his teeth, he lay there, looking up at the perpetrator.  “Where the hell did you come from?” He asked through ragged breaths.  “I was invisible,” Twilight simply replied.  “How?” To which Twilight rolled her eyes, pointing to her horn as her answer. “Anyways, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to take me to your hideout, then I’m going to do Equestria a favor and get rid of scum like you. Got it?” The boss snickered before on her face. “I ain’t gonna do shit for you, missy. If you haven’t realized by now, you’re completely surrounded.” Twilight looked up to see that she was indeed completely surrounded. The round clearing she was now fully encircled by the other ponies she saw earlier. There were two pegasi, two earth ponies, and a unicorn. They all had their weapons drawn, and the unicorn in the group had his horn ignited.  “Wow, they got here pretty quickly,” Twilight said.  “You’re screwed now,” The boss grinned. “I can’t wait to feel your-” Twilight swiftly cut him off with a bolt right through his forehead. He went stiff as he lay there in the mud, blood slowly dripping out of his wound. “You bitch!” The unicorn shouted before firing off a magic bolt.  Twilight side-stepped before igniting her own horn, causing the other unicorn’s horns to fizzle out. He tried to ignite it again and again, but it would simply spark before fizzling out everytime. The unicorn glared at her. “What the hell did you do?” “Just a simple trick I learned,” Twilight shrugged. “Anti-magic field.” “Hah, that means you can’t use magic either!” One of the bandits taunted. “Now you’re basically useless.” “Am I?” Twilight smirked. “Come and find out.” “She’s bluffing,” The unicorn called. “Don’t be afraid, just run her down!” The two earth ponies ran towards her while the pegasi opted to fly up and dash down towards her. The pegasi got to her first, slicing their swords down on her at the same time at two different angles.  Twilight, however, was unfazed by their swiftness. She quickly drew her short sword with her mouth, deflecting one slice while simultaneously dodging the other. Before the pegasus who she parried could react, she lodged her blade in his throat, causing him to crash into the mud. Twilight took her balde out of his neck and left him there as he flailed around, his forehooves pressing down hard on the wound. The earth ponies swung at her back, but Twilight simply just disappeared before their blades could connect. “Where the hell did she go?” One of the earth ponies shouted. “She’s next to Caster!” The hovering pegasus said.  They turned around to see Twilight right next to the unicorn. Before Caster could do anything though, he fell to the ground face first, a hole on the side of his head. Twilight’s horn was still ignited, levitating her sword. “I thought she couldn’t use magic!” The pegasus said. “It must’ve had a time limit or something.” “You were actually able to guess that? I’m impressed!” Twilight smiled. “However, that won’t be enough to save you three.” The three remaining bandits stood off against Twilight, brandishing their weapons. Two earth ponies and a pegasus against a unicorn. “We have to somehow all get near and corner her,” One of the earth ponies muttered. The pegasus scowled. “Easier said than done.” “It’s our only chance. If we don’t do anything, we’re dead,” The same earth pony said. “We might as well die trying then just give up like this.” “I’d rather die than get turned in,” The other earth pony added. “You got that right,” The pegasus nodded. “So here’s the plan, we-” The pegasus suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence, plummeting towards the ground. With a loud thud and a few cracks, his limp body hit the ground. “You were taking too long,” Twilight commented, her horn glowing. “I don’t know why you’d decide to just stand there and talk when there’s an enemy right in front of you. A pretty ineffective tactic, if you ask me.” The earth ponies glared at her.  “It’s now or never I guess!” one of them called out, sprinting towards her. The other earth pony followed suit, trying to circle around Twilight to flank her. Twilight simply stood there as they closed in on her. “Now!” The flanking pony yelled, one swinging at her left side while the other swung at her right side. It was a coordinated attack to try and corner Twilight. Twilight teleported a safe distance away. “Only if you did this with your whole group.” “Stop running away, coward!” One of them yelled. “Wouldn’t it be considered cowardly to gang up on a pony, much less a mare?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow, a smirk on her face. “Shut it!” He growled.  “There are more pressing matters than you two, so let’s finish this quickly, okay?” Twilight said, igniting her horn.  The two tried to run away, but their hooves wouldn’t move. Looking down, they saw that they were slowly sinking into the mud. They squirmed around, trying to escape, but it was futile. No matter what they did, they continued to sink. “So, which one of you wants to be a good pony and lead me back to your camp?” Twilight smiled down at them. “Fuck you!” One of them spat at her. “I’m not taking you nowhere, you dirty whore.” Twilight continued to smile. “That’s unfortunate. I recall reading somewhere that suffocation is one of the most painful ways to die.” “I’m willing to provide a painless death if you simply show me where your camp is. It’s as easy as that!” “Are you even a pony anymore?” The other pony cried out. “This is just cruel!” Twilight deadpanned. “Ironic, coming from you.” The two remained silent at her comment. They continued to sink, eventually their hooves fully emerged. Twilight sighed. “I really didn’t want to do this, but you left me no choice. I will force one of you to show me where your camp is through any means possible. I will take one of you with me and you will act as my guide. The other will not be as fortunate.” “Not only will you suffocate, I’ll also set you ablaze,” Twilight said, a cruel smile on her face. “Now, which one of you wants to help me out?” “I’ll never help you, no matter how much suffering I go through!” One of them growled. The other, however, nodded quietly. “Perfect!” Twilight chirped, igniting her horn and teleported him out of the mud. She then placed magic shackles on him, tying him to a nearby tree. “Now you stay put while I deal with your friend here.” It was barely a second after she said that when his comrade in the mud was set ablaze, his screams echoing throughout the forest. “YOU TRAITOR!” he repeatedly yelled as he sunk further and further down. The other pony cast his gaze at the ground and shut his eyes tight, not wanting to look at his friend as he met his fate.  “I HOPE YOU ROT AWAY IN SOME JAIL CELL YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!” “FUCK YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. I HOPE THEY ALL ROT IN HELL! He cursed and yelled obscenities before he was fully submerged in the mud, completely silencing him. “He was rather rude, wasn’t he?” Twilight giggled as she stood over the last bandit. He remained silent however, still looking down at the ground. “We’ll, now it’s time for you to uphold your part of the deal,” Twilight said, chaining him up like a slave.  The bandit hesitantly stood up and looked over at Twilight.  “What do you plan to do with me afterwards?“ “I told you, remember? Once you show me to your camp, I’ll give you a painless death.” He sighed. “So I’m dead either way?” “Yup!” Twilight chirped. “Now, lead the way!“ The lone bandit started walking in the direction where the group originally came from. Twilight followed a fair distance behind him, the leash almost fully tightened.  He paused, looking back at his captor. “Why are you so far behind me?”  “I know you can’t really do anything, but caution is something a pony should always practice,” Twilight answered. “Especially in times like this.” Shrugging, he continued walking. “Can’t argue with that.” “Eeyup,” Twilight nodded. “Now keep walking.” They continued through the forest, eventually nearing the outside of another, much larger clearing. There were tents scattered about, as well as some extinguished fire pits. Examining further, she saw a couple more bandits wandering about, chatting amongst themselves. “I thank you for your service, but as we both know, this is the end of the line for you,” Twilight weakly smiled at the bandit. He solemnly nodded, returning the smile as Twilight ignited her horn. With a clean cast, a bolt flew straight through his skull, instantly killing him. Twilight was sure to catch his body before it landed, not wanting to alert any pony of her presence. Placing him down gently, she closed his eyes. “Now then, let’s go finish the job!” Twilight hummed to herself. Easily sneaking into the camp, she lurked around, hiding behind tents, boxes, and other things scattered about. Twilight constantly surveyed the ponies and things around her. She was looking for one thing, and only one thing.  “So what are we goin’ do with em?” Twilight’s ears perked up, stopping in her tracks. “I heard we’re selling them to some sick noble,” another pony said. “Apparently they’re into that kind of thing.” “What a freak,” he scoffed.  “Rich folk have weird taste.” Twilight slightly peeked up from behind the box, getting a good look at the ponies and the cargo next to them.  “Bingo,” she whispered to herself before crouching back down. She crept closer and closer, jumping from cover to cover, still hidden from the guards.  “Gotta take a leak man,” one hummed, walking in Twilight’s direction.  “Don’t take too long!” the other one called out to him.  “Yeah yeah, whatever,” he called back, stepping out of his sight behind some boxes. A hoof suddenly pulled him onto the ground. A weight on his stomach, a hoof over his mouth, and cold steel against his neck signified one thing. He tried to scream but was quickly cut off by the dagger cleanly slicing his neck, blood oozing out.  Twilight continued to hold her hoof to his mouth, regardless of the blood spraying onto her. Sprinkles got on her face and chest, but she stayed resilient. Soon enough, the bandit succumbed to the blood loss, going limp. Wiping the blood off of her, she got off him and peaked around the corner again. The other guard was still just standing there, staring off into space. Twilight smirked, igniting her horn. Fully turning the corner, she put him down with a bolt through the head. As his body was about to hit the ground, Twilight quickly caught him with a quick levitation spell, placing him down gently. “W-What happened?” A small voice whimpered.  Twilight slowly approached the multiple box shaped objects covered by cloth. “Is somepony there?” She whispered. “Who are you? Are you going to hurt us?” Twilight pulled off all the cloth with magic, revealing dozens of cages filled with children. Fillies and colts, some sleeping while others were cowering, staring at the strange pony who uncovered them. Twilight clicked her tongue as she took it all in, a large frown forming on her face. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. As she slowly exhaled, she opened her eyes slowly. “No, I’m not going to hurt any of you,” Twilight whispered. “I’m actually here to rescue you all, though I was told there were only a few ponies.” Sighing, she mumbled to herself. “And that they weren’t children.” Clearing her throat, Twilight weakly smiled. “I’m going to need you all to stay quiet until I come back, okay?”  The majority of them nodded. “I’m going to put the cover back on. Promise me you won’t try and lift it up until I say.” “We promise,” a couple of them said in unison.  “Good,” Twilight nodded, levitating the cover onto the cages. There were a few whispers before the camp was silent again. Twilight’s smile instantly vanished as soon as the cages were covered, replaced with a deep frown. “Ponynapping is one thing, but children?” Twilight growled as she walked deeper into the camp. “They took it too far.” “Who the hell are you?” A bandit shouted as he spotted her. Twilight snapped towards him, causing the bandit to flinch slightly. Twilight’s glare was seething with anger, and directed it right at him. Before he could even do anything else, a bolt pierced his neck. He fell onto the ground, holding his neck. He tried to scream and cry out, but just couldn’t. His mouth was open, but no noise was being produced. Twilight teleported close to him, looming over him with the same glare. “You know, I regret giving the other’s such peaceful deaths.” The bandit tried to crawl away, but his hoof was nailed into the ground by a sword. Looking to his side, he realized the blade in his hoof was his own.  “You’re not going anywhere,” Twilight simply said, digging and twisting the blade deeper and deeper. “There’s no room in hell for a pony like you.” Twilight levitated over some nails used to pin down the tents as well as a mallet. With three quick strikes, he was nailed to the ground like one of the tents around. He tried to stay as still as possible, wincing in pain. Twilight stared down at him with cold eyes. “You wait here while I round up the rest of you sick animals.” Twilight levitated more nails next to him before moving deeper into the camp to hunt down the rest of her prey. She soon found two more guards and quickly crippled them in a similar fashion. She would precisely hit their vocal cords in a non-life threatening area, drop them to the ground, teleport them to the cages and pin them down, rinse, and repeat.  She continued this process over and over, spreading fear and confusion throughout the camp. Eventually rounding up all of the bandits, she stood before all of them. They all showed different emotions towards her. Anger, fear, worry, even despair. Twilight didn’t care however as she loomed over them. “I’m glad you all came here without a fuss. Now, who put you all up to this?” Some of the ponies responded with some gargles and unintelligible groans, though it seemed like they were cursing her out. “Oh, right,”  Twilight sighed while shaking her head.. “They can’t talk anymore. Why’d I make such an idiotic decision?” Twilight remained silent for a moment before shrugging.  “Oh well, guess I’ll just have to read your minds then!” Twilight chirped. Trotting over to one of them, she ignited her horn, placing it close to their head. Closing her eyes, she stared into the darkness for a moment.  “Hello? Can you hear me?” Twilight thought. “W-What the hell?” Another voice said in her head. “You’re saying you can actually read our minds? That’s insane. You’re insane!” “I get that alot. Now, answer the question.” “I’m not telling you jack, lady!” He shouted in his head.  “I can be here all day, waiting for you to slip and think about it,” Twilight said, feeling a grin form on her face. “If I keep asking, you’ll eventually think of it. It’s only a matter of time.” “I can’t hear you! Lalalalalala!” The bandit shouted and hummed, trying to block her out. “So I’ll ask again. Who put you up to this?” “Lalalalalala!” “Who. Put. You. Up. To. This?” “Lalalalala I’m never trusting that damn prince from Canterlot ever again. He got us in this fucking mess lalalal-” “Why thank you,” Twilight smirked, opening her eyes. Lifting his head up as much as he could, the bandit’s eyes shot open, fear and shame written all over his face. “Don’t think your fate is going to be any better than your comrades though.” He hung his head, laying down flat on the ground. He lay there, accepting whatever Twilight had in store for all of them. “Now that I have a lead, I can finally leave!” Twilight chirped, walking away from everypony. She heard them struggle against the nails, guttural groans escaping their throats, crying out for mercy. Twilight simply ignored them, humming as she walked back to the cages.  The groans became quieter as the distance between them grew. Soon enough, it was quiet. Twilight was already standing in front of the cages. Pulling the cloth off, more children were awake. Some of them gasped in surprise while some cowered in the corner of their cages. Others, however, stared at her with optimistic eyes. “You don’t need to be scared,” Twilight said lightly, trying to comfort them. “I just had to make sure none of the bad guys would come back to get you. You’re all going to be just fine.” “R-Really?” One of the kids stuttered out. “Really.” With a flicker of her horn, all the locks on the cages broke, allowing the children to push the door open. Most of them cautiously walked out, looking in all directions as if they were about to get snatched up again. Twilight giggled slightly as she watched them “The bad guys are all gone,” Twilight said. “I scared them away, so they won’t ever come back.” The children nodded hesitantly before all huddling in front of Twilight. “So, uhhh…” Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “Let’s get you all back to the city, I guess? Closest one would be…” Twilight let out a groan. “Canterlot.” One of the kids looked up at her, his head slightly tilted. “What’s wrong with Canterlot?”  Twilight patted the kids' heads. “There’s nothing wrong with Canterlot per se. It’s just that a lot of ponies there don’t like me.” “Why wouldn’t they like you?” “Let’s just say that I’ve done some bad things as well,” Twilight simply said. “And that I’m kind of wanted for murder and theft…” She added under her breath. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to,” The kid frowned. “Maybe a big meanie made you do it!” “Something like that,” Twilight weakly smiled. “Anyways, we’ll start heading to Canterlot right now and cover as much ground as possible. We’re probably going to have to stop halfway there. Traveling in the dark is dangerous as it is, but through this forest is a big no-no.” “Are there m-m-monsters?!” One of them asked. “There are but you don’t need to worry since I’m here!” Twilight grinned, puffing her chest out. “This big sister will take care of you.” The kids stared at her, confused at her last statement. They continued to just stare at her, silence filling the camp. Twilight’s confident grin slowly turned into a sheepish one. Slightly blushing, she cleared her throat and sighed. “Let’s just start heading to Canterlot.”