//------------------------------// // XI: Hunters // Story: Thirteen Moons // by Silent_Witness //------------------------------// Chapter XI: Hunters   The rising sun painted the sky a brilliant orange. But even at this early hour, Rarity was awake. She hadn’t taken any martial arts classes in many years- not since she was Sweetie Belle’s age- and she hadn’t needed the skills she’d learned from them until fairly recently. But now, she was thankful for what she’d learned. “Haah!” She threw a punch with all her might… but Spike blocked the blow with his forearm. She threw another punch, aimed at Spike’s stomach, but again, he stopped the blow. Then, she dashed to his side and threw out a high kick aimed at his head… but he caught her leg before she could make contact. She was surprised by how fast he was- every time she thought she found a hole in his guard, Spike blocked her blows with ease. And he never staggered, or flinched- he didn’t even wince in pain when she struck. Rarity spun, letting out one final roundhouse kick… but as with her other strikes, Spike blocked it. “You’re healing faster than I expected,” he said. “I’m glad to hear that,” Rarity replied. “And thank you for helping me train, Spike. I’m not sure I could’ve spent any longer sitting-” But all of a sudden, a sharp pain shot through Rarity’s leg. She cried out and fell to one knee, unable to rise again. At once, Spike rushed to her side. He moved, as if to pick her up in his arms… but Rarity held out her arm to stop him. “No, it’s alright. I… just need a moment.” And after a moment, Rarity rose to her feet once more. But she staggered, and had to grab Spike’s shoulder to keep her balance. “Still, with an injury like yours, magic can only do so much,” Spike said. “Time will have to take care of the rest.” He began to walk slowly, back towards the camp, with Rarity limping at his side, holding onto him for support. After a minute, they reached the campsite. Spike lowered himself down, allowing Rarity to sit next to the campfire. Then, he stood. “Wait here. I’ll wake up Trixie.” “No,” Rarity protested. “I’ll be fine. I just need a little time, like you said.” Spike sat next to the fire as well, next to Rarity. “If you insist.” There was a brief silence between the two, before he said, “By the way, since we haven’t had the chance to stop for supplies, I took some time to make these for you.” He then pulled out two objects- they looked like a pair of small curved metal plates, with handles on the insides. “…they’re supposed to protect your hands.” Spike handed the knuckle guards to Rarity, her arms dipping from their considerable weight. Rarity had always had an eye for craftsmanship, so as she examined the plates, a number of details stuck out to her: one was slightly smaller than the other, the edges were covered in rough metal burrs, and the center of the plates had numerous small craters, as if they had been struck with a hammer numerous times. What’s more, the knuckles were incredibly warm- not burning hot, but much warmer than they should have been if Spike had simply been carrying them around. Despite the answer being somewhat obvious, she still asked, “…did you make these yourself, dear?” “I finished them just before you woke up,” he replied. “I took a few parts from the buggy. It’s not like we can use it for much else.” Rarity was silent for a moment- if what Spike had said was true, then it meant he’d stayed up all night working to make them. She slipped her hand into one of the knuckles- a perfect fit. “…Well, I certainly appreciate the thought, dear,” she said. “But do try to think of yourself as well. We need someone to guide us to the Land of Fire- it wouldn’t do anyone any good for you to work yourself to death before we get there.” But Spike simply replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’m a dragon- I can take it.”     “…So Chief Thunderhooves made all that by himself?” Applejack asked. Braeburn nodded. “Yep. Couple other people in the Buffalo tribe helped out, but the Chief did most of the heavy liftin’.” He scratched his head. “Ah gotta admit, Ah’m mighty jealous of everyone in the Buffalo tribe- that magic seems like it would be real handy.” “Quiet back there!” Strongheart hissed. “We don’t wanna scare off Lobo if he’s nearby.” The next morning had come. But although they had left town, Applejack and Fluttershy were not on the road to their destination. Late the night before, Braeburn had shared the plights Appleoosa had suffered with Applejack. Unwilling to leave the town and her kin to the mercy of the monsters roaming the countryside, the two agreed to hunt down the Silver Lobo, and bring back his head as a trophy, no matter what. Fluttershy had been reluctant at first, wanting to press on and continue their mission, but it didn’t take much convincing to change her mind. And so, after dawn, the three, accompanied by Strongheart, had set out to track the beast. The trail proved easy enough for Strongheart to find, and the party followed it into a deep canyon to the east, about an hour’s walk away from Appleoosa. But they had yet to find their prey- the party’s only company as they trudged through the canyon was the sound of the wind, whistling as it swept across the stony walls. The group had come to a stop as Strongheart searched for Lobo’s trail. The wind swept through the canyon, bringing a foul scent to Applejack’s nose. “Ugh. What is that smell?” Braeburn sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “…Smells like somethin’ rotten.” He looked down to Strongheart. “Hey Strongheart, do you think Lobo’s den is close by?” Strongheart was silent for a moment as she crouched over the tracks- she touched the earth, making strange marks in the dirt next to the tracks with the handle of her tomahawk. She then answered, “I think so. There’re a lot of tracks here going both ways- some of them are weeks old. Even if his den’s not here, we’re definitely going the right way.” “What’re we standin’ around fer, then?” Applejack asked. “Let’s keep goin’.” “Hold up.” Strongheart stood. “There’s something else here. More tracks.” The others looked around the canyon floor, but nothing stood out. “…where?” Fluttershy asked. Strongheart pointed. “Up there.” The others looked up to where Strongheart was pointing, on the canyon wall behind. At first, they didn’t see anything. But then they saw a series of white scratches in the otherwise red stone. They started near the top of the canyon, stopping just above their heads, and continued down the canyon opposite from where the party had come. “Geez…” Applejack said, looking up at the marks. “Did Lobo make these too?” Strongheart touched the scratches, rubbing the dust from them between her fingers. “…No. And look at the other side.” On the other wall was another set of scratches- they were a near-perfect mirror of the first set, only set into the stone a few inches lower. “Look at how the marks line up. Whatever made these, it was by itself.” “One monster made these?” Braeburn said in disbelief, looking between the two canyon walls. “But this canyon’s gotta be at least twelve feet wide! Whatever made these has ta be huge!” “I know.” Strongheart put away her tomahawk, trading it for the bow hanging across her chest. “We’re not the only ones chasing Lobo anymore.” She drew an arrow and notched it. “We need to be ready for anything.” The others drew their weapons in turn: Applejack her pistols, Fluttershy her staff, and Braeburn a knife and revolver- one in each hand. The four continued down the trail with Strongheart leading, expecting that at any moment, something would leap out to confront them from the rocky outcroppings surrounding them. And all the while, the foul scent in the air only continued to worsen. Fluttershy and Braeburn brought up the rear. As they walked, Fluttershy noticed the strange way he held his weapons: he held his revolver in his left hand, and both steadied his gun and held the knife in his right. She didn’t know many people who handled weapons, but even then, it was something she’d never seen before. “Yer wonderin’ about the knife, aren’t ya?” he asked. Fluttershy jolted in surprise, but nodded. “…It’s somethin’ the Sheriff showed me. Ya probably know this already, but most of these monsters like ta get up close an’ personal. And when that happens, a knife can be more handy than a gun. So by holdin’ both like this, I can keep the gun steady, and­-” All of a sudden, Strongheart hissed “Hide!” Without warning, Braeburn grabbed Fluttershy and pulled her behind a nearby rock outcropping. Fluttershy simply froze up in surprise, unable to even cry out. But after a moment, she regained control, and asked, “What’s going on?” “Strongheart must’ve spotted somethin’,” Braeburn whispered in reply. He looked over- on the other side of the canyon, Strongheart and Applejack were hiding behind another outcropping. “Hey,” Braeburn called, as quietly as he could. “What’s goin’ on?” Strongheart motioned to the canyon ahead. “Take a look. But don’t lean out too far.” The others peered around the side of the rocks. Ahead, lying on the ground was… a thing. A massive, green thing seemingly made of dozens of tentacles. Though it was still a ways away, it was easily twice the height of anyone in the party, and nearly blocked off the canyon completely with its body. Applejack looked to the others, and muttered, “What the hell is that thing?” “Xylomid,” Strongheart replied, hiding herself behind the rocks. “The Creeping Death.” Applejack raised an eyebrow in confusion. “…What?” “People ‘round these parts call ‘em ‘Malboros.’” Braeburn explained. “Ya wanna know why the wall ‘round Appleoosa is so smooth? It’s ‘cause of these varmints. They can slither up damn near anything if they can get a good grip on it. And their breath… it can do all kinds ‘a nasty things ta ya. Even the Chief says the best thing ta do if ya find one is ta run away.” Fluttershy glanced at the mass of tentacles. “What should we do?” “Ain’t much we can do with it blockin’ the way. It’s got about twenty eyes- there’s no way we can sneak past it without it seein’ us.” He looked to Strongheart. “…Maybe we can head to the other end of the canyon, try ta pick up the trail there.” “This trail is our best shot at finding Lobo,” she replied. “We can’t just give up on it now.” “What’re we supposed ta do then? It ain’t like we can take a Malboro in a straight fight…” Braeburn and Strongheart argued about what to do for a few moments, until Fluttershy asked, “…why is it just laying there?” “Well it ain’t dead,” Braeburn replied. “See it breathin’?” The slow rise and fall of the monster’s body showed that it was indeed still alive. Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, before she said, “…I’m going to take a look.” She then stepped out from behind the rocks and began to approach the Malboro. Applejack sprang out and chased after her. “Fluttershy, wait! You can’t-” But she stopped, and gagged as a powerful, rancid smell struck her nostrils. It was the foulest scent Applejack had ever had the displeasure of smelling. Eyes watering, she pinched her nose and continued on. As she drew closer, the Malboro only seemed to become more and more horrific. Many of tentacles that grew from its body ended in a single, beadlike black eye, a few of which turned to watch her as she approached. Its entire body, tentacles and all, was covered with what Applejack though was fur… but on closer inspection, it more closely resembled grass. And as she rounded to the front of the monster, she caught a glimpse of its mouth- large enough to swallow a person whole, and lined with jagged, broken teeth. And inside its mouth, near the back, was another set of teeth, the function of which she wasn’t even willing to speculate on. As she circled around the Malboro, Applejack could hear Fluttershy’s voice. She was… talking to the horrible thing: “…I know you’ve been through a lot, but don’t you worry. I’ll have you fixed up before you know it.” The beast let out a deep rumble, as if replying to her. “Now, now, you leave Lobo to us. You should find somewhere safe.” Applejack finally spotted Fluttershy- she was standing next to the monster, stroking just underneath its mouth. She must have seen Applejack as well, as she turned and said, “Oh. There you are, Applejack.” “Fluttershy, what were you thinkin’?” Applejack shouted. “Why’d ya go runnin’ off like that? Ya didn’t know what thing could’a done to ya!” Before Fluttershy could reply, rapidly approaching footsteps sounded, and Braeburn called, “AJ! You okay!?” He and Strongheart emerged from behind the beast, covering their noses and mouths as best they could while keeping their weapons aimed at the monster. The Malboro watched them with a few of its eyes and let out a deep growl, but that was all. “Whoa. There ya are. C’mon, let’s get outta here before this thing decides to have us for lunch.” “It’s okay,” Fluttershy said. “This… Malboro was hurt pretty badly- I don’t think he’ll attack us.” “It’s… hurt?” Applejack asked, confused. “She’s right. Look.” Strongheart pointed to the Malboro. Applejack could see that the beast was covered in bites and scratches- dozens of them, in fact- with a thick, sap-like fluid still flowing from some of the wounds. “It must’ve been following Lobo’s trail as well. It looks like things didn’t go too well.” Braeburn shook his head, saying, “I know these monsters are nasty critters, but Ah’ve never heard of ‘em fightin’ each other before.” “Me neither,” Strongheart replied. “The Buffalo tribe ran into many different monsters before coming to Appleoosa, but they all had one thing in common- they only ever attack people.” “All the more reason fer us ta find Lobo and put ‘em down,” Applejack said. She turned away from the beast. “Strongheart, ya think ya can pick up the trail again? If there was a fight, I’ll bet Lobo left somethin’ behind.” Fluttershy looked back at her. “Wait, we’re leaving?” she asked. “We can’t go yet! We have to help him!” Applejack stopped, and looked back. “Fluttershy…” she began. “Ah really though Ah wouldn’t have ta spell it out for ya, but that isn’t a puppy someone dropped off at the animal shelter. It’s a monster that could kill any one of us without even tryin’. I know ya can’t stand it ta see animals gettin’ hurt, but this… even you have ta get that this isn’t a good idea.” “I know we’ve run into monsters before, but… there’s something different about this one. I’m sure of it.” Fluttershy stroked the giant beast again. “Let me heal it. Maybe it will help us.” Applejack could only stare at Fluttershy, mouth agape, at an utter loss for words. She looked to Strongheart and Braeburn, and said, “Can y’all help me ta explain how much of a bad idea that is?” Strongheart was silent for a moment, resting her hand on her chin. Then, she replied, “The monsters our tribe ran into before were never this… docile around people, even if they were hurt. I think Fluttershy might be onto something.” Applejack looked to her cousin, stunned. “Brae, tell me you’re not thinkin’ of goin’ along with all this…” “Ah don’t know what ta think of all this…” he replied, scratching his head. “But Strongheart’s right- if that Malboro were fixin’ ta kill us, it woulda tried somethin’ by now. Ah say we should let yer friend fix it up, see what happens after that.” Applejack buried her face in her hands in utter disbelief… but took several deep breaths to calm herself, before looking back at Fluttershy. “…alright. You do yer thing. But Ah don’t like this one bit.” She pulled out her guns and aimed both at the monster. “If it tries anything, Ah’m puttin’ a bullet in it.” She glanced back at the others. “Help me cover Fluttershy.” “No problem,” Braeburn replied, aiming his gun at the beast. Strongheart simply aimed her bow in silence. Fluttershy nodded. “Okay. I’ll get started.” She then turned to the Malboro, and held out her hand, concentrating. After a moment, the beast was bathed in a brilliant light. The scratches and bites faded, and after a few moments, the light faded as well. The beast drew itself up, and shook itself, as if testing its injuries. It then turned to Fluttershy and the others, letting out a deep, rumbling growl. Fluttershy backed away. “Oh boy…” Braeburn mumbled. Applejack tightened her grip on her guns, her fingers hovering over the triggers. The Malboro rose up to its full, terrifying height, looking down on the party with its numerous eyes… …before it turned and slithered up the canyon wall with incredible speed, disappearing beyond its upper edge. Applejack, Strongheart, and Braeburn aimed at the spot where the Malboro had vanished and waited for several moments, but it did not reappear. “It ran away…” Braeburn said, lowering his gun. Applejack holstered her guns as well. “…well, Ah guess things could’ve gone worse.” She turned to Strongheart. “We should get back on the trail. Strongheart, do you-” She fell silent when she saw that Strongheart was already examining the surroundings for signs of Lobo. There were footprints, claw marks, and dried drops of blood scattered in every direction. Applejack couldn’t make sense of it… but somehow, Strongheart did; she touched a dark brown stain, and rubbed it in between her fingers. “Blood,” she said. “Hasn’t completely dried yet.” “Lobo?” Fluttershy asked. “Or one of his pack. Should make them easier to follow.” The four didn’t have to follow the new trail very far- it led them to the mouth of a cave set into the canyon wall after only a few minutes. Though almost noon, the light of the sun only illuminated the first few feet within the cave, plunging the rest into an inky, impenetrable blackness. Applejack leaned in, in a futile attempt to see further within. “That cave looks pretty deep.” “Great,” Braeburn said. “Anyone got a light? Ah wasn’t expectin’ ta have ta dig through any caves.” “Oh!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I think I have something.” She set her pack on the ground and searched through it, pulling out a pair of small flashlights. “I still have some camping supplies,” she explained. “Before all of this happened…” “Good thinkin’.” Braeburn took a flashlight and passed it to Strongheart. “You hold onto that one. Me and AJ are gonna need both our hands free.” Strongheart wasted no time in tying the flashlight to the front of her bow. “Alright,” she said. “We might have Lobo cornered, but that just makes him more dangerous. Anything can happen in there, so be ready.” She then flicked on the flashlight, and advanced into the darkness of the cave. The others followed in her footsteps. The air was warm, and filled with a strange musk mixed with the scent of blood- something lived in this cave, and recently, too. The party moved through the cave slowly, expecting that at any moment, the beams from their flashlights would reveal a monster poised to strike. But for several long, agonizing minutes, there was nothing, and the group soon stepped into a wide cavern. “Keep that light steady, Shy,” Applejack said. Braeburn then said, “Ah really hope that Malboro doesn’t decide ta follow us. Ah get the feelin’ we ain’t gonna be able ta slip past ‘em in here.” “Keep your voice down,” Strongheart ordered. “How many times do I have to say it?” She was crouched down in front of the trail of blood, examining it. “…I don’t know if there’s another way out of this cave, but Lobo didn’t come through here too long ago- no more than a few hours.” She began to stand. “We’ve almost got him.” As she stood, the beam from her flashlight wavered, and for the briefest of moments, two small points of light shone from the darkness some ways away. Applejack didn’t wait to ask if anyone else had seen the lights. She simply aimed her revolver at where the lights had been, focused, and fired a flaming bullet. For a moment, the fire drove back the shadows, revealing a wolf-like monster skulking nearby, before Applejack’s shot hit its mark. The wolf cried out in agony as the flaming bullet set its fur ablaze. It sprinted around the cave, slamming its body against the walls in a desperate attempt to put itself out. It sprinted past the party and out of the cave, its pained yelps echoing from the darkness. But soon, the cave echoed with new sounds: dozens of growls and snarls. Strongheart held out a hand and snapped her fingers under the head of her arrow- there was an electric spark, and small electric bolts arced across its metal surface. “So much for subtlety,” she said. “They woulda sniffed us out sooner or later,” Braeburn replied. “Least this way, Lobo’ll come straight ta us.” Fluttershy’s grip on her staff tightened. “Should we go back?” she asked. “Those wolves might surround us if we-” Suddenly, another wolf entered the light and leapt at the group. Strongheart let her arrow fly- it struck the wolf, letting out a brilliant blue flash. The wolf yelped in pain, and dropped to the ground, twitching. But it was far from alone. Others darted around in the darkness outside the flashlight beam’s edge- only the reflections in their eyes and the occasional paw gave them away. Applejack didn’t wait for the pack to strike first- she fired into the darkness with both guns, the muzzle flashes briefly revealing over a dozen wolves. Braeburn fired into the darkness as well- Strongheart snapped her fingers under her arrowhead again, setting it alight, before she too fired. Fluttershy, in the rear, had no way reach the monsters- all she could do to help was sweep her flashlight across the cavern, trying to reveal as many of the wolves as she could. One of the wolves closed in and leapt at the group… But Braeburn stabbed his knife into the side of the wolf’s neck, before he pressed the barrel of his revolver against its forehead and fired. “C’mon!” he shouted. “Ah’ve had enough of these small fry!” Strongheart grabbed her tomahawk from her belt and buried it in the skull of another wolf that had gotten too close. “Fluttershy’s right. We need to fall back to the entrance. This fight’s as good as over if we get surrounded.” But at that moment, an angry roar sounded from the tunnel behind the party. Not the snarl of another wolf, but a deafening roar that sounded like it belonged to something much bigger. Fluttershy turned around, shining her light into the tunnel they’d emerged from. Filling the tunnel and rapidly approaching was a mass of green tentacles twice their height, emitting the most putrid odor one could imagine. “It’s that Malboro again!” Applejack shouted. “What do we do now!?” Braeburn shouted. “Fightin’ that bastard would be bad enough on its own! How’re we supposed ta-” By then, the Malboro was upon the party. But then, it did something none of them had expected: it slithered past the four, and into the middle of the cavern. It let out another deafening roar, seeming to ignore the four entirely. The wolf pack turned their attention to the greater threat. One leapt at the great beast with its fangs bared, but the Malboro grabbed it out of the air with one of its tentacles and slammed it against the cave floor. But others pounced and latched on with their fangs- the Malboro whipped its tentacles and snapped its jaws, but a half-dozen wolves latched onto its body. The massive beast let out a pained roar, before it opened its mouth wide, and spewed forth a thick, toxic green cloud. “Aw jeez, look out!” Strongheart called. “Back to the entrance!” The party scrambled to retreat from the rapidly expanding cloud, fleeing all the way back to the entrance. They stumbled into the canyon, momentarily blinded by the sun’s light, but they recovered and looked back at the cave entrance. Thick green clouds spilled out from within, but despite the commotion, all was strangely quiet. Suddenly, the clouds billowed, and one of the wolves stumbled into the open- its skin and fur had been burned away, leaving only bleeding, angry red flesh behind. It snarled at the group as soon as it laid eyes on them, and staggered towards them. But after only a few steps, it collapsed, and laid motionless on the ground. Applejack slowly began to approach the wolf. “Is that-” But at that moment, there was a heavy thump and a yelp, and another wolf flew from the cloud, and slid across the ground. Chunks of its flesh had been burned away, but there was no mistaking the silver fur that still remained. It struggled to its feet, and its attention snapped to the cave entrance. The Malboro slithered into the open. A few toxic wisps leaked from its mouth as it let out a deep growl. Lobo growled in turn, before charging the larger beast. The Malboro whipped one of its tentacles at the wolf, but Lobo leapt to the side, evading the attack. He then bounded up the larger monster’s body, before biting down on one of its numerous eyestalks. The Malboro roared in pain and shook itself violently, but Lobo held on. Then the larger beast slammed into the canyon wall, crushing Lobo between the stone and its body. Lobo’s grip loosened, and the Malboro seized the wolf’s leg with one of its tentacles, before throwing him against the canyon floor. Before he could rise, the Malboro grabbed Lobo in its tentacles and lifted him into the air. Lobo bit down on one of the tentacles, but the Malboro held firm, and began pulling the wolf’s body in opposite directions. Lobo tore into the larger monster’s flesh, but the Malboro refused to let go. Then, the Malboro twisted its tentacles- there was a loud snap, and Lobo yelped, falling limp in the larger monster’s grip. For a moment, the Malboro held out the silver wolf in one of its tentacles- it simply hung lifeless in its grip. The Malboro unceremoniously dropped Lobo, before turning its attention to the party. It slithered toward them slowly, letting out another deep, rumbling growl. The group huddled together, weapons readied. “Knew we should’ve taken this thing out when we had the chance…” Braeburn mumbled. Then, Fluttershy pushed past the others and stepped forward. “Fluttershy!” Applejack called. But Fluttershy didn’t say anything. She didn’t even look back. She simply set her staff down, and waited. The Malboro stopped in front of Fluttershy, and stared down at her with its numerous beady eyes. Slowly, Fluttershy brought up a hand, and held it out towards the massive beast. The beast simply stared down at her in silence, before slithering closer, opening its mouth wide. “Fluttershy!” Applejack called. “No!” Fluttershy glanced back for a brief moment, her face set into a hard glare. “I can handle this. You just have to trust me” she said, before looking back to the Malboro. The beast let out a deep, rumbling breath. Her eyes watered from the smell, but Fluttershy didn’t back down- instead, she stepped toward the massive monster, laying her hand on one of its numerous tentacles. For a moment, the beast stood motionless. But then it did something the others didn’t expect- it pushed itself against Fluttershy’s hand, and let out another deep rumble. To Applejack, it sounded… content. Braeburn stepped forward. “Uh…” Fluttershy then looked back. “It’s alright,” she said. “He won’t attack us.” She glanced back at the Malboro? “Can you move back a little? I think the others want to see Lobo.” To their shock, the beast obeyed, slithering back a few feet. For a moment, all was still, until Braeburn nodded. “Right then. Ya keep that thing under control- Ah got some business with Lobo.” He walked over to Lobo’s body, readying his knife. As he glared down at the body, he said, “Ah’ve been waitin’ a long time fer this…” He then knelt down next to the fallen beast… Lobo’s eyes shot open. It rolled over, and with his front legs, he launched himself at Braeburn, fangs bared and aimed at his throat. The world slowed to a crawl. Without even having to think about it, Applejack grabbed her semi from its holster and fired. The bullet spiraled through the air, and struck Lobo in the side of the head. Blood sprayed from the wound, and the silver wolf fell to his side as the world sped up once again. Braeburn fell back in shock, reeling from Lobo’s final attack- it took several more moments for him to realize what had just happened. He looked over, and with a shaky hand, gave the others a thumbs-up. “That’s mah cousin fer ya,” he said, voice wavering. “Fastest draw north of Appleoosa.”     The four returned to Appleoosa, with Lobo’s skin as their trophy. But they were not alone on the return trip- the Malboro had followed them the entire way back. Or rather, it followed Fluttershy. Upon returning, the townspeople nearly shot the beast to pieces, but with some quick thinking, Strongheart and Braeburn were able to call them off. But although they lowered their weapons, the townspeople were less trusting of the Malboro than Fluttershy, and refused to allow it into the town. So, Braeburn went into town alone, to present Lobo’s skin to Chief Thunderhooves and the Sheriff- the rest of the party waited for him in a small camp they’d erected at the base of the wall. Strongheart slowly approached the Malboro, extending a shaking hand towards it. But suddenly, the beast snapped at her. “Ah!” She stumbled back, falling onto her rear. She took several breaths, before rising. “I can’t believe this. My tribe’s shamans tried to reach out to the monsters before, but…” She looked to Fluttershy. “Why does it obey you? What do you have that we don’t?” “I… I don’t know.” Fluttershy replied, brushing her hair out of her face. “Applejack and I have run into monsters before, but… there was something different about this one. I… I’m not sure how to explain it.” Strongheart crossed her arms over her chest, unconvinced. “Well isn’t that convenient?” “Well, Fluttershy always had a special way with animals,” Applejack said. “And Twilight told us these monsters were just normal animals that got messed up by magic. Maybe they’ve still got some normal animal left somewhere inside them.” There was a great grinding noise, and a nearby section of wall sank into the ground. Braeburn emerged, but he was not alone- Chief Thunderhooves followed him. “See?” he said. “Told ya Ah wasn’t lyin’.” Thunderhooves- who to Fluttershy and Applejack seemed completely unshakable before- jolted in surprise when his eyes fell on the Malboro. After a moment, he collected himself and replied, “…so I see.” The two approached- the Malboro tensed and began growling, but fell silent when Fluttershy touched its side. Thunderhooves stopped at the camp and said, “Braeburn told me all about what happened earlier. I am glad to learn the hunt was a success…” He looked to the Malboro. “…in more ways than one.” Strongheart approached her father. “Papa…” she began. “If Braeburn told you everything, then you know what Fluttershy did. How she can reach the monsters when our own shamans…” He rested his hand on Strongheart’s shoulder. “Yes, I know. It is certainly strange… but then, these are strange times we live in now.” Thunderhooves then looked to Fluttershy. “I don’t know how or why, but it’s clear to me that you were given a gift. It would do you well not to squander it.” “I won’t,” Fluttershy replied. “…But what about you? What will you do now with Lobo gone?” Thunderhooves folded his arms over his chest. “The threat of the Silver Lobo is no more- even now, his hide hangs with the other trophies Appleoosa’s citizens have claimed. In time, I’ve no doubt a new monster will come to menace the town… but until then, I believe we’ve enough time to celebrate your victory today.” He turned away. “Come. I’m certain the rest of the town is eager to hear the tale.” Thunderhooves walked away. Strongheart followed him, saying, “Coming, Papa. Not like we did all that much, though…” Applejack and Braeburn followed. As they walked, Braeburn looked to his cousin and asked, “So, Ah guess you’ll be on yer way after tomorrow, then?” Applejack nodded. “Yep.” She looked to him. “But Braeburn… if anything happens ta Appleoosa, anything at all, don’t hesitate ta-” But Braeburn interrupted: “Now Applejack, Ah don’t wanna hear that. Y’all’ve got yer own business ta worry ‘bout- ya don’t need ta go runnin’ yerself ragged frettin’ over us. Ah mean, we made it this far on our own, didn’t we?” “Ah’m just tryin’ ta keep an eye out fer ya is all. The Apple family looks after its own, remember?” “Ah know. But don’t forget- you ain’t the only one lookin’ out for me.” Braeburn glanced ahead, toward Thunderhooves and Strongheart. Then, he looked back and called, “Hey Fluttershy! What’s keepin’ ya!?” Fluttershy called back, “I’m coming!” She looked back to the Malboro. “I’ll be back later to check on you. Don’t wander too far, and stay out of trouble.” The Malboro grumbled in response, before slithering off into the desert. Fluttershy caught up to the others, and the stone wall surrounding Appleoosa sealed itself shut once again.