//------------------------------//
// Of Zebras and Monsters 
// Story: Creature of the Night: Episode One-The Night Guardian 
// by CreatureofTheNight 
//------------------------------//

Zecora was busily working on a new potion - something new for her to experiment with - when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something flash into the back of her hut. She paused, standing over her jet-black cauldron, and smiled. "I suppose, you are trying to creep me out, you forget I know what you are all about," Zecora said with her trademark rhyme, She smiled again, peering into the shadows. "Though I must admit I am rather annoyed," she went on, narrowing her eyes, "lying to my friend was not something I enjoyed."

"Well, thank you for hiding what you know about me." Creature's voice echoed as he detached himself from the shadows. "The Princess is okay, right? I didn't mean to bite her," he added, actually looking pretty concerned about Twilight's safety.

The Creature's tone did not fall on deaf ears. With as reassuring  a smile as she could muster, she said "Twilight is fine and still a pony. However, again for keeping your secret you owe me. She and her friends got me into Ponyville, when rest of the town still thought I was evil" 

"All right, I'm sorry!" Creature protested, annoyed, "You know very well why I'm not just walking out there and saying 'Hey! I'm this weird thing that every story you have ever read labels as a wretched monster that wants to have you for dinner, literally,'" Creature mocked, his voice a mixture of sarcasm and misery. "Please, I'd rather not be chased out of Equestria with torches and pitchforks."

"Equestria has changed since long ago. You'd probably be surprised at the kindness they can show," Zecora replied, remembering her own experience. Sure, she didn't like that the ponies had originally labeled her as an evil wicked enchantress, but at the same time the love and care she'd had since was amazing and honestly the biggest apology that she would ever need. 

"Equestria has changed," admitted Creature reluctantly. "It's gotten more advanced, more friendly, and honestly I don't have that many big things to fight anymore since those six have showed up... But still, I don't think I'll have your experience, Zecora. I mean, everything they thought about you was wrong. As for me...most of the things they are probably thinking are true." He looked in a mirror but saw only two red eyes staring right back at him. "I'm a monster. I may do good things and help ponies out in their daily lives, but at the end of the day it doesn't change the fact that I am a monster" 

Zecora groaned - she'd heard all this from him before. "A monster you are not, a monster is something that leaves its victims to rock to rot." She sighed "A monster is evil and takes joy in causing pain, even though it may do so for no personal gain. You tried to save Twilight, a monster would have wanted her to keep her plight. You are no monster my friend, so stop beating yourself up to no end." 

Creature simply sighed, reluctantly starting to agree with Zecora, though they both knew this wasn't going to last. He smiled and said to his zebra buddy "Maybe you're right, thanks for dealing with me, I know this happens a lot." 

Zecora nodded. "Almost every week you come to me with feelings about being evil or meek," she groaned. "It drives me crazy." 

"Wow, no rhyme," Creature said with a teasing smirk. Zecora playfully nudged him. He paused though as he heard voices from outside the hut. In the blinking of an eye, he leaped onto the ceiling, clinging there like an insect. Zecora rolled her eyes at her friend's jumpiness, but walked over to her door and opened it. Outside were Twilight and the rest of her friends. Zecora smiled welcomingly. "I am glad to see you again, Twilight. I trust you are fully recovered from last night?"

Twilight nodded. "Can we come in?" she asked, smiling.

Zecora hesitated at that question, but nodded with a devilish smirk, knowing that Creature was hiding in the shadows watching. That pony needed to loosen up and trust others even if she had to force the issue. Meanwhile, Creature was cursing Zecora for her blunt behavior. Zecora smiled, and began to speak. "So..."

Rainbow quickly, and predictably, interrupted her. "Zecora, don't lie to us. We know you know everything about this Creature guy." She glared at Zecora. "We want awnsers!" 

"Rainbow," groaned Twilight, embarrased at her friend's outburst. She sighed "She's right, we have to know about him."  Twilight looked at her, feeling very awkward about talking to a mare she counted as a friend in this way. "Zecora, everypony here has seen him. I know you say he's a good guy, but the way he acts, I'm not so sure, and what he did to me..."

Zecora noticed that Twilight had started shaking. "I've never had anypony overwhelm my mental defenses," continued the princess. "Zecora, do you know what it's like to have someone seize control of your mind?"

Zecora glared up into the corner where she knew Creature was hiding in the shadows, seeing the effects of his actions on Twilight. She and the rest of the ponies there went to her to comfort the distressed mare. Twilight, realizing what they were doing, shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you."

Zecora continued to glower. "It is not fine, it is a terrible crime. Creature's secrets should not make you suffer." Zecora was about to say something to expose Creature (and, doubtless, complete the rhyme), when suddenly the strange pony darted out from the rafters and across the room, leaping out of an open window at blinding speed. Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Zecora, who simply shrugged. 

Coming rapidly to a decision, she backed up and dived out after Creature, who was flying surprisingly fast, shouting "Hey, stop right there, you creep!"

Creature turned and his eyes locked onto Rainbow's, and immediately Rainbow started to feel herself slowly descending, almost as if her body were under a spell. Twilight and the others arrived just as Rainbow's flailing hooves touched the ground. Twilight covered Rainbow's eyes with her hooves, breaking the Creature's hold. "Wait!" she shouted after the quickly-vanishing thestral. Creature, either not hearing or ignoring her, dived into the forest trees. Twilight looked at Applejack who nodded and tore after the mysterious stallion. Twilight looked back to Rainbow. "You okay?" 

Rainbow shivered. "What was that?" 

"The spell?"

"Uh-huh."

Twilight sighed. "I don't know, we'd better hurry and find him. Something isn't right about that pony, we'll find him though. Come on, we'd better all go to Applejack" 

Applejack, meanwhile, was nearby, still perusing her quarry, though she was beginning to lose sight of him. Catching sight of a flickering movement in the canopy above, she ground to a halt, looking about. She started, as what looked like a vampire fruit bat flew past her head, then perched up on a branch and extended its tongue to the dangling fruit of a nearby tree. "I didn't even know the Everfree had fruit trees," she said under her breath. She looked around and muttered "I lost him...dang it." She turned back to the tree, but the bat had moved on. She shrugged and went back to rendezvous with the others. 

Twilight gave the returning Applejack a hopeful look, but she just sighed and shook her head. That was all the answer Twilight needed. She glared at the ground, muttering "What is he? How did he get away?" She paused, a look of worry crossing her face. "Oh no, AJ, he didn't try that mental trick on you did he?!?" 

Applejack shook her head "No, sugar cube, but he got away. Ah got distracted, Ah... Ah'm sorry." 

Rainbow stomped her hooves in frustration, crying "Oh come on! Are you serious?! He's not exactly small - how did you lose him?!" Rarity gave Rainbow a piercing look, which caused Rainbow to bite her lip. "Sorry AJ, I didn't mean to..." 

Applejack simply said "No big deal." She stood for a moment, thoughtfully pawing at the ground with a hoof. "Maybe we should go an' ask Zecora again." 

In the meantime, Fluttershy took to the air, hovering above the treetops and looking out. What she saw was not familiar. Cautiously, she whispered "Umm girls. How deep have we gone into this forest?" 

"What do you mean, sugar cube?" asked Applejack. Fluttershy simply motioned to Rainbow Dash who darted up to join her friend. "What's the big deal?" she huffed, but then broke off. She stared over the trees in stunned silence.

Rainbow said quietly "Umm, Twilight... you should see this, levitate AJ And Rarity too."

Twilight did so and her jaw dropped, as did AJ's and Rarity's. "No way," started an astonished Twilight.
"Way," Rainbow responded from next to her."
"That can't be..." said Twilight quietly to herself. "We'd have seen it before..." But there was no doubt about it, and they were certainly seeing it now. All six of them were seeing something truly amazing. There was a castle in the middle of the mountain. Not the biggest castle they had ever seen, but definitely not a small one; and visibly very old, although none of them had seen it before that day. A shadowy figure - presumably the creature - zoomed across the forest "That must be where he's going," Twilight deduced.

Rainbow smirked and narrowed her eyes at the flitting form of the thestral. "Then let's get him!"