//------------------------------//
// Act I:  The Beast of the Everfree 
// Story: Human Nature 
// by Blank Page 
//------------------------------//

	This idea is stupid.  Why are you even doing this?

I readjusted myself in the tree to get more comfortable on the branch.  Through some of the leaves, I could see the sun rising over the forest canopy.  "Well, it's always a good idea to learn as much as you can about your enemy," I reasoned.  "So, I figured this would be the perfect time to learn what I could about the ponies."

True, but did you have to pick a tree so close to the village? the voice persisted.

"'So close to the village?  If I was any further from it, I'd practically still be in the forest," I pointed out.  In all honesty, we were both being a little overboard with our judge of distance.  I was camped out in one of the biggest trees I could find, which happened to be near the middle of a park.  I sneaked in during the middle of the night while there were few to no ponies around and camped on of the tree's higher branches up to this point.  It took a while to get comfortable, but I eventually managed to turn the hood of my jacket into a semi-soft pillow against the harsh bark.

It had been a little over a couple of weeks since my first raid on the "Apple family" barn, and on more than one occasion I returned to harvest more food.  The raids were becoming progressively easier.  I eventually memorized the path that connected the forest to the orchard.  Even as the Apple family caught on to my little act, it was still four ponies and a dog covering a large plot of land, and one of them was too old to stay up into the night.  Sneaking past them was becoming as simple as studying their guarding habits.

A nasty cough wrecked my train of thought, rattling my whole system in the process.

You aren't even in your best health, the voice accused.  If you get caught—

"I'm not going to get caught," I interjected through a hoarse voice.  The coughing had just started yesterday.  At first I thought it was nothing, but as the day drew on and the coughing became more severe, I began to worry for my health.  With no human doctors around, there was no chance of any cure to whatever I caught.  I gave another cough to clear up my throat.  "And besides, you know what my plans are if worse comes to worst."

Yes, and it was full of holes, it commented dryly.  I rolled my eyes.  The voice must have realized that the conversation was over and begrudgingly receded into the back of my head.  It never was too keen on the idea of me spying on the ponies when it first popped into my head a couple days ago, and ever since then it seemed to only become much less fond of the thought.  No matter how many times we argued about it though, I was still adamant in learning as much as I could about my new neighbors, and it must have understood that it had no power to change my mind.

A faint murmur filled the air as a few ponies began entering the park.  The ponies are coming, the voice pointed out.  Stay silent.

"I know the drill," I said annoyed.  I let out one last cough to clear my throat and sniffed back the mucus running down my nose.

Truth be told, I didn't know what I was looking for, whether it was some sort of weakness or simply to understand them.  I supposed I was really there for the benefit of my curiosity.  From my perch, I could see ponies leisurely walking through the park, some alone and some in groups, completely oblivious of my presence.  I could hear some ponies laughing next to my tree as one of them told a joke.  In the distance, some of the small ponies, foals, as I've come to know them, played games that varied from catch, tag, kite flying, and hide and seek.  It was surprising, almost unsettling, how closely they acted to humans.

As the sun reached its peak in the sky, the number of villagers began to dwindle.  I guessed even ponies had to eat lunch.  I took the moment as my cue to start eating and pulled an apple and a few poorly cut carrots out of my jacket pocket.  Truth be told, I was starting to get sick of apples, but I had little say in the matter.  So far they were the only thing I could prepare well, and even that was a stretch considering the only thing I had to wash them with was river water.  Come to think of it, poorly washed food might have actually been part of the cause of my sickness.  I stared at the carrots in my lap and the half-eaten apple in my hand.  They were all probably infecting me with who knows how many diseases, but my stomach kept arguing it was better to eat what I had than to starve.  I was going to have to pick my poison, and with a sigh I took another bite.

My whole body was tense and sore.  I had been sitting still for hours now, save for the occasional shifting.  It would have been a considerable feat before I came here.  By now, I normally would have fallen asleep, but the fear that I might be spotted at any second kept me on edge.

I started hacking again.  My dry throat was killing me, and this runny nose was clogging my airflow.

Still think this was a good idea?

I cleared my throat one last time.  "Of course..."  This time I sneezed; much louder than I would have liked, too.  "Maybe..."  A soon as I was sure that none of the ponies were looking, I chucked a useless apple core as far away as I could.

Using my hood as a sort of pillow, I rested my head against the rough bark of the tree.  I realized then how poorly camouflaged I was.  My dark blue jacket contrasted the orange and red leaves that were sprouting off of the branches.  I guessed that I was lucky that most ponies didn't look up.

I took in a deep breath.  The air was slowly starting to warm up again.  My plan was running as smoothly as I had hoped.  Everything was perfect.

"Rainbow Dash!" a loud voice shouted.

Was perfect, at least.  I shifted around on my branch in an attempt to find the source of the disturbance only to find Applejack staring rather angrily at the sky.  "Rainbow Dash, I know you're up there!"

A guilty looking blue pegasus stuck her head out of a low cloud.  "Oh, hey, Applejack," Rainbow chuckled nervously.  "Uh, what brings you here?"

"You know darn well what brings me here!  You were supposed to help me guard the farm last night from that no good, thievin' monster!"

"Oh," Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head and gave an apologetic smile.  "Was that yesterday night?"

"Yes, it was yesterday night.  And you never showed," Applejack growled.  "Now, because of your laziness, that thing made off with more of my family's food!"  I tuned out the rest of their heated argument.

"Oh, yeah..." I reminisced.  "Last night was crazy."

You almost got caught, the voice commented.

"Almost, but didn't," I pointed out.

That is beside the point, it ranted.  You're becoming too cocky and letting your guard down.  If it wasn't for us, you would have been captured a long time ago!

"Exactly!"  I winced, realizing how loud I had gotten.  "You're like my sixth sense, my own little 'early warning system'.  You always seem to know how to get out of whatever situation I get myself stuck in.  I have nothing to worry about with you in my head."

That is not part of the plan! the voice shouted.  It fell silent.  I could feel it buzzing in the back of my head, like it was in disarray.  I didn't speak a word, fearing that doing so would make the voice retreat again.  The minutes slowly ticked by.  I was beginning to think it had left me, until it added one last comment.  You're becoming too reckless, Hunter, and we cannot guarantee your survival if you keep throwing yourself into these situations.

I laid back in the tree, scatterbrained with too many thoughts.  The next few hours seemed to drag on.  The ponies weren't doing anything interesting to grab my attention.  I had nearly forgotten what I was doing here to begin with.

It was deep into the afternoon when the smaller ponies started appearing across the park.  It struck me that I hadn’t seen very many of them until now.  I couldn’t imagine why there was a sudden influx of foals.  Some of them had saddlebags over their backs, and a couple even pulled books out of theirs and began reading.  I started to wonder if these ponies had a school system.

"Can you believe Miss Cherilee is still going to do that field trip through the Everfree forest?" a  young voice spoke underneath me.  I jumped at the sudden noise and looked down to find three fillies sitting under my tree; the same three fillies I had followed to the farm.

"I know, it's crazy," the orange one, Scootaloo, said while chewing on a sandwich.  "With that monster still running around, we're going to have to be extra careful."  She gave her two friends a sinister smile.  "In fact," she added with a spooky voice, "we might just get eaten!"

"That's just crazy talk, Scootaloo," Applebloom bluntly said, unamused at the attempted scare.  "Miss Cherilee wouldn't take us through the Everfree unless she knew it was safe.  Besides, Zecora's comin' with us, and she knows that forest better than anypony."

"But what if the monster does show up?", Sweetie Belle asked nervously.

"Then Zecora'll do some of her fancy-shmancy potion stuff like she always does," Applebloom replied, waving a hoof dismissively.

Scootaloo let out a small snicker.  "Yeah, and maybe we can get Big Macintosh to help, too."

Applebloom stomped her forelegs to the ground and and glared at the pegasus.  "Are we gonna have to start this again?"

Sweetie Belle let out an annoyed groan, as if this happened on a regular basis.  "Please don't," she begged.  Her friends seemed too caught up in their own sprouting argument to hear her, though.

"I still can't believe that thing outran Big Macintosh," Scootaloo smirked.  She must've been referring to last night.

"It did not outrun him!" Applebloom exclaimed defensively.  "The monster just got a head start on him, and it was dark out."

"Oh, just admit it, Applebloom," Scootaloo lightheartedly teased.  "We all saw it.  That that thing totally creamed your brother in a race!"

Applebloom stood up on all fours, ready to defend her family's reputation.  However, before any conflict could erupt between the two, Rainbow Dash flew overhead.  She called out in a loud voice, "Attention, everypony!  Attention, everypony!  Twilight and the Mayor are holding an important meeting at Ponyville town hall!"

The ponies scattered around the park looked around in confusion and began shuffling back towards the town.  Sweetie Belle appeared more than eager to use the interruption to her advantage.  "Hey, girls, how's about we go to that meeting?"
Her friends looked at her as if she had sprouted a fifth limb.  "Ugh, a meeting?" Scootaloo asked.  "Why do you want to go to that?"

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to agree with Scoots on this one, Sweetie," Applebloom chimed.  “That sounds more boring than Miss Cheerilee's history lesson this morning.”

"Come on, you heard Rainbow Dash," Sweetie urged.  "It's really important.  It could even be about the monster!"  Appleboom and Scootaloo seemed uncertain at first, but with a quick glance at each other and a shrug, they eventually agreed.  The three fillies packed their things and took off into town.  The few ponies still in the park began heading that way as well.  It seemed everybody in Ponyville was going to that meeting; a meeting about me...


Don't even think about it.

"Too late."  I hopped off of my perch to the branches below.  I kept low as I hit the ground, searching for any stragglers.

This is exactly what we warned you about.  You are being reckless.

"No, this is exactly what I came here for," I pointed out.  After I was sure the coast was clear, I jogged to the town.  "Look, odds are this meeting is about me.  For all we know, they could have found a way to track me, or maybe they have some fancy new plan to catch me or lay a trap.  I might not have another chance like this."

To get yourself caught? the voice asked cynically.

I reached the first building and pressed myself against it.  "To get another step ahead of the ponies," I corrected.  I stole a quick glance around the corner.  The street was empty as far as I could see.  "Whether they're talking about beefing up security or discussing what they know about me, I can use it to my advantage, change my tactics, or even figure out what to look out for in the future."  I waited for the voice to pitch in it's own two cents.  It seemed hesitant for a moment, but it reluctantly agreed.

Perhaps you have a point.  In and out, though.  The moment we have what we need, we leave.

A sly smile spread across my face.  "Not a problem."  I left my cover and made my way into the town.  I stayed close to the buildings, careful to stay out of sight.  It wasn't too hard to accomplish.  The town appeared devoid of any ponies, just like when I first arrived.  It didn't bring back many fond memories, either.  The air was eventually filled with the dull murmur of a large crowd.  I followed the noise until a mass of multicolored ponies appeared around the corner of a building.

I quickly retreated back behind the building, heart racing.  There were more ponies in this town than I expected.  None of them were screaming or wreaking havoc across the streets, so I guessed that I hadn’t been spotted yet.  I took my chances and darted across the street and into a shadowed alley.  Still, the ponies didn't react.  My heart calmed down slightly, and I allowed myself a chance to relax.  I found a small gap between two buildings with a perfect view of the stage before the crowd.  The only thing left to do now was wait.

After a few minutes, a tan pony with a silver mane and half-moon spectacles appeared onstage and stood behind a wooden podium in the middle.  She cleared her throat and started to speak.

"Citizens of Ponyville, I am sure you are all wondering why I called for this emergency town meeting.  We are here to discuss an issue that has been brought to my attention by our local librarian, Miss Twilight Sparkle.  We are here to discuss the matter of the monster that appeared a few weeks ago."  There was a small moment of unrest in the crowd as the pony mentioned me, and a tension began to fill the air.  I shifted uncomfortably in the shadows.  "Miss Sparkle and I have had an interesting discussion on the topic and believe that now is the time for action.  And now, without further ado, here is Miss Twilight Sparkle."  At the end of her speech, the tan pony stepped off of the stage, allowing a nearby Twilight to take the spotlight.

"Thank you, Mayor," she nodded and turned her attention to the eager crowd before her.  A stack of papers floated next to her surrounded by a purple aura.  "As the Mayor said, we need to talk about the strange new creature that came to Ponyville over two weeks ago.  Over the past seven days, this creature has raided Sweet Apple Acres multiple times.  Each time it steals more and more and becomes better at doing it.  It has even shown to be growing bolder in its raids.  Just yesterday, it attacked Sweet Apple Acres before the sun fully set, something it has never dared before.  Who is to say that the creature will not eventually become brave enough to venture into the town again?  What will we do then, when it is right at our doorstep?"  Twilight looked expectantly at the crowd.  There was a slight murmur in the sea of ponies, but no one dared to speak up.

Twilight continued, "Nopony knows this creature's full potential. Who knows how dangerous it can get if we give it too much time. However, we were able to drive it off on its first appearance.  If we all work together, maybe we can catch it before it get’s to that point.”

The crowd lightened up at the idea. The sound of the whole town against one monster seemed to go well with them. I, on the other hand, was beginning to feel a sense of unease form in the pit of my stomach.  Twilight smiled in delight.  “I know it might seem scary, but I know we can do this if we stand together.  I propose that we go into the Everfree and —”

An uproar from the crowd cut her off before she could finish.

“Go into the Everfree?  Are you crazy?”

“Why should we go to such an unnatural place?”

“The monster will get us for sure if we go in there!”

"Everypony, calm down," Twilight tried.  The crowd was still in a frenzy.  She tried to calm them again, but they only got louder and more rowdy.  "Quiet!"  The crowd suddenly became dead silent.  "Now, let's get one thing straight," she cautiously started.  "I am not forcing anypony to go into the Everfree Forest.  I would never want to put any ponies in harm’s way.  However, I still need volunteers.  My friends and I can’t do this by ourselves.  We won’t stand a chance at catching this beast without your help.  And if we don't stop this problem soon, it could get out of hoof very fast."

The crowd was silent as Twilight watched them.  A lone hoof shot out of the crowd.  “I volunteer!”

Another rose from the far side. “Me, too!”

Twilight gleamed as the number of volunteers grew exponentially.  It seemed like nearly all of Ponyville was willing and rallying to hunt me down.

“This is perfect!" Twilight exclaimed.  "With this many volunteers, we should have the monster captured within a week!"  Cheers erupted throughout the crowd.  Twilight barked out orders as the crowd became a chaotic blur of swirling colors.  "I need everypony to get into one of three groups.  We need as many pegasi as we can to take to the skies and look out for any signs of this monster.  If any pegasus sees anything suspicious, report to Rainbow Dash.  Applejack, Big Mac, and Pinkie Pie, try and gather some ponies to defend the town while we're gone."

“Y’all can count on us Twilight!” Applejack yelled over the commotion. The scene was growing more chaotic by the second as pegasi began launching into the air.

“Right,” Twilight nodded.  She turned her attention to the rest of the crowd.  “Everypony else, we're going to the Everfree!  Use the buddy system.  Don't go anywhere by yourself.  Are we ready to catch ourselves a monster?"

The crowd erupted with a resounding “Yeah!”

I shrank deeper into the alleys.  “Oh, this isn’t good,” I muttered to myself.

What?  Are you not going to go out there and fight them? the voice asked sarcastically.

“I can go without the snarky attitude,” I hissed back.

Then we suggest you start running.

“Yeah, that sounds —”  A loud crash echoed through the alley as I backed into a metal trash can.  I was frozen in place, fearing that moving anymore would attract any more attention to my hiding spot.  The town as disturbingly quiet.  A part of me wanted to believe that the ponies had already left.

My eyes were glued on the small gap between the two buildings.  A shadow of pony cautiously emerged.  My brain screamed at my legs to move, but they were being uncooperative.  The pony stuck its head across the corner, and the moment we made eye contact it let out a scream.

“It’s the beast of the Everfree!”

I darted out of the alley and sprinted through the town.  Thundering hooves and flapping wings filled the air as the ponies gave chase.  I glanced behind me to see my odds, and didn't like what I saw.  Nearly all of the ponies from the rally were on my tail.  I could have sworn I saw pitchforks gleaming in the sunlight.  Several pegasi were flying above the bulk of the ponies.  I attempted to shake them off by taking every turn imaginable, but they were too stubborn for a few turns to throw them off.

I exited the town and entered the park.  My pursuers were catching up to me.  Now that we were out in the open, I couldn't take any sharp turns without being easily cut off.  My only hope was to make a beeline to the forest and pray that I could outrun the ponies for just a little bit longer.

The trees were so close.  I was only a few yards away when one of the pegasi dive-bombed me.  I was given a mouthful of soil as Rainbow Dash pushed me to the ground.  My hatchet fell out of my hands as I fell.  There was a loud thunder as the rest of the ponies caught up.  I felt Rainbow Dash's weight leap of me and let out a low groan.  I lifted my head, and through my dazed vision I could barely make out my hatchet lying between me and a forest of multi-colored legs.  My hand shakily reached for it, but someone in the crowd shouted something, and before I could make sense of it a pony sprinted to my hatchet, picked it up with its teeth and retreated into the crowd.

I pushed myself up to my knees and scanned my audience.  I was completely surrounded.  The ponies had made a thick ring around me, and they all seemed pretty ticked off that I paid them a surprise visit.

Still think it was a good idea to spy on the ponies?

"Can it," I snarled.  I rose from my kneeling position, and the crowd gasped when I reached my full height.  There were no visible holes or weak links in the thick ring of ponies around me.  They all seemed evenly distributed.  I took a step forward, just to test how they would react.   Many ponies backed up in fright, and regained their composition shortly after.  They were scared of me.  To them, I was a strange creature not to be trifled with.

Before I could use their fear against them, though, a lasso attached itself to one of my wrists.  The owner of the rope, Applejack, gave it a sharp tug, causing me to stumble in her direction.  Another rope swiftly latched itself onto my other wrist.  I glared at the other end of the rope at Big Macintosh, who glared right back.  The two ponies pulled in opposite directions, immobilizing me and dealing a serious amount of pain to my arms.  I struggled to free myself, but the ropes dug into my skin every time I tried to move.  The sudden realization of my situation filled my heart with dread.  I was caught.

"Well, that didn't take as long as I thought at all."  A section of the ring parted enough to allow a very smug looking Twilight through.  "Truthfully, I expected a bit more resistance."

"Sorry to disappoint," I spat.  "I'll be sure to try harder next time."

"Oh, no," Twilight scoffed.  "You're not getting away this time.  We're taking you back to  Ponyville, and we're finally going to find out just what you are."  She walked around me a few times, as if by observing she would unlock my secrets.  I could feel the tension in the air.  The crowd seemed ready to run away or lunge at me with all they had at a moment's notice.  A few foals stuck their heads out to get a better look at "the monster", but their parents quickly shooed them away.

This is degrading! the voice shouted in my head.  They stare at you as if you were a toy on display!  An animal in a zoo!  Fight back at least!  Remind them why they fear you!

I struggled against my bindings.  My sudden movement caught Applejack and Big Macintosh off guard, but they quickly came to their senses and pulled tighter on the ropes.

“You know, now that you’re out in the sunlight, you don’t actually look all that intimidating,” Twilight said bluntly.  Out of all the ponies in the crowd, she seemed to be the only one that was calm.  “No matter, though.  You have committed crimes against the town of Ponyville, and it is time you paid the price.  With a quick teleportation spell, you'll be sent to the local prison where a cell will be waiting for you until we find out what to do with you."

Her horn started glowing, and a warm sensation spread throughout my chest.  It quickly became hotter; so hot, in fact, that it felt as if a fire was raging inside of my body.  I dropped to my knees in pain and started coughing.  My heart had become a living, beating furnace, spreading the flames wherever my arteries traveled.  I desperately tried to grab at my chest as if it would quell the pain, but the ropes still had my arms outstretched.  It was unbearable.  I screamed until my lungs were too empty to vent my agony.

A brilliant white light erupted around me.  My trip through that strange tunnel weeks ago felt like a walk through a freezer compared to this.  Then, it suddenly vanished.  I collapsed onto the cold earth.  My body was smoking.  The fire had disappeared, but the pain still lingered in my chest.

"Well," I heard Twilight say in a surprised voice, "that wasn't supposed to happen..."

Do it, the voice cooed.  We know you want to.

I slowly stood back up.  The ropes that were once tied to my wrists now lay on the ground, ends smoldering as if they were burned by a fire.  My eyes locked onto the purple unicorn in front me.  The ring of ponies was completely silent.  The only noise that could be heard was the rustling leaves and my heavy breathing.

Twilight gave a nervous laugh.  "Let's try that again, shall we?"

You know you want to, the voice persisted.

Her horn began to glow again.  Fueled by rage and fear, I brought up a foot and kicked Twilight square in the face with all that I had.  An audible gasp erupted from the crowd.  The vast majority of them took several steps back while others stood frozen in shock.  All eyes were on me.

"Twilight!"  Rainbow Dash and Applejack broke from the crowd and rushed to their friend's aid.  Twilight was in a daze, but managed to slowly get back up.

"I'm fine, really," she coughed.  I could see a trickle of blood coming out of her nose though

I turned to face the ponies standing between me and the forest.  They stared at me in horror and retreated a few steps further.  My eyes locked with the mare that had my hatchet in her mouth and charged towards her.  Her eyes shrank to pinpoints as I rapidly approached, and she quickly dropped the hatchet from her mouth and sprinted out of the crowd, making a small commotion as she ran.  The rest of the ponies in front of me quickly scattered out of the way, giving me ample room to retreat, scooping up my hatchet along the way.

Over the panic I left behind me, I heard Rainbow Dash yell, “Don’t let it get away!”

Thankfully, the ponies were slow to react.  I had a few seconds of a head start before the ponies finally gave chase.  Cries of outrage sounded through the forest as I sprinted through the trees.  There was one thing these ponies didn’t seem to understand, though; they were on my turf now.

After a while of running, I diverged from the path and into the dense foliage, hoping it would provide me with cover from the ponies.  I stayed low to the earth, allowing the bushes and wild grass to hide me as the sound of my pursuers slowly dwindled.

I counted the minutes as they ticked by.  After a long silence passed throughout the trees, I carefully emerged from my hiding place, my grip tight on my hatchet.  The game had changed.  Nearly an entire town of ponies was between me and my castle.  This would definitely complicate things.

My heart was pounding in my chest so loudly that I feared it would give away my position.  I was starting to feel antsy, the slightest noise causing me to jump.  I had to find some way to sneak past the ponies and get back to the castle.  Once I got there, I could start working on building up my defenses.

As I progressed deeper into the forest, I slowly let my guard down and started using the trail.  I would cast a few glances behind me to see if I was being followed, but each glance proved my paranoia wrong.  It appeared as if I had dodged the bulk of the ponies.  I easily recognized this trail as the one I used during my raids on the Apple family farm.  I knew practically every inch of this small path from the many times I had taken it.  So it was only natural for me to be confused when a rather large obstacle came into view.

"This can't be right," I muttered to myself as I walked up to the gaping hole in the earth.  It took up most of the trails width and ran a length of roughly ten feet.  I crouched down to get a better look at it.  It looked deep enough to fit two of me, one on top of the other.  What really struck me as odd was the texture of the walls.  The dirt was smooth to the touch as if it was cut.

A sense of unease came over me as a thought came to my mind.  If somebody dug this hole, then they probably had a purpose for it.  Given its dimensions, I had a sickening feeling what it was.

I shot a glance behind me, my paranoia rising when I thought I heard a noise.  It proved to be nothing, but I didn't want to stay here any longer than I had to.  This path was the most direct route to the castle, though, and the hole was still blocking the majority of it.  I cautiously skirted around it, giving wary stares behind me.  Halfway across the pit, some of the bushes next to me began rustling.

"Gotcha!"  A mint green blur erupted from the bushes and latched onto me.  I backpedaled away from it, and before I knew it the world began spinning as I tumbled into the pit.