Act I: From Hunter to Shepherd
I met up with Zecora the next morning on my way to the forest entrance. We reviewed as many details as we could about the upcoming field trip. She seemed a little uneasy when my coughing kept cutting her off.
“Perhaps you should not watch over us, friend,” she suggested. “You do not look as if you’ll see to the end.”
I paused to clear my throat again, leaning on one of the larger homemade spears I had brought for support. Two more were slung across my back, the blunt ends dangling low on my right side. It had taken a while to make an effective sling for them. My rope was too thick to tie around them, so I wound up using some sturdy vines. There was enough slack for me to fit it over my chest, but it was tight enough so that it wouldn’t swing around and snag as I carried them.
“Don’t worry about me,” I waved her off. “It just started this morning; I’ll be just fine. Besides, if all goes according to plan, I shouldn’t have too much to do.”
Zecora didn’t seem reassured, but she allowed me to follow anyways. As the forest entrance came up, I let her go ahead of me to join the mass of ponies stationed at the front.
There was a decent sized crowd standing around. The number of older ponies nearly doubled that of the foals. I assumed they were the parents. The foals were playing, each bearing a miniature saddle bag on their backs. The adults were chatting amongst themselves as they watched their children horsing around. Zecora met up with Lyra and a magenta pony I hadn’t seen before. I figured she must have been Miss Cheerilee.
After a few minutes, the foals waved goodbye to their families and followed Miss Cheerilee to the edge of the forest. I retreated deeper into the foliage, but before I completely hid myself away, I noticed a yellow and pink pegasus standing in the crowd of foals. A guilty pit formed in my chest.
“Oh, no,” I breathed. “Not her.”
“Alright, class, gather around,” Cheerilee called in a cheery tone. The foals congregated around her and waited attentively for instructions. Lyra, Zecora, and Fluttershy were taking a headcount. “Does everypony have their pencils and paper?”
The class hurriedly got out the items and proudly displayed them to the teacher.
“Good! Now remember fillies and colts, the point of this field trip is to survey some of the unique flora and fauna of the Everfree Forest. Your assignment is to choose something you find today and write an essay based on your observations. Are there any questions?”
A brave orange unicorn with a short teal mane raised his hoof.
“Yes, Snails?”
“Uh, what’s flora and fauna?” he asked sheepishly.
“That is an excellent question, Snails,” Cheerilee smiled. “Flora and fauna are the plants and animals that inhabit a specific ecosystem. In laypony’s terms, they are the things that live in an area. For your assignment, you can choose anything from the unique flowers and squirrels to the more dangerous subjects such as bears and poison joke. Fluttershy and Zecora will be more than happy to lend a helping hoof if you need it.” The mentioned mares nodded in agreement. “Any other questions?”
“Oh! Oh! Me me me!” Scootaloo shouted as she frantically tried to get her teacher’s attention. “Pick me!”
“Yes, Scootaloo?”
“Does that mean we can do it on the Beast of the Everfree?” the filly asked with a bright smile.
Cheerilee hesitated. “Well, I suppose if we see it, then that would be alright…”
Scootaloo jumped in the air. “Yes! I call dibs!” A few disappointed groans sounded from the group.
“However,” Cheerilee interrupted. “I don’t think we will be seeing it. Nopony has seen or heard from the monster lately, and Twilight gave me explicit instructions on what we are to do if we run into it. We are to end the trip and come back.” The foals groaned at the news, and their teacher seemed to crack. “But… I guess if the monster is far enough away, then maybe we won’t have to cancel it. Any last questions before we leave?”
The answer seemed to satisfy many of the students. After Miss Cheerilee made sure there were no more questions left, they set off. I slung my spear across my back and followed close behind.
An hour passed by. The school was slowly trodding the path. Zecora helped identify some of the plants, Fluttershy showed some of the foals the wildlife from squirrels to birds, and Cheerilee and Lyra made sure no one was being left behind. Some of the foals had already chosen their research topics. Others were waiting for something a bit more interesting to write about.
I stayed mostly in the trees, using the canopy’s network of branches where I could to keep a bird’s eye view of the situation. The dense, dark green leaves helped camouflage me from the foals’ curious eyes. Everything was running smoothly. I only had to drop a couple of the pouches filled with poison joke from my waist to some unsuspecting predators to shoo them away.
I almost looked over one. It’s wooden body seemed to meld with the roots of the tree I was in. It wasn’t until the timberwolf shifted that I realized what it was. I hurled a pouch at its head, at it erupted in a puff of blue smoke. The wolf whined, scratching at its muzzle. It looked up and glared at me with sickly yellow eyes before scampering off to wherever it came from. A chill ran up my body as an aftereffect of its stare. A part of me doubted I would ever get used to that. I made sure to keep a watchful eye out in case any more were lurking.
After another hour, the group entered a more open area of the trail, and a deep rumble emitted from behind the trees, and a large bush shuddered. A manticore emerged, snarling at the children with bared teeth. A chill fell over me as I recognized it as one of the more territorial beasts Zecora and I had encountered.
I rushed through the branches to my nearest trap, making sure the manticore was lined up. My hatchet found its way to a tensed vine. If that beast made one false move, so much as twitched in a way I didn’t like, I would sever the vine holding a horizontal log in the air, causing it to swing down and sweep the beast out of sight. My body tensed up in anticipation.
And Fluttershy calmly floated to the manticore, as if unaware of the danger.
“What is she doing?” I hissed. “She’s going to get herself killed!”
She was directly in my trap’s effective range. If I triggered it, I’d be putting her life at risk again. I slowly moved my hatchet from the vine. For her sake, I hoped Fluttershy knew what she was doing.
“Hush now, it’s okay,” she cooed to the beast. “We’re on a school trip. Would you mind if some of us took a look at you? I’m sure there are many foals here would love to write a paper about such a large and majestic creature like you.” She gave it an innocent look that could’ve melted a heart of stone. The manticore looked hesitant, but it nodded in agreement. My mouth hung open in shock. Did I really just see what I think I just saw?
“Thank you very much,” Fluttershy smiled. She stroked at the monster’s mane and turned to the school, who was just as surprised as I was. “Did anypony want to write about the manticore?” A pair of hooves shot up; one from the tall, orange colt from before, and the other from a short, teal colt. They looked like exact opposites of each other.
They hesitantly approached the manticore, which seemed equally wary. With Fluttershy’s assistance, the two studied the creature, taking notes, drawing pictures, and stroking its fur occasionally.
Well, that was anticlimactic, the voice mused.
I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding in. “I’m just glad they’re okay.” After taking another look at the manticore to reassure myself, I climbed down the back of the tree and decided to scout the area up ahead. It was going to take some time for those two unicorns to collect their information, so I figured it would give me some time to think.
What Fluttershy did was absolutely amazing. I had never seen a manticore so friendly before. Whenever I ran into one, it always snarled and threatened to give me a new haircut. I could see why Cheerilee wanted her to come along.
The foals appeared much more calm with the manticore before I had left. The fact that some of the foals were actually willing to approach it after everyone was ready to run back to town baffled me. Fluttershy must have truly been an expert. If she was able to convince everyone to stay for the manticore… would it be too farfetched that she could help me, too?
“Cool!”
I snapped back to reality and found myself in the middle of the dirt trail. My body was paralyzed, panicking that I had been spotted. I slowly turned around and found that my fears were true.
Standing a small ways down the trail was Scootaloo. Her eyes were wide with excitement, and she quickly pulled out a pencil and notebook. “Just stand still for a moment,” she muttered under her breath.
I bolted in the other direction.
“Wait! I wasn’t done yet!” she screamed. The faint pitter-patter of her tiny hooves was barely audible to my rapid stomping. I made a sudden sharp turn into the trees and continued running. Scootaloo's shouts were beginning to fade, and she was nowhere in sight, so I figured I had lost her.
I slowed down to a halt and doubled over, coughing up whatever was clogging my airflow. My breathing returned to normal. My heart, however, was still beating like mad. It took a few seconds to calm myself back down.
“That was too close for comfort,” I muttered under my breath.
We agree. It was unwise of you to wander like that.
“I didn’t mean to,” I tried to defend myself. “It’s just that—”
A shrill shriek cut me off. I shot back up. My heartbeat spiked again. I searched wildly for the source. It sounded like it came from behind me, back where I left the school of foals.
“Scootaloo, don’t move!” a young voice cried.
Scootaloo’s shaky voice was quick to reply, “Why the hay would I?!”
I swore and made to move, but a migraine stopped me in my tracks. We know what you’re thinking, Hunter, the voice said in a disapproving tone. Let the ponies solve the ponies’ problems. There’s no reason to make a scene.
“What did I come here for if not to watch over the foals?” I argued back. I tried to shake the pain away and trudged forward. “With our luck she’s probably just stuck in one of those briars off the path.”
I arrived back to where I had left the foals, careful to stay behind the trees. Scootaloo’s orange coat eventually appeared between the green bushes and grass. I crept closer to see what the problem was.
Scootaloo was sitting down, shaking horribly with her eyes sealed tight. A few steps closer revealed the rest of the foals further away, shielding their eyes from the filly’s direction. I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then I heard a chicken’s clucking.
Between the two parties was something I had never seen in my life. It had the general build of a chicken, but only the head truly resembled the bird. The rest of the body was covered in green scales, giving it a strange, dragonesque resemblance.
“Somepony get Fluttershy!” Miss Cheerilee demanded. “Tell her we have a cocktrice!”
Cockatrice… I remembered Zecora warning me about them. We hadn’t seen one when we made our rounds through this section of the trail, but if what I remembered was right, then Scootaloo was in deep trouble.
The monstrosity was circling around the poor filly, trying to get her to open her eyes. I had to do something, but I didn’t have any traps set up here. Sweat started dripping off of me. What was I going to do? There was no way Fluttershy was going to make it in time!
Don’t do it, Hunter, the voice warned. You’ll be putting yourself in danger.
At that moment, I didn’t care. Scootaloo needed help, and she needed it now.
I burst out of the bushes. Scootaloo and the cockatrice were directly in front of me. The audience of ponies was to my left with most of their eyes still shielded. The cockatrice was too focused on Scootaloo to pay any lick of attention to me. I covered the gap between us and kicked it like a ball into the bushes and trees.
As it flew squawking into the forest, I hoisted Scootaloo into my arms and hurried her to her classmates. Her eyes snapped open, trying to find out what was happening, and she was more than surprised to see me.
“M-M-M-Monster!” she squealed. She kicked around in my arms, striking my chest and making it near impossible to carry her. I dumped her on the ground before I could even make it to the crowd, who was staring at me in pure horror as I thundered closer to them. Scootaloo gave me one last accidental kick to the stomach as she fell and scurried off behind the school.
I wheezed as I doubled over and fell to my knees. The ponies cautiously backed up.
We told you they would never accept you. A migraine ignited in the back of my head. You are a monster to them, nothing more, nothing less. I glanced up to the ponies and found Cheerilee standing her ground between me and her foals. She held out a protective hoof to keep them back, but even she was shaking at the sight of me.
I slowly picked myself back up, and the foals cowered behind their teacher. Some of them were looking over Scootaloo to make sure she was alright. She waved them off, still shaking from the rush and casting a few frazzled glances at me. Further down the trail Lyra emerged panting. Our eyes met, and she read me like a book. She started to say something, but I shook my head. I had seen enough. I backed away from the terrorized foals, covering my bruising chest. Maybe this just wasn’t meant to be.
Something moved in the corner of my eye, creating sharp, agitated noises. It leapt out of the bushes, and I reached out and grabbed it on instinct.
The cockatrice returned, angrier than ever, and unfortunately for both of us, I had my hand wrapped around its neck. It squawked and flapped its green wings loudly. Its talons dug through my jacket and into my skin. I wanted to let go, but the pain in my arm forced my fist to stay clenched. I tried shaking it to wear it down, but that only succeeded in making it angrier. And then I saw its eyes.
Oh God, those eyes. To say it was horrifying would be an insult compared to what was buried in those blood red beads. It felt as if they managed to grab all my fears and forced them down my eyes through a needle. Its stare burned into my brain, and I found I couldn’t look away from it.
The world turned to gray around the cockatrice as it struggled in my grip. Only its eyes retained their color. I found that I couldn’t let go, couldn’t turn away from its stare, couldn’t move, couldn’t feel. The world was numb to me, even as it tilted and buried half of my face with earth. I couldn’t even feel the impact of the fall.
A deafening silence had fallen over the forest. As the cockatrice thrashed around on the earth in my grip, I couldn’t hear it. Its mouth opened as it cried out, and I couldn’t tell if its squealing came out as a whisper or if I just imagined hearing it. Even as it moved, it slowly became a blur of motion, as if I was seeing everything through murky water. Dread gripped my silent heart with a vise. What was happening to me?
“The cockatice turned the monster to stone!” a voice whispered.
“Somepony get Fluttershy, now!” another replied. It sounded like Lyra, but I couldn’t be sure.
Was this it? Was this how I died? Not through starvation or freezing, not at the hooves of the ponies or the maws of the wolves, but by spending the rest of eternity as a statue?
A cackling filled the air, clear as day, cutting through the polluted noise of the world. “Oh, did you see the look on his face when he grabbed the cockatrice?” a deep voice chortled loudly. I thought I could see colors flicker in the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t move to see it. “Priceless!”
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” a second voice growled. It sounded familiar. “We spent too much time and effort on this one.”
“Oh, you know what they say, ‘There are plenty of seaponies in the sea.’” the first voice said. “I just hope this doesn’t put a damper on our little deal.”
“You’ll be freed in due time,” the second assured. “But our host must remain alive to do so.”
There was a small flap of wings, and a large yellow talon ripped through the sea of gray and knocked on my forehead. “Well, the human won’t be doing us much good like this,” the first commented. “Take my word for it, there isn’t much you can do when turned to stone. You’d be better off looking for another poor soul.”
There was a soft series of tapping that filled the silence. It sounded like it was getting closer, if only barely so.
“You do not put enough faith in our host,” the second voice said amusedly. “Humans are built to survive. And it appears as if an opportunity has presented itself.” I could hear a high pitched voice yelling, but it was so faint it might as well have been miles away. The cockatrice turned rigid in my hand and was looking past me with wide eyes.
“Oh, my. I must admit, it’s a little unsettling seeing her act like that. You would not believe the trouble I went through just to get her to act even close to this.” There was a slight pause as the quiet shouting continued. “Do you think he can hear us?”
“It’s hard to tell. Our connection has been severed. But don’t worry. We know how to make Hunter forget.”
A scarred, stone gray hand reached down to my face. I watched helplessly as a finger extended towards me, and I silently screamed as the world erupted to white.
<><><>
A voice pierced through the white noise. “Hunter? Can you hear me? Hunter, say something!”
I struggled to open my eyes, but they were sealed shut. All I could manage was a weak grunt.
“He’s alive! Thank Celestia, I was so worried.” Something pulled me up and wrapped itself around me into a constricting hug. I wished I could open my eyes, or at least talk for that matter.
A soft voice piped up, “Um, Lyra, I think you’re crushing the poor thing.” I groaned in agreement.
“Oh, right,” Lyra’s voice chuckled as I was lowered to the ground. “Sorry, Hunter.”
My eyes fluttered open and were instantly attacked by the vibrant colors of the forest, forcing them to close again. I took in deep breaths of the cool air to try to wake myself up better, but my throat clogged, and I started coughing. I rolled over onto my elbows and knees, trying to force out whatever was inside of me. It tasted like dust was coming out of my lungs.
“It’s okay,” a soft voice cooed. “Just lie down and rest for a bit. You’re safe now.”
I opened my eyes again. Everything was still out of focus, but I could still make out two blurs of colors above me, one mint green and the other yellow with a pink top. As the details began to sharpen, I could make out Lyra and Fluttershy’s figures staring at me from above.
“What… What happened?” I croaked.
“You should have seen it, Huner!” Lyra bounced excitedly. “When the cockatrice turned you to stone, one of the foals went off to get Fluttershy. It was still trying to get out of your hand, but you had it in your grip when you turned. And then Fluttershy came and practically exploded on the thing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do anything like that before! She somehow convinced the cockatrice to turn you back, and when it did you were all knocked out. We’ve been here trying to wake you up for the past, like, ten minutes.”
Fluttershy blushed and shrank back throughout Lyra’s rant. “It wasn’t anything, really,” she whispered. “I just didn’t couldn’t leave you as a statue is all.”
I had a hard time digesting all of the information. I couldn’t remember anything that happened after grabbing the cockatrice. If what Lyra said was true, then it seemed as if I owed Fluttershy my life. The same pony I had threatened to and nearly succeeded in killing went out of her way to save me. She was surprising me more and more.
With a grunt, I slowly sat up and crossed my legs. One of the spears fell off my back, shattered in half from when I fell as stone. I sighed and tossed the useless pieces into the forest. The two mares gave me my space, letting me come back fully to my senses. I didn’t say anything simply because I didn’t know what to say. Too many thoughts were bouncing around in my head for me to think straight.
You should leave; return to the castle, the voice said, eager to throw in its two cents. Every second you are out in the open will only put you in more danger. You are in no condition to keep going. Leave and let the ponies fend for themselves. You have already done your part to protect them.
I sighed in defeat, it was as good of an idea as any. The ponies had proven they could handle themselves, and my body was weak. I didn’t feel like I could keep going for much longer. I moved to get up, but Lyra put a hoof on my chest and gently pushed me back down.
“Whoa, now. Take it easy for a bit,” Lyra said. She watched me worriedly. “I don’t like that look on your face. What’s the matter?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. But after all that just happened, I think it would be best for me to head back to my own little neck of the woods.”
“What? No!” Lyra exclaimed. “Zecora and I just convinced Miss Cheerilee to not cancel the trip. Everypony’s a little ways down the trail waiting for me and Fluttershy. This could be our big chance to get everypony to like you.”
“And I know Scootaloo said she wanted to write that report about you,” Fluttershy chimed in. I looked up to the pegasus, who shrank behind Lyra in return. “That is, if you’d like to,” she added. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
It was still unsettling seeing her. I tried to avoid eye contact, but it didn’t change the fact she was still there. A kernel of guilt was growing in my chest, quickly becoming heavier and heavier. I owed her too much after everything I put her through.
Don’t listen to them, Hunter. You need to rest. Return to the castle.
“I… I can’t, really,” I explained, trying to ignore the small headache that was slowly building. “I tagged along on this field trip to watch over the foals, but you guys seem to know what you’re doing more than me. It’s been a long day; I’ve been turned to stone, my body hurts, and I have a headache. I need to rest.”
“You can rest with the school,” Fluttershy offered. I noticed she was using the same tone as she did with the manticore. “I promise the foals won’t be too much of a burden.” It was getting difficult to say no as she stared at me with big eyes.
“And I’ll be with you the whole time if it’ll help,” Lyra promised. “Nopony’ll panic.”
“You sure about that?” I asked doubtfully.
“Okay, maybe they will at first,” Lyra admitted with an innocent smile. “But Zecora and I can calm them down. It’ll be a piece of cake after that.”
She held out a hoof for me to grab, and I eyed it warily. A storm raged in the back of my mind, pushing me to leave. I took in a deep breath and grabbed her hoof.
“Alright, I’m trusting you,” I said as she helped pull me up.
Her face beamed with excitement. “Really? This is great!” She pranced excitedly in place. Fluttershy watched with a content smile. “Come on, let’s hurry back before everypony decides to—”
A shriek pierced the air, cutting her off. We froze on the trial, staring where it came from. It sounded young. I shot a glance at the two mares.
“Was that—”
“The foals!”
Lyra and Fluttershy broke into a sprint, and I struggled to keep up with them. My body still ached from being encased in stone, but even as lead filled my legs I was determined to keep pushing forward. A chorus of shrill screams sounded from our destination, impossible to miss.
The mares skidded to a halt as the trail widened into an open area. I fell in close behind panting and stared at the chaos unfolding before us.
The fillies and colts were scurrying around, wildly trying to find their own safe haven as creatures of wood and vines weaved among them. Zecora stood her ground before Cheerilee on the other side of the trail, trying desperately to fend one of the attackers off with a branch.
The timberwolves were back.
I tried to digest the situation. It didn’t appear as if any of the foals were being harmed, just herded, although that didn’t settle well with me either. We needed to keep the wolves busy so that the foals could escape. Having two more pairs of hooves would be extraordinarily helpful. “Let’s get moving,” I said quickly. “I’m going to help Zecora. You two try to round up as many foals as you can and get them far away from here.” The mares gave a brisk nod before splitting off, and I threw myself into the chaos.
My heart was pounding in my ears as I charged past the stampede of foals towards Zecora’s wolf. I unshouldered one of the spears off of my back as I drew closer. With a running start, I leaped into the air and threw my weight behind my spear. It plunged deep into the wolf’s lower back. It yelped and crumpled beneath the force.
With her attacker powerless, Zecora swung what was left of her branch and clocked the beast on the side of the head. A sickening snap of breaking wook sounded on impact. Zecora’s branch had shattered. It wasn’t a complete loss, though, as the timberwolf seemed stunned from its sudden injuries. I ripped my hatchet out of my belt and landed the final blow to its head.
“Hunter, friend, your timing is most opportune,” Zecora panted. “If not for your help, I may have been overcome soon.”
“Anytime,” I heaved and nodded. Cheerilee gawked at me behind Zecora. I tried my best to shrug off her panicked eyes. “Lyra and Fluttershy are trying to get the foals out of here. They could use your help. I’m going to try to buy you some time. Just rush them out of here as fast as possible. Got it?”
Zecora looked troubled, but nodded. “Yes, I understand what to do, but Hunter, what about you? You are still outnumbered three to one; I cannot see how you will overcome.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll… handle the details,” I waved off. “Just do your part, and I’ll do mine.”
She wished me good luck and galloped off with Cheerilee close in tow, and I threw myself back into the fray. It was uncanny how easy it was to get the wolves’ attention. The moment they caught sight of me they broke off from the foals. Fortunately, it gave the older mares plenty of time to herd the school. Unfortunately, I had just realized how much of a mess I had gotten myself into.
Fending off the wolves was becoming more and more of a challenge. I started with my last spear, prodding at them to keep them at bay. As they tried to encircle me, I tossed a few pouches of poison joke on the ground to break them up. They attacked one at a time at first, trying to divide my attention between two of them while the third would try to sneak up from the rear. I whirled around and moved to press it back, and it easily dodged to the side. Another would attempt to attack, and the dance would repeat itself. They were toying with me.
One made a lunge at me, and I thrust my spear into its shoulder. It cried in pain as the weapon sank into its rough skin, but it clamped down on the shaft and pulled back as the other two advanced. I gave it one last push before releasing my spear and pulling out my hatchet. I wouldn’t last very long against them this close. My free hand searched my waist. Only one more pouch of joke remained.
My eyes darted across the area as I retreated backwards. The mares seemed to have corralled all of the foals. Zecora cast a worried look at me, and she moved to leave the school.
“No, get the foals out of here!” I shouted over the growling wolves. “Make sure they’re safe. I’ll be right behind you.” She hesitated, but with a nod she returned to the group and galloped back to Ponyville.
I returned my full attention to the wolves. They were fanned out, pressing forward until my back was at a tree. My heart was pounding with adrenaline. My fingers drummed across the hilt of my hatchet. Just a little closer…
My last bag of poison joke erupted between the three wolves as I threw it with all that I had. The wolves recoiled from the resulting cloud, giving me enough time to whirl around and bury my hatchet into the tree behind me, severing a strained vine. With the tension released, the upper portion of the vine shot into the canopy, and the low groan of wood echoed through the forest as a log sailed through the air like a pendulum.
The pollen-covered timberwolves were swat to the side as the log barrelled into them. The crunch and snap of shattering wood filled the air as they collided back to the earth, and the pendulum swung lazily. As they struggled to pick themselves back up, I sprinted to where the ponies left.
I nearly made it to the first curve in the trail when a sharp pain flared around my right leg. My momentum threw me to the ground as I screamed. I pushed myself up to my hands and knees. Something was crushing my right leg and pulling it back. Two of the three wolves had recovered and tackled me from the front; their splintered claws dug into my shoulders. I toppled backwards and tripped over a fourth wolf that had its teeth buried in my calf. The bastard must have snuck up on me after I dealt with its friends.
The two that had tackled me clamped their jaws on my already bleeding shoulders and dragged me across the earth and up to a tree. My skin ripped in their teeth as their broken legs caused their heads to jolt up and down. I was pinned into a lounging position, too afraid to move. A third wolf laid broken on the ground still, whimpering for attention. The newcomer casually approached.
It was much larger than the others, I noticed. Its frame was thin, though, as if malnourished, yet it stalked closer with an air of power. Splotches of moss covered its body, giving an ancient appearance to it. Its eyes still radiated that same sickening shade of yellow, drawing a primal fear out of me, but something was wrong. I thought I could see intelligence behind its eyes.
It paused at the whimpering wolf and extended a paw to it. The wood and vines shifted in its wrist, and its claws glowed a deep green as they touched the wolf’s muzzle. A series of pops and snaps sounded as the injured wolf’s body contorted back to its original shape. It bowed sheepishly once it was healed and scampered off, and the new creature stared back at me. A feral growl emitted from its throat.
“There you are,” it growled hungrily through bloodied, wooden teeth. Its voice sounded as if someone was grinding two rocks together. The furious gaze in its glowing eyes was enough to paralyze me. “You have overstayed your welcome, beast. It is time you paid for your trespassing.” It crouched mid-stride and leaped.
I ripped myself out of the wolves’ mouths out of instinct. I screamed in agony as skin was ripped out and tried to crawl away. My calf flared as I tried to push my weight with it. My hatchet laid on the grass only a couple feet away. All I had to do was reach it. Then I could—
A heavy force rammed into my back, knocking the wind out of me and causing me to crumple face first into the cold earth. I refused to let it stop me. Against my shoulders’ screams of rebellion, I tried to drag myself across the dirt to my only weapon of defense.
“I must admit,” the timberwolf commented in his grinding voice. “Despite the trouble your kind causes, you never fail to make for a good hunt. It has been far too many years since I have had prey run for this long.” He dug his claws into my arm and rolled me over to my back, pressing a foreleg down on my chest. “But why do you continue to struggle when you know you are dead?”
“I haven’t survived this long by giving up,” I spat. He added more pressure to my chest, and I wheezed. I glanced to my hatchet, which was now barely within arm’s reach. My fingers brushed against the handle and gripped it like a vise. I brought it up and buried it into the creature shoulder.
“Insufferable vermin,” he screamed in pain. His leg came off of me only for his free paw to grab and throw me across the trail. I came to a rolling stop against a tree, the world still spinning. I thought I heard a couple of faint gasps.
The timberwolf pried my hatchet out of his shoulder and glared at me. “I’ll never understand what Starswirl saw in your kind,” he grumbled to himself. He made to move at me but paused, staring at the hatchet still in his grip. A faint glow of green sputtered across his claws, and he growled.
“What manner of magic is this?” he asked in a distant tone.
I was still in a daze. I couldn’t tell what he said or to who. “What?”
“How did you create this?” he erupted, throwing my hatchet at me. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as the blade sank into the tree a few inches above my head. The two wolves flanked him, snarling at me.
I scrambled to get up and pulled desperately at my hatchet, but it was wedged too far into the trunk of the tree. The timberwolf quickly closed the gap between us and pinned me to the tree by the neck. His claws shifted and wrapped around my throat, digging into my skin. My hands were locked around his wrist. I felt so small compared to him.
“What do you want with me?” I choked out.
“I want you gone and forgotten, as all accidents should be,” he snarled. “This world is in harmony, and I will not allow you or your unnatural magic to change that. Now tell me…” His grip tightened around my throat. My skin burned around his claws. “How did you create this weapon?”
“I-I didn’t,” I stammered. “I just brought it with me, I swear.”
The timberwolf’s body shuddered and shifted as he rose to his hind legs, dragging me up the rough bark of the tree as he reached his new height. I pulled myself up on his foreleg, trying to alleviate the pain around my neck. “What more did you bring?” he pressed threateningly.
There was a fire in his eyes, and something clicked in my head. “A few things,” I bluffed, praying he would go for it. “Nothing big, though.”
The pressure around my throat tightened. Something warm trickled where splintered claws met burning flesh. The wolf leaned in and uttered, “Where?” His breath reeked of rot.
I took in a shaky breath to calm my nerves. “Maybe we can reach an agreement,” I struggled to say. The wolf snarled. “You and I both don’t want me to be here,” I hurriedly explained. “Let me live, and I’ll take everything I brought with me and leave.”
“And what is to stop me from putting you down and searching for them myself?” he demanded, giving me a bloodied grin as I hesitated.
“You don’t know what or where they are,” I reasoned. “But the ponies do. A few of them know me, and they’ll be searching for me if I disappear. They’ll find my things before you, and you’ll have that much more trouble to deal with.” He paused, and I cautiously continued. “Let me live, and I’ll save you the trouble of searching. I just want to go home.”
The wolf had a distant look in his eyes, as if he was lost in thought. His body slackened slightly for a second, but it went rigid almost immediately after he snapped out of whatever trance he was in.
“Come to the eastern riverbank before nightfall, and bring all you have brought into this world; nothing more, and nothing less. Then you shall be sent home to your kind,” he grimaced. “Have haste, though. Otherwise, if you are late, or if I discover you have left something behind, I shall unleash my pack on you and hunt you down like the animal you are,” he growled.
He dropped me back to the ground. I was too stunned to react. Instead, I laid there and watched as he fell back on all fours. After giving me one last glare, he and his wolves retreated back into the forest.
I stared at the sky, trying to find the willpower to get back up to my feet. The sun was already beginning its descent. A sudden burst of energy flowed through me at the realization. I didn’t have too long before the deadline. I had to move, now.
It could be lying, you know, the voice muttered bitterly. The moment you reach the portal, you could be slaughtered.
I paused as I tried to pull myself up. “What do you recommend I do?” I breathed quietly.
This pack leader believes you are broken and defenseless, an easy prey to overcome, it started. Prove it wrong. Return to the castle; heal and arm yourself with all that you have. This could be our only chance to return home. We cannot afford to fail.
I winced as my torn body stood up. My right leg was fragile from the bite; I couldn’t put much weight on it without receiving a rebellion of pain in return. I brought a hand up to my sore throat, and it returned slightly stained red; nothing fatal. My shirt was sticking to the blood from my shoulders.
“I’m not sure if that’s one your best ideas,” I strained as I finally wrenched my hatchet out of the tree. I placed it back in my belt and leaned against the rough trunk for support. As much as it didn’t settle well with me, though, the voice had a point. This was my first free ticket home, no matter what the strange wolf’s intentions truly were. I couldn’t afford to throw it away.
A pit formed in my stomach, though. I barely survived this encounter through luck and bluffs. How could I hope to survive against the full pack and their alpha?
Have faith in us, Hunter, my inner voice assured softly as it receded. We will not let them touch you. It was soft, not even a whisper. I wasn’t even sure if I heard it right.
A renewed sense of calm washed over me; one I hadn’t felt in a while. The trail was motionless save for the bushes and leaves that rustled in the fall breeze. I spotted one of my spears still protruding from wolf that was terrorizing Zecora and Cheerilee earlier and hobbled over to it. Its body was brittle; when I knelt down to pull out the spear, chunks of bark broke away with ease. A part of me wondered why the alpha timberwolf didn’t stop to heal this one.
Using the spear as something of a crutch, I slowly trudged back to the castle. Everything was planned out in my head. There should be enough time for me to take a swig of Zecora’s potion and make it to the riverbank if I hurried. All that was left to do was arm myself to the teeth and hope for the best. This was the most important moment in my time here so far. I couldn’t afford to mess this up
A twig snapped behind me.
“Careful, Snails!” a hushed voice hissed behind me. “The monster could’ve heard that!”
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Grab that gasoline and rev up those torches. Everybody's
(hopefully now with a bit of a better motive)
leastfavorite antagonist is back for the rewrite!Sorry about the lateness of this one. It took me a little bit longer than I would've liked to make this chapter a little more comfortable to write. I can't guarantee that the next chapter will be out any sooner to compensate (I'm running into a little dialogue trouble with it), but with Thanksgiving break coming up, I'm sure to have a lot of extra time to write.
Hope you enjoyed! If there's anything wrong with this chapter or anything you think I could've done better, give me a shout. I'm always looking to improve.
1.bp.blogspot.com/-GRBsxxiErbo/T0UqvL-BARI/AAAAAAAAAGM/LyyYNCmC2Wk/s760/569__seal-of-approval.jpg
7723636
You mean your American society. Back in Southeast Asia, we beat that people to death or maybe chop them with machete.
How far down does the rabbit hole go? I am excited.
7723670 In Indonesia, we beat the fuck out of them. If you kill, we'll make you die slowly.
Yeah, Hunter, show those wolves a highlander's justice!
Maybe I'm remembering things wrong, but I could've sworn Hunter had the butterly net by now. I guess it was replaced by the spears.
I'll miss the butterfly net of doom :(
7724945 No, you're right; he did have one. I figured I'd swap it out with something a little more practical. You're not the only one who misses it, though. Maybe I'll see if I can fit it in one of the later chapters as something of an easter egg
I like this one better. Now we have a guess as to why and how Hunter came, and a better idea of the motivator of the alpha timberwolf. I like him as wolf rather than abomination.
Can't wait for the foals to catch him next chapter? I wonder if we'll see more of Diamond Tiara'a tragic past this time around?
7594868
"Lethal weapon" "Hatchet".
Ha. City dweller spotted. Where I live, people stumble to the wrong house now and then, inhebriated. If I unlocked my door and stood behind it with a loaded gun to "defend against" people doing so, well... I don't know how 'legal' that would be, but it sure as hell ain't right.
Let's also not forget that the building was a public library. No home invasion. Heck I know that's one of the places I would consider being perfect to go take cover from a storm.
7731972 He did pretty good against them, didn't he?
7731514
O.O Oh my goodness..........I never thought of that..................yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaa Whoever's smart idea it was to leave the door unlocked was ASKING for the intruder to come in uninvited. This slightly changes my opinion earlier and paints the ponies in a negative and moronic light.
7732152
7734000 Wow, thank you so much. And thank you for all the comments before this. I've enjoyed reading all of them. You have no idea what that last little bit means to me. I'll do my best not to disappoint!
Well...............this is the first time I have encountered Timberwolves that are sapient..........................this complicates things. The deal made between Hunter and the Alpha Wolf is very appealing except for one thing. I don't trust the timberwolf to keep its word. Frankly, with the numerous times the wolves had initiated the violence against Hunter and the ponies, I have little reason to take their promise at face value.
And as for the voice, it appears my earlier prediction was correct. I will say one thing. There is one kind of villain I hate the most, and he is the one that fits the trope "manipulative bastard." I f
cking hate those characters VERY much and wish for nothing but death on them. 
Now, the encounters with the manitcores, cockatrice, and timberwolves were VERY tense and blood-pumping to read. I was loving every second of them.
Was really surprised to see this in my feed. Read it years ago and I could only remember the basic plot, can't even remember if I enjoyed it at the time, but I've enjoyed it this time around. Looking forward to the next chapter, though I have to say I'm the kind of reader who likes the chapters where Hunter interacts with the ponies as opposed to chapters focused around monster fights etc. I'll wait and see what you do with this alpha timber wolf thing, could be cool. Anyway good job on the re-write, looking forward to more.
7772254 were you expecting the pinkie promise with 'hope to fly?' It's usually been 'hope to die,' especially with the more sincere and serious promises, in my experience.
And at that point I would have planned to reveal myself to the group as soon as possible. Seriously, Cheerilee should be sacked for coming up with this 'field trip' idea, and all the parents that signed off on it should get a visit from the Equestrian version of CPS.
10027074
You already know what’s coming https://youtu.be/zjedLeVGcfE
7731514
Yeah self defence laws are really strict and with good reason they only way it’s acceptable is if the intruder is an immediate threat to you. in some states where animals are listed as property and someone starts beating your dog or cow if your a farmer you cannot use force to get them to stop. people have gone to prison for firing warning shots
7723430
I never disliked thorn in the first draft I wanted to know more about him his powers and pack made him very intimidating I’m glad your giving him more of a personality