> The Colt in the Everfree Forest > by Azelze The Mephistocorn > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > From runt to royalty (fixed) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Evil, terrifying, monstrous, unnatural, forbidden. These were just a few of the things that came to mind when one thought of the Everfree forest. The Everfree forest was a place of evil to most ponies. A place where everything functions on its own, without the help of the princesses for even they could not touch it. It was a place where the most vile of creatures lived, waiting for their next meal to wonder hopelessly into their grasp. It was a place both feared and hated for being so different from the rest of the world. For me, it's a safe haven. I was only five years old when it happened. I suppose it was luck that lead me to the Everfree Forest. Whether that luck be good or bad is up for debate. I ran through the unforgiving forest with tears running down my cheeks. Blood oozed from the many cuts on my body, obtained from the branches and shrubs that nicked at my skin. I'm not sure how long I had been running or even where I was going at the time. I just wanted to leave that town and never look back. Eventually though, I got tired. My legs were aching and my lungs burned like fire. Reluctantly, I rested against a dead looking tree. I took a moment to catch my breath before breaking into miserable sobs. I hugged my legs and wailed into my knees, wrapping my wings around me while being careful to avoid my horn. Caught that did you? Good, I was hoping you would. Before you ask, no, I'm not an alicorn. Well...not completely anyway. I'm a baticorn; a cross between an alicorn and a batpony. We're actually called bat-alicorns but I like baticorn better. The differences between alicorns and baticorns are subtle but there. As our name suggests, we have leathery bat-like wings as opposed to the feathery mess of alicorns and pegasai. Our fur is also darker than the average ponies and I'm not even gonna get into our fangs. They're cool and all but they hurt like Tartarus as they grow. I cried and cried until I eventually ran out of tears. At some point, It begun to rain during my misery, as if the forest itself was showing its sympathy. It was oddly comforting in a way. I sniffed and stared into a puddle that formed next to me. My jet black fur was matted and bloodied and my short black mane was a mess. My crimson eyes were bloodshot and still leaking a few tears. I looked at my black tail and noticed that it was in an even worse state than my mane. I could even see a few branches sticking out of it. A pained groan snapped me out of my...inspection. It was deep and guttural, like a monster from the deep which, in this forest, it very well could've been. I tried to ignore it at first but it just wouldn't stop. I covered my ears and shut my eyes tight, desperately trying to block out the noise. I wasn't sure why it bothered me so much, it just did. It was like listening to someone being abused while you sat in the next room, unable to do anything about it. Alas, I could not purge the sound from my ears. Eventually, my heart couldn't take it anymore. I got up and followed the sound deeper into the forest, keeping my wings wrapped around me for warmth. It didn't take long for me to find the source of the miserable sound but when I did, I nearly peed my pants. There, laying on its side, was a large manticore, a female judging by it's lack of mane. I was about to make a run for it when she turned her head towards me. Something about her eyes made me freeze in place, not out of fear but….understanding. Her eyes...they revealed so much. She was terrified of me, scared that I would probably kill her simply for being a predator like most ponies did. We stared at each other for a solid minute before I noticed a puddle of blood beginning to pool at her side. I gasped and ran towards her out of instinct, nearly throwing up when I saw the wound in her side. There was no doubt about it, the was a pony made wound. It was no wonder she was so wary of me. I felt a pang of sympathy for the poor creature. It wasn't her fault she had to eat meat to survive and yet here she was; feared and hated by all of equestria for something she never chose in the first place. ‘Just like me…’ I felt something in me begin to change. I would not let her die simply for being different. I narrowed my eyes in determination as I concentrated my magic into a healing spell. A black aura with a red outline enveloped my horn as I placed my hand over the wound. There was a bright red glow that flashed for a second before fading, leaving the flesh good as new. Before I could even sigh in relief and exhaustion (I was never very good at removing wounds and healing spells were by no means easy, especially for one so young), the manticore jumped to her feet and tackled me to the ground. She stood over me, her face just a few inches from mine. I waited for her to sink her teeth into my neck, not like I had anything to live for anyway….. She stared at me for a bit before bring her head even closer and sniffing me. Confused but glad (more or less) to be alive, I did the only logical thing that came to mind. I sniffed her back. I was five okay, I didn't even know what logic was yet. I guess I must've passed some sort of test or something because she suddenly started licking my face, causing me to giggle (again, I was five) uncontrollably. This continued for a while until I heard a loud thunderclap echo from the sky. I pouted and opened my mouth to say goodbye to my new friend but was cut off by her suddenly hoisting me onto her back. She let out a mighty roar as she took off into the forest, not stopping until we came upon a cave. She sniffed around, making sure the area was safe before stepping inside, gently setting me down. I giggled as I watched her shake the water off of her fur before mimicking her yet again. She then layed on her side, lifting her wing invitingly at me. Feeling my fatigue begin to finally catch up with me, I didn't hesitate in accepting her invitation. I sighed as she wrapped her wing around me, cuddling in her surprisingly soft fur before feeling my eyelids close against my will. As the years passed, many of the forest animals became my friends. No, they were more than my friends. They were my family. Some of them even bowed to me as I passed. I realised that the Everfree Forest wasn't as unforgiving as I thought. It was a lot like me in a way. It was hated and feared just because it was different. People called it scary and dangerous but that simply wasn't the case. It took care of me, nurtured me...loved me as much as I loved it. It was like a mother to me. It also opened my eyes to the evils of ponykind. I cried my eyes out every time I found a creature killed by hunters or a section of the forest destroyed by ponies. When I turned ten, I decided that enough was enough. I began training my magic as well as teaching myself how to fight. I quickly learned that I had an affinity for dark magic, using it to scare ponies out of the forest or most times, just flat out kill them. Now, I didn't kill EVERYPONY who entered the forest. I always left at least one surviver. Not out of mercy mind you, but rather for publicity's sake. After all, the way I see it; the more survivers, the more ponies there are to warn others to stay away from my mother. Can't have ponies coming in looking for their lost loved ones now can I? The animals would get so fat. When I turned eleven, a cockatrice gave me a crown it stole from a local blacksmith. When I put on, every creature in the forest bowed, officially crowning me as the new prince of the Everfree forest, a title I gladly accepted. I am...actually, i don't even remember my name any anymore. Nowadays everypony just calls me...Colt. Very well then. I am Colt, proud prince and protector of the Everfree Forest. And this is my story > A happy birthday > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, I'll be honest here; I hate Celestia. I mean really hate her. The reason? Well there are many, some far too personal to be shared just yet, but in this case, I think the reason is quite clear. Freaking. Mornings. I groaned in annoyance as I rolled on my side, screwing my eyes shut in a vain attempt to block out the sun. In retrospect though, sleeping on a cloud when you're clearly not a morning pony probably wasn't the best idea. I felt something poke at my leg, causing me to growl and kick it away, allowing me to resume my sleep for about ten seconds before I felt again, this time on my arm. “Alright I'm up, I'm up,” I mumbled as I sat up. I hissed as I felt the light of the sun attack my eyes, nearly blinding me in the process. ‘You will pay for this, Celestia. You. WILL. PAY!!’ I was snapped out of my daily Celestia-death-fantasy by a loud squawk followed by the familiar feeling of something poking my leg. I looked down and wasn't surprised when I saw a little black crow pecking at me in the thigh. I suppose I should be used to it by now - as it was either that or them using their talons and whether you're Prince of the Everfree, god of chaos or Celestia herself, talons to the face bucking hurt. “Hello there, little one. Did you come up here just to wake me? You know that's mother's job.” I smiled as it cocked its head to the side and squawked at me. It grabbed something from its talons and placed it on my lap. I picked up the item and inspected it with a raised eyebrow. It was a small brass bracelet, just barely large enough to fit on my wrist. “Oh I see, you came to wish your prince a happy birthday, didn't you?” I asked as I scratched its head. It squawked happily before flying off, probably to wake the other animals. Ironically, the cockatrice were pretty late sleepers so I had to appoint the crows as the forest’s alarm clocks. I placed the bracelet on my wrist and held it in the light. I usually wasn't one to accessorise but I couldn't deny that the metal ring looked quite fetching in the light of the sun. ‘"Fetching"? I thought I had turned twelve today, not twenty two,’ I thought as i got up, groaning in satisfaction as I stretched my wings. I walked over to the edge of the cloud and stared down at the black forest that I had come to love. “Good morning, mother, do you know what today is?” Her response came in the form of a strong gust of wind, followed by a newspaper deciding to give my face a happy birthday hug. After removing the offending paper, the first thing I noticed was a blurred picture of me flying over the Everfree under the words "Colt of the Everfree Forest strikes again!". ‘As if the Everfree wasn't scary enough, we now have this little monster hunting all who enter! Reports of attacks from this mysterious being have increased drastically over the last week. Sightings of him have also increased near the borders of the black forest. A recent victim has this to say- “I never really believed in the Colt in the Everfree Forest. I thought it was just a myth, like The Pony of Shadows, so my buddy and I went into the forest to prove it. It was a mistake, a horrible mistake. We stayed there for hours until we came across a couple of Timberwolves attacking a Cockatrice. I asked by buddy if we should help it and he said ‘Hey, no skin off my bones.’ Then we heard a strange child-like voice say ‘That's not a bad idea.’ before, out of nowhere, there was this flash of red and then all my buddy’s fur fell out and then...his skin it….it…” The poor stallion refused to speak any further on the subject. Princess Celestia has advised that all ponies stay away from the Everfree Forest and that she will deal with the matter after the Summer sun Celebration.’ “That's right, mother, it's my birthday! I'm so glad you remembered,” I chuckled, unable to stop the smirk spreading across my lips. I always found it laughably ironic how my birthday was so close to the Summer sun celebration. Sometimes I wonder if they knew that while they're showing their appreciation for their ‘beloved’ princess, they're also celebrating the birth of the most notorious killer in all of equestria. ‘Hmm, that may be tooting my own horn a bit. Perhaps just Ponyville will do for now. Baby steps after all,’ I thought as jumped off my cloud, spreading my black, leathery wings to slow my descent. Landing soundlessly on the forest floor, I walked up to one of the tree and placed my palm on its surface. I raised an eyebrow when I noticed that the bark was thicker than usual. “I thought that raincloud was suspicious,” I muttered, shaking my head in disappointment. “Now, mother, I keep telling you that you shouldn't overeat. You do need to watch your weight after all- OW! Huh?!” I looked down and saw an acorn had fallen and hit me. “What the? This isn't even an acorn tre- OW! Okay okay! I get the point, woman!” I was interrupted from my ‘conversation’ by the squawk of a crow, something that seems to be happening a lot to today. I looked up at the little black bird sitting on a branch. It squawked continuously and flapped its wings in a frenzy. A smirk slowly graced my lips. ‘Let the games begin.’ She watched you from the foliage of a tree, readying her magic in case things went south. Her squad was fanned out, hiding in separate areas for the same reason, one of them in the tree just behind you. She didn't want to do this, arresting little colts isn't what she signed up for when she became captain of the guard. But she had to, this foal had spilled far too much blood to be left to his own device. You had to be stopped, no matter the cost. One of the guards, a pegasus, nocked his arrow and aimed. She had given him specific instructions to not aim for your head or any other vital area. The princess made a point to remind them that she wanted you alive, saying that no matter how much blood you spilled, no matter how much grief you've caused, you were still just a colt. Most of them disagreed, but in silence for no one dared question the solar princess’ wisdom. The archer readied the arrow before letting it fly. It whizzed through the air before burying itself in your shoulder. Or so they had hoped. Just before the steel barb could penetrate your skin, something happened that shocked every guard in the area. Your body suddenly changed, morphing into a swarm of bats that screeched as they dispersed, flying out of the arrow's path. Nopony moved, not even an inch. Moving now would only reveal their locations and make them easier to target. You already knew they were there, exposing themselves now would be suicide. So they waited. She wasn't sure how long she had sat there for. It felt like hours, but it could've been mere minutes. It was hard to tell, the Everfree’s rebellious nature made sure of that. She wouldn't be surprised if her men were beginning to cramp, she knew she was. Despite this, they remained completely still and waited, for what, not even she knew. Something should've happened by now. You knew they were there so why didn't you do something? Surely by now you should've reappeared, callr them out, or something! They waited for what she was sure was another hour before deciding that it was safe. If you truly planned on doing something, you would've done it by now. She jumped off the branch she was sitting on, landing in a crouch, and waited, flaring her horn just in case. Still nothing. She sighed and stood up straight. She let out a whistled, conforming it was safe. One by one her men revealed themselves, each holding confused and annoyed expressions. Except for two. Two of her guards were missing. The first was the guard that shot the arrow and the second was one of the guards hiding in the bushes. She was about to whistle again when rustling from one of a nearby tree caught their attention. They faced the tree and readied their weapons and magic. Then it stopped. There was only silence after that. They were back to square one, the waiting game. They stood for a moment, but nothing happened. Of course, it could've just been an animal or something, but in the Everfree, that wasn't always a good thing. They waited, but nothing happened. She turned to two earth pony guards and gestured towards the tree. They nodded and cautiously made walked towards the tree. Just before they could step into it's shade, a white and gold lump suddenly fell from within it's leaves, crashing to the ground and causing everyone to visibly flinch. After getting over their shock, it didn't take them long to recognise the mysterious lump. It was the pegasus guard, sir Hawk Eye. He lay there on his stomach, unmoving. His right wing was pointed in an angle that definitely wasn't natural and his left wings was missing a few feathers. Slowly, almost reluctantly, the two earths moved closer. Once they were in reach, they rolled the corpse onto it's back. What they saw horrified them. His golden breastplate was ripped off. The stallion’s body was almost completely covered in blood that flowed freely out of the many scratches on chest. Shoved through the center of his chest was a black needle. It emitted an ominous red glow, as if warning of the consequences to any who remove it. His eye were gone, the only evidence of them ever being there in the first place was the blood the leaked from his sockets and the optical nerves that hung out of them. He had a stab wound in his throat, obviously made by a unicorn horn. An opened mouthed smile was cut into his face, revealing a toothless gums to them all. Another black needle was stabbed through his forehead. She stared at the mutilated corpse of the guard in both horror and disgust. She could hear some of the guards behind her dry heaving and one of them throwing up. As captain, she had seen many things that would make a normal pony cringe, but this, this was just….horrific. The worst part was not only that a foal had done this, but that you seemed to enjoy it. The needle in the guard’s forehead indicated that he had died instantly, but you still took the time to 'decorate' your work. “Captain Star Blade, over here!” One of the guards, a unicorn, called her over, snapping her out of her thoughts. She took one last look at the pegasus pony corpse, mouthing a silent prayer before making her way over to the unicorn. She found him kneeling on the ground with an uneasy look in his eyes. “Take a look at this.” He point to the ground before him. There, lay a large bloodstain, ushering a trail leading deeper into the black forest. “What do we do now?” Asked the guard. She stroked her chin in thought. It was obviously a trap, nopony leaves a trail and not want it to be followed. But what other choice did they have? They couldn't just wander the forest and hope that you show up. Going back to the castle wasn't an option either. She refused to let the deaths of her men be in vain. There was only one option here. “We follow. If he wants a fight, we'll give him one.” She tightened her grip on her sword and followed the trail. “Keep your guard. We don't need anymore unnecessary deaths today.” They followed the trail deeper into the dark forest. Not a sound could be heard; no animals, no wind, even their own footsteps seemed to be dulled out. It made her extremely uneasy. It was as if the forest itself feared what was to come. Or perhaps, it just wanted to watch. They followed the blood into a clearing, probably the only place in the Everfree that allowed sunlight to reach the ground. To their left was a cave while to their right was just more dead-looking trees. The trail ended between the two, a large red splat painting the ground. Next to it, written in with very same blood, were two simple words.... Look up. They followed the instruction and almost immediately regretted it. Hanging over the bloodstain from an old rope was the missing unicorn guard. Well, what was left of her anyway. Her body was gone from the neck down, allowing blood to drip freely from the severed head. Her horn had been ripped off and jabbed into her right eye while her left eye just barely hung out of its socket. She was missing patches of her mane and her mouth was sewn shut, making her look like a demented shrunken head. “Holy Celestia….” One of the guards muttered. “Impressive isn't it?” Their eyes widened in shock and, though none of them would admit it, fear. The turned around, expecting to see you with a sick grin on your face, but, instead found a lone bat perched on a branch, it's eyes glowing bright red. “She put up a bit of a struggle at first, but you know what they say; can't puncture a lung without breaking a few ribs.” “Coward! Why don't you show yourself and fight us?!” Yelled Star Blade. “You'd raise your weapons at little colt? Has the royal guard truly sunk so low?” Amusement and sarcasm was practically dripping from your voice as Star Blade glared at you. Good. You fed off that glare. “Nevertheless, if you want me, come get me. I'm getting bored just waiting around in this cave.” With that being said, the bat's eyes returned to its normal colour before it screeched and flew into the mouth of the cave. Star Blade glared at the mouth of the cave, as if it you yourself. She let out an angered growl before turning to two of her guards, a unicorn and a pegasus. “You two, remain here and stand guard. We don't need anymore surprises. We'll call if we need you.” “Yes captain, Star Blade sir!” They saluted in unison. And with that, she gestured to her remaining two guards, two earth ponies, to follow her. Only a few minutes in and already they could tell that this cave wasn't natural. The walls were too smooth and the ceiling far too rounded for that to be an option. Someone or something carved this cave and she prayed to Celestia they wouldn't find out what. It got darker the deeper they went. It eventually got to the point where she had to use her magic as a source of light just so they didn't end up walking into a wall. Despite this, they still couldn't see much. The light from her horn only reached a few inches ahead at best. She concentrated more magic into her horn in hopes of intensifying the glow, but it had little effect. “Your little horn won't do you any good. After, all this isn't your average darkness….” They gasped and turned. They found you standing there with a sharp toothed grin on your face. “This is advanced darkness.” “Die, monster!” One of the guards yelled as he rushed at you, sword poised and ready to turn you into mincemeat. “Wait!” Star Blade called, but it was too late. You sighed, shaking your head at the guard's stupidity, before snapping your fingers. Before the guard could even get close to you, he found his path blocked by a wall of red runes. “Now as much as I'd love to stay and kill you myself, I do have other plans today. Don't worry though, I've assigned some friends to keep you company. ” You said, pointing behind them. A guttural groan echoed through the cave followed by the sound of clumsy shuffling. They slowly turned and came face to face a group of pony-like….things. There was no one word way to describe them. They looked like skeletons with bloodied chunks of meat hanging of their bodies. “Guards, meet my friends; Gore, Carnage, Agony, Plasma, Rot, Death, Pain and Stacy.” You chuckled, this was your favorite part. “Oh and, do put up a fight would you….” You said before teleporting away but not before letting your final words echo. “Bloody-hooves just love to work for their meals.” Meanwhile, the pegasus guard and the unicorn guard remained at the entrance of the cave, completely unaware of the terrible fate of their captain and subordinates. “Hey, Sacred Sword, they've been pretty quiet in there. Think we should go in?” Asked the pegasus, a mare by the name of Air Strike. “You heard the captain, She'll call us when she needs us. I'm sure they're fine.” He replied. “Yes, listen to the unicorn…” There was a blinding red flash, forcing them to cover their eyes. When they opened them again, they found you staring at them with a cocky smirk on your face. “He knows what he's talking about.” “You!” Air Strike unsheathed her sword and dashed towards you at high speeds. Her blade was just inches away from you when she suddenly found herself encased in a black and red aura. She tried to struggle out of it but it was pointless. You scoffed and moved her slightly to the right, directly into the path a magical blast. She cried out in pain as the magic burned her skin. You sighed in utter boredom, as if this was nothing more than a chore to you, and threw her at the unicorn, as if you were flicking a booger. Sacred Sword, unable to react in time, yelped as she crashed into him, sending them both to the floor. Before they could right themselves, you levitated Air Strike off of him and slammed her into the ground a few times before dragging her towards you. You then moved your attention to the unicorn stallion who was busy charging an offensive spell. He fired another magic blast at you, which you deflected using your own magic. “Weak,” You scoffed. With a wave of a glowing hand, you lifted him off the ground and slammed him into a tree. You looked down at the pegasus and saw her attempting to get up, an attempt you stopped with a kick to the back of the head. You scoffed before making your way over to the unicorn slumped against the tree. When you stood in front of him, you pointed a finger at him and conjured a sphere of dark magic at the end of it. You were about to fire and end this little game when you heard a roar followed by the distinct sound of metal hitting the ground. You turned and saw Air Strike on the floor, a lot closer to you than when you left her. Standing over her was the only chimera in the Everfree. “Merry, nice to see you up early for once,” You chuckled before turning your attention back to Sacred Sword. “W-Wait!” Ugh, now what? You looked down at the mare with a raised eyebrow. You were about to question her when you notice something on her finger. A ring. ‘Oh you've got to be kidding me.’ You looked at the stallion's hand and sure enough, there was an identical ring on his finger. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling even if you wanted to. You loved tragic love stories! “Oh. Oh this is just too rich,” You chuckled. “Are you telling me that there's a couple in my forest to today?” You got no answer. Sighing in annoyance, you kneeled and grasped Air Strike’s mane, yanking her head up to face you. “I asked you a question.” “Y-Yes. H-He’s my hu-husband….” She stuttered. “Well that's terrific!” You cheered. “How long have you been mated? Any foals yet?” “O-One month…” “Ah, a fresh couple I see. So no foals yet then.” A thought a occurred to you. “Speaking of couples, Merry, didn't Mani recently find a mate?” “Yessss my Prince,” Hissed the snake head. “And yet, I still haven't given them a gift, have i?” You let go of her mane and stroked your chin as you thought. “Hmmm...what do manticores like…” “Meat,” Growled the goat head. “Very true, but they also like to keep their caves clean.” You looked down at the terrified made and smirked. “I think I know just the thing.” “Wait, what are you doing?!” Asked Sacred Sword as you sat yourself on Air Strikes back. “You know, I've always been a little jealous of you pegasi. Your wings so much more versatile than mine.” You ran your finger down her wing, sending a shiver down her spine. “I specifically like yours; your feathers are so soft.” You concentrated your magic into your hands, engulfing them in a purplish-blue fire. This was one of your favorite spells, other than turning into bats. It was sort of like a strength spell with an extra kick. You originally learned it for combat purposes but, let's face it, nopony was a match for you. Not wanting it to go to waste, you began using it for torture purposes. Of course, there were a few side effects. The spell took a lot of magic and could leave you very tired if used for long periods of time, though that could be your fault. Admittedly, your magical stamina wasn't as good as it could be. You grabbed hold of her wing, but the flames didn't burn her. In fact, it felt extremely cold. “In fact…” You tightened your grip. “I think I'll take them.” And pulled. A wet crack resonated through through the forest followed by an extremely pained scream. You wouldn't be surprised if the residents of Ponyville heard it. Damn horse nearly blew out your ears. “And there you go, an edible feather duster! Think they'll like it, Merry?” You asked as you presented the severed wing, ignoring the crying mare, which was not an easy feat. This bitch was loud. “I'm sure they will my prince, but what about the cubs?” Asked the amused goat head. You gasped. “Of course! How thoughtless of me!” You looked at the pegasus, whose cries had calmed to mere sobs. Good thing too, your ears were starting to bleed. “I doubt they'll want a feather duster though.” “Perhaps a chew toy would be better,” Growled the tiger head. “Right again, Merry! Where would I be without you?" You chuckled. Your attention turned to Sacred Sword, who was struggling in you magical grip while yelling death threats and cursing you- you know, the usual stuff. Though when he mentioned something about castrating you - you didn't really care enough to listen to the whole threat - you had an idea. “I think I know just the thing.” You got off the sobbing pegasus - though you weren't really sure if you could call her that anymore - and made your way to her pissed off husband. You levitated Sacred Sword’s helmet off, allowing you to see the tears running down his face as he listened to the pained cries of his wife. But it wasn't his face that you were looking at. “My what an ugly horn you have,” You stated as you grasped his horn. “Please, allow me to generously remove it for you.” You had the oddest feeling that you just mocked a white mare. Huh, weird. You didn't give him time to respond. Funny thing about unicorn horns; they had an abundance of nerves in them, making them like a eleventh finger of sorts. Losing it is pure agony, a fact you proved correct when you ripped off his horn like twig. You weren't sure how long he screamed for, hours? Minutes? You didn't care, you were far too busy bobbing your head to the wondrous music. Who knew pain was so catchy? ‘Oh yeah, that's the good stuff.’ What? You didn't have a problem. You were just a homicidal twelve year-old colt who enjoyed murdering and torturing ponies. Nothing wrong with that. You could stop any time you wanted you, you just didn't want to. See how that works? You closed your eyes and sighed, savoring his agony. Then everything went silent. Opening your eye, you saw that he was biting his lip, trying to hide his pain but, unless those tears were of joy, he wasn't fooling anyone. Then there was the still sobbing mare. ‘THESE are the royal guards?’ “Oh would you shut up, you crybaby! I'm not gonna kill you.” You snapped your fingers, releasing the stallion. He immediately ran to his wife. A shame really, you were hoping he'd try to kill you first. Ah well, maybe next time. “You're not…?” She asked. “Nah, you put me in far too good of a mood,” You stated, though in all honesty, you were lying through your fangs and you knew it. You didn't like killing couples, they were only half as fun as kill the guards. Sure, you love to torture one in front of the other, but as soon as one of them dies (and they always do), the other basically just gives up. They don't scream, cry or even try to get revenge! It's like stabbing a bucking doll! Honestly, it amazes you how love can make something as pure, as wondrous, as joyful as killing so….boring. You blamed Cadence. “Now get out of my sight before I change my mind.” You didn't need to tell them twice. Tartarus, you barely finished the sentence once before the unicorn was hobbling away with the mare on his shoulder. But you weren't going to let them leave just like that, that'd be boring. “Hold on a second.” You caught them in your magical grip and turned them to face you. “When you report this to Celestia, and I know you will, tell her I say ’Happy Summer Sun Celebration’. Oh and ‘Thanks for the birthday present’,” You chuckled before releasing them. As the pair got further and further away, a thought occurred to you. “Hhmmm. Merry, it seems my math is a little off. Tell me, how many ponies does it take to deliver a message?” Each head sent you a smirk. “One,” Growled the tiger head. You didn't respond. You simply smirked and pointed. It was all she needed. She nodded before charging after them, leaving chuckling at her eagerness. You stood there for a moment before spreading your wings and taking flight. You had a manticore couple to visit.