The rain had not stopped by the time I woke up, but it had slowed down to a light pattering shower. The sun was just rising, which was strange for me since I wasn't normally such an early riser. The day before was different; I was anxious from being in the Everfree with monsters around and hoping I'd wake up back in my own room. Last night was not so tense, despite the chilling exposition I'd been given. Perhaps my new body had a better internal clock than a human's.

I raised my haunches and stretched my forelegs, then stretched the back legs along with my wings before shaking my mane out. It was going to take some time to get used to having wings; just feeling them on my back was weird enough, let alone the idea of flying. The thought was both exciting and scary at the same time. On one paw, it could be really fun to do and would be a big help in traveling long distances. On the other, it would only take one mistake, and I'd be plummeting like a meteorite.

Shaking that image away, I looked at Strawberry Patch. She was still sound asleep under the covers, although she was in a weird position and the blanket was disheveled; she must have had a bad dream, or a bad memory. I decided not to disturb her so she could get some much-needed rest.

A smell from out of the room made my stomach growl. I followed the smell and found Jack already up in the kitchen, stirring a pot full of what smelled like apples and cinnamon. I coughed to get his attention, and the poor guy jumped so high, I could hear his hooves clack loudly on the floor. I winced when I heard the ladle clang against the pot and sink into the concoction.

"Hunter!" the poor startled pony said. grasping his chest, "Mah gosh, Ah didn't hear ya come in. Ya know it ain't smart to sneak up on ponies."

He didn't need to tell me twice; my experience at my aunt's farm when I was ten was all the lesson I needed. Of course, having silencing paw pads changes things.

Jack looked back at the pot and groaned. "Aw, the ladle fell into the oatmeal."

I stepped forward and nudged him out of the way, and looked down into the pot. The smell was intoxicatingly delicious, and the only thing keeping me from shoving my face into the pot was the knowledge of how painfully hot it would be.

"Oh, sure, go right on ahead," Jack huffed, "Ah was all set to make another pot anyway."

I shot him a glare that shut him up quick, then turned my attention back to the food. I reached in with my mind and tried to focus on the ladle. I could sort of 'feel' the metal inside, as well as the heat around it. Once I was sure of my grip, I began to slowly pull, careful not to have a boiling hot sequel to my rock-in-the-face incident.

The ladle began to rise with oatmeal and apple chunks stuck all over it. I shook it slightly and watched the chunks of our breakfast drip off of it. Setting it down carefully, I looked at Jack and grinned.

The earth pony shook his head and chuckled. "Ah'll never git used to that. Magic that don't glow, if that don't beat all." He checked the food and gave an affirmative nod. "Right, Ah think it's just about ready. Should be enough to go 'round this time. Could ya run 'n' fetch Strawberry Patch?"

I nodded and padded out of the kitchen back into the bedroom. Patch was still sleeping, so I put my paw on her shoulder and shook her awake.

"Mmf... Mama?" Patch raised her head groggily and blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes. Upon seeing me, she seemed disappointed. "Oh, good morning, Hunter."

Poor kid probably thought she was home with her family again from waking up in a real bed. I could imagine she still wasn't fully grasping the situation, and kept expecting it all to be a dream. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel that way at times myself. I gave her an affectionate nuzzle and led her into the kitchen where Jack had already set the table; me having a much larger bowl than last night.

"Ah suppose y'all'll be headin' out today then, eh?" Jack inquired.

I nodded.

"Ah guess there's no stoppin' ya." Jack sighed and stood up. "There's some things Ah could give ya fer yer journey. Can't just send ya of empty hooved."

"Thank you, Applejack," Patch said.

Jack chuckled. "'S jus' Jack, youngun."

I snickered quietly to myself as the image of the male version of Applejack popped into my head, then started into my meal. Sweet Luna, this pony can cook!

Soon afterwards, I had a pair of canvas saddle bags packed with dried fruits and shortbread strapped to my body. Patch was riding on my back like before, using the saddle bags to help keep herself steady as I traveled at an even trot. I couldn't get over the irony that I had a pony riding me everywhere, not that I would ever mention it; they'd probably think I meant a huge shadewing riding a pony.

I had to be at least the size of Big Macintosh, and probably weighed more, too. As if being a scaly predator wouldn't make it hard enough to blend in already.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of galloping hooves coming from behind. Patch and I turned to see Jack running all out to catch up with us. He skidded to a halt, then hung his head low and panted once he came to a full stop.

"Hiya, Jack," said Patch, "Didja forget something?"

Jack screwed up his face and sighed. "Consarn it, Ah can't just let yo two go, 'specially when neither of ya knows how to dress a wound. The two o' y'all wouldn't last a week." He turned his head back to the cabin. "'Sides, Ah ain't just gonna sit aroun' an' wait for them gryphons to find me."

I exchanged a glance with Patch, then looked at Jack and nodded for him to come with us.

Jack nodded and stepped forward. "Pshew, thank ya kindly. Ah'll try an make sure Hunter don't kill himself."

I raised an eyebrow and Patch giggled.

Applejack Daniels has joined the party! Healing increased by 4. Added perk 'Southern Accent': talk your enemies to death and woo pretty mares.

Much of the trip was just Patch and Jack talking with each other. Jack told us how his town was sacked, and he hid in that cabin near the Everfree in hopes that the gryphons wouldn't bother searching there. The story was a little to vague, so either he was shielding Patch from things a foal shouldn't have to hear, or there were details he simply didn't want to remember.

We stopped to rest by a small river. Jack and Patch got into the packed food while I stood over the water and looked for fish. I saw some delicious-looking trout swimming in the stream, so I reached out with my mind and tried to grab one.

The first one jumped up and slapped me in the face, eliciting a round of giggles from my pony companions. I glanced at them, then tried again with the fish, this time catching one a little too well; it flew right into my mouth, and I nearly choked on the thing.

I made short work of snapping it up, then licked my lips. No wonder the Japanese eat sushi.

Patch gasped when I caught another, this time catching it sideways. She and Jack looked a little uneasy at the sight of me holding live prey in my jaws.

I cocked an eyebrow at them. They quickly turned their heads and kept to themselves until I was done.

Satisfied at last, I sat down next to them and licked my lips, then waited for them to finish.

Jack awkwardly coughed. "Well, Ah got mah second wind. Y'all ready to go?"

"Mmhmm," Patch replied.

I repacked the bags and got down so Patch could climb aboard. She seemed a little hesitant after being reminded I was a carnivore, but an impatient grunt got her behind in gear. Let that be a lesson to you: if you want to earn a kid's respect, just eat a live animal in front of them. That's sarcasm, by the way; don't do it.

About an hour later, we were heading through some rocky terrain when I heard raised voices and the sound of clanging metal. I stopped short and set Patch down while motioning for Jack to stop.

"What is--" Jack was cut off when I hissed at him to shut up.

I perked my ears forward and zeroed in on the source of the noise, then pointed at a nearby boulder. They quickly took my meaning and hunkered down behind it while I took a low stance and prowled forward. As I rounded the bend, I saw a group of pony soldiers locked in deadly combat with a squad of armored gryphons near a pair of covered wagons.

One gryphon swooped down and took a slash at a pony with his talons. His claws were unusually shiny; they were wearing bronze battle claws. Those things would tear through a pony's hide like paper, and it didn't help that they could reach under the armor with them. The pony cried out in pain and swung his spear, but wounded and less agile, he was easily parried and slashed across the face.

I couldn't just stand and watch any longer. Adrenaline burned through my veins as I shot forward down the hill. The gryphon had the pony's throat in his grip, about to rip him open. I was in the air in a second, fangs flashing just before I sank them into the gryphon's neck, pinning him down and biting so hard that his spine snapped; killing him instantly.

The injured pony gasped and looked up at me in stunned horror. I stood up, grabbed his spear in my telekinesis, and fired it at another gryphon who was grappling with a pegasus. The spear stuck right through his chest cavity, and he let out a pained shriek before collapsing on the ground.

His cries alerted the other gryphons, and they all rounded on me. "Seize that beast!" I didn't care to see who shouted the order; I just went after the next gryphon using the same tripping technique I did on the timber wolf, then sliced his throat open. His comrade took a swipe at my side and tore out a row of my scales. I howled and pounced my foe as another gryphon jumped on my back and started raking away at me. I flung him over my back and slammed him down in front of me then broke his neck with a kinetic twist. Having to concentrate even more on my target to perform that move nearly cost me my life; a gryphon picked up a pony's spear and charged me with it, barely giving me time to dodge.

I rolled to the side and caught sight of an archer poised to fire on me. I grappled my opponent and used him as a meat shield while his buddy fired an arrow at him. Sadly, the arrow simply bounced off his armor with a pathetic tink. I didn't wait to think about what happened, let alone allow my enemy a chance to retaliate, so I focused all my energy into a single impulse, sending the gryphon flying back into his squad mate with a deafening crash. Even if they survived, they were in no shape to get back up any time soon.

My last opponent was the gryphon captain. One pony who had recovered from the shock of my attack took the opportunity to strike, but the captain was too quick for me to see exactly what he did. Whatever it was, the pony didn't get up from it. The edges of my vision went red. I lowered my stance and dared him to make the first move.

The captain screeched like an eagle as he charged forward, battle claws flashing brightly in the sun. I leapt up, fangs bared and claws forward, and collided with him in the air like Tom Cruise. We rolled on the ground, scratching and biting at each other. He kicked me off with his back legs, and pounced again with another screech. I rolled and got to my feet in time to jump to the side, but I was starting to wear down, and he knew it.

What was I thinking? This was no dumb animal I was fighting, it was a trained warrior. He knew I'd already exerted myself, and was taking advantage of my fatigue setting in. The heavy use of telekinesis was adding mental fatigue as well, and I was starting to feel groggy. If I didn't end this fight soon, he would, and being mostly unharmed would make his escape that much easier. I couldn't let him escape, otherwise he'd go back and report what happened, where he found these ponies, and probably call in fresh troops to finish them off. Their fate was riding on me now, and I was terrified.

I pushed him back with an impulse to get us some distance, and grabbed a spear. The gryphon read my intention, and dashed to the side to take off. I chased after him, stabbing forward without actually letting go, steering the spear into his side. The head of the spear went through the muscle of his unarmored wing. The captain crashed to the ground, and tried to break the spear. I moved forward and pulled it out, stabbing again under his armor, and then once more in the neck to finish him off. As I stood over him, watching the life vanish from his eyes, I felt no remorse, nor any satisfaction; only relief in knowing the fight was over.

The adrenaline flow slowed down, and I became aware of the pain from my wounds and how badly I was shaking. Several of the ponies stood guard around me, waiting to see what I would do while the others tended to their injuries. I counted eight, three were watching me, four trying to stop the wounds from bleeding, and the one that died at the gryphon captain's talon.

"Hunter!" Jack was galloping towards us with Patch in tow. He weaved past the soldiers and stood next to me.

"Steady men," one of the soldiers commented, "Don't get too close."

"He ain't gonna hurt y'all," Jack said, then turned his attention back towards me. "You crazy... thing! Ya darn near gave us a heart attack!" Jack scolded, "What were ya thinkin'?" He huffed and sized up my injuries. "Come 'ere, lemme have a look at those."

I growled and shooed him away.

"Now listen here, you--"

I cut him off with a bark and pointed towards the hurt ponies.

Jack's expression fell into quick sobriety, and he bit his lip and nodded. "Right, sorry. Ah'll get on that." He went over and began unpacking his first aid supplies.

One of the troops, a larger earth stallion, approached him. "You know this creature?"

"Sure do," Jack said as he applied some kind of ointment to one of the other stallion's legs, "Plum scared the daylights outta me when Ah first met 'im, too. Hold still while Ah wrap this."

The soldier he was tending too seethed and heeded Jack's advice.

Patch slowly walked through the destruction and took her place beside me, nudging me with a hoof. "Hunter?" She waited for me to look at her. "Is that pony..." She looked at the dead stallion.

I sighed and pulled her close with my wing, rubbing my cheek on her forehead. I tried to shield her from what was around us, but she'd already seen the carnage, and probably was watching when I killed the gryphons as well. It tore me up inside knowing that I was the one who had given her her first glimpse at death and taken away her innocence.

Right on cue, one of the still-healthy soldiers came up to the larger guy who spoke to Jack. "Sir. Corporal Frost is down, and with the injured here, we won't be able to move the supplies and keep enough guards up to fend off another raid." He was doing a remarkably good job ignoring who fended off the last one.

His commanding officer nodded solemnly. "I see. We'll have to move as much as we can onto one cart and leave the rest. Load Frost's body as well; he deserves a proper burial for his bravery."

I grunted at the officer to get his attention, and wrote I WILL HELP in the dirt. It showed up better than before, what with the blood on my claws.

The soldier read my message and harrumphed. "So, you aren't just a dumb beast," he said. His tone indicated he didn't mean any offense, but was genuinely intrigued. "But you're still a foreigner, so I can't let you get involved. Bad enough I have a civilian playing field medic over here."

I growled lowly and double underlined the word WILL, then gave him a cold deadpan look, pointing my muzzle at him to make sure there was no mistaking my meaning. Whether he wanted me or not, I was coming. If these soldiers had a camp nearby, it would be a good place to rest and get some information, and frankly, after killing a pack of timber wolves, a rabid manticore and about half a dozen gryphons in front of a child, I felt I'd earned my place inside the loop.

The officer grunted and looked down his nose at me. "Fine, but you're pulling the cart. Any funny business, and I'll run you through myself."

I nodded affirmatively and picked up Patch, then helped load the wounded ponies onto the cart. None of them seemed to care about my 'invisible magic,' which was just fine with me. I let the other ponies deal with Corporal Frost; I'd been around enough death for now, as did Patch.

She rode on the cart I was hooked up to, the one without the injured troops on it, probably to keep me from running off with them and taking them hostage. Jack volunteered to pull the other one and maximize the number of available fighters in case we got attacked again.

Hours of uneventful walking passed us by. Patch curled up on the front of the wagon and had fallen asleep some time before we reached our destination. Eventually, we came to a camp that was set into a hillside covered in wooden criss-crossed pikes. The pony-built walls were made of tall logs with the tops sawed into sharp points, and pony soldiers stood alongside straw dummies on a raised platform inside. More criss-crossed pikes lined the area around the wall, scattered haphazardly to make them harder for ground troops to weave through. The whole thing made me think of the bandit camps from Skyrim.

"The supply convoy has arrived!" a sentry called out when he spotted us, "Open the gates!"

When the entryway opened up, I quickly noticed the reason why the soldiers were fine with having an open top. Along the inside of the walls were large crossbow turrets aimed towards the middle of the airspace, set like that instead of in the middle facing out where it would be too cramped to man them properly, and they would be an easy target like that. Spread out like they were, it would be much harder to take them out, especially since one would have to risk crossing the line of fire of another turret to destroy one, and being spread out meant it would be easier to man each one. That and the sentries on the wall were armed with crossbows of their own, and had spears balanced against the wall within easy reach should any enemies get close enough. Such firepower would also make taking the low route favorable, as one could form a shield tank to block the arrow fire, so the pikes still had a purpose by preventing any such formations from being utilized.

A group of ponies came and carried away the injured while several more guards joined the ranks surrounding me. Naturally, my appearance drew looks, and nopony looked happy to see me. Their expressions ranged from suspicious to fearful to 'keep your nose clean, or I'll chop it off.' I lowered my head close to the ground and averted my muzzle, still shifting my eyes around to watch their movements.

One pony who came to meet us stood out. Unlike the other soldiers, who wore bronze armor, this guy had a set of polished steel, and his helmet had a plumage on it that bore the colors of Princess Celestia's mane. His coat was dark gray, his mane and tail even darker, but not quite black, and his eyes were a sort of rust color. I didn't get a look at his cutie mark.

He stepped up to the large officer from the field and saluted. "Report, Lieutenant."

"Captain Iron Lock," the lieutenant replied with his own salute, "Our convoy was attacked by gryphon forces. The foreigner intervened, and this civilian provided medical aid. The supplies were unharmed, but..." He hoofed over the helmet of the pony who was slain. "Corporal Frost was killed in action."

Iron Lock took the helmet and nodded slowly. "Winter Frost was a good pony, and an excellent scout. It's a terrible shame he's gone, but that can't be helped now." He looked up towards me. "I'm going to speak with the foreigner. You're dismissed, Lieutenant." He saluted his troop again.

The lieutenant saluted back."Sir," he said, "I should inform you that the foreigner is mute."

"Noted." Iron Lock ended his salute and walked over to me as a pony took the cart I was pulling away. "My lieutenant tells me you assisted in a skirmish with the gryphons. Do you have a name?"

I nodded and wrote HUNTER in the dirt.

"Hunter," Captain Lock read, "I see. Well, we appreciate your help, but I have to ask where you're headed."

CANTERLOT

"Ah. I'm afraid you won't be reaching Canterlot anytime soon, at least not if you intend to bring your friends with you."

I cocked my head to the side.

"What's goin' on," Jack asked, also free of his wagon, "Somethin' wrong at Canterlot?"

Iron Lock shook his head. "Can't say for sure, on account of us being cut off. Se those mountains over there?"

I looked where he pointed.

"Canterlot lies directly on the other side of that range. Unfortunately, the gryphons have taken the pass. We can't send for aid, and if the pass isn't cleared soon, everything south of it may as well be lost, because it will only be a matter of time from there."

"Hunter?" Patch asked, nudging my side with a hoof, "Why do you want to go to Canterlot?"

"Yeah, Ah wonder 'bout that, too," Jack said, "Ya said y'all were headin' north to track them gryphons that took Patch's folks. Ya never mentioned Canterlot."

I noticed Iron Lock was beginning to look suspicious of me. I hastily started scrawling in the dirt.

SAFEST PLACE FOR PATCH
SHE CAN WAIT WHILE I SEARCH
THEN CELESTIA HELPS ME

"Helps you do what?" Iron asked somewhat forcefully.

GET HOME

The meaning of my words seemed to take a moment to sink in, because it was a moment before Jack finally said, "When y'all said you were from far away... Hunter, you don't know how to get home, do you?"

I nodded.

"And how do you expect the princess to help you?" Iron Lock asked.

I DUNNO

I shrugged when they stared at me in disbelief. To be honest, I had no clue how she was going to help me, but it was worth a shot, right?

"I understand." Iron Lock looked to Jack. "The two of you are welcome to stay, though I suggest you--"

"Ah-ah, three, Captain," Jack butted in, "We got a lost foal with us, or didja miss that part?"

"I know what I said, civilian," Iron Lock replied tersely, "You and the foal are welcome to stay. The foreigner must remain outside the camp."

Immediately, I felt my mane stand on end. I arched my back and bared my fangs, letting out a deep, rumbling growl.

Iron Lock jumped back and took a defensive position, as did the soldiers nearby.

"Ah'd be careful o' what Ah said 'round him if'n Ah were you, sir," jack said, standing somewhat between me and the captain, "He's fiercely protective of that girl. Ah've seen first-hoof how easily he gets riled up, too."

"All the more reason not to trust him," Iron Lock said, "We don't know anything about him; where he comes from, what he's capable of, nothing. Now my mission is to break through that blockade from the rear so that Canterlot can get some troops in here, and I will not jeopardize that mission because some civilian tells me to trust a clear and present threat to our safety."

Jack's eyes lit up like fire at that comment. I actually backpedaled when the stallion rushed up and went chest-to-chest with the untrusting captain. "Consarnit! Now you see here, you! Hunter has already risked his life for your men, plus twice before for the youngun! He didn't ask fer anythin' in return, nor did he wait fer an invitation! Ah wouldn't care two bits if Ah were a cow and you were Princess Celestia, Ah stand by mah statement and mah friends, an' Hunter here is as good a friend as any Ah ever had! Ah know Ah said he gets riled up easy, but that's cuz he's a protectin' type. We had a misunderstandin', see, and he was tryin' to protect Strawberry Patch cuz he thought Ah aimed to do somethin' Ah wouldn't do. Now Ah know this here's your camp, and Ah respect that. That's why Ah'm tellin' you, if you kick him out, you best be willin' to kick us out with 'im, cuz it ain't gonna go down any other way!"

My eyes were as wide as dinner plates by the time Jack ended his schpiel, and I was crouched so low, it made me feel like I was the foal to see him towering over me.

Jack glanced at me and snorted. "Git up, ya big pansy. I wasn't talkin' to you."

Blinking, I recomposed myself as best as I could. Arguing ponies was funny on TV, but in real life, man, it only went on to remind you these creatures were no pushovers. Well, some, at least.

Iron Lock was stunned as well, but took it better than I did. He cleared his throat and stood tall, his full height being closer to my own. "Very well, then. But he'll be under watch until I personally clear him. I assume you're willing to take responsibility for his conduct?"

"Ah am," Jack replied flatly.

Iron Lock stared down Jack, who didn't falter one bit. He set his jaw and turned on his heel. "Guards, keep them under close observation. I want to be informed of everything the foreigner does."

Author's Notes:

If you'd like to support my writing, please visit my site!

Time for Hunter to be all he can be, cuz he's in with the army now. Next chapter will reveal some more details of the war, but for now, I'm gonna work on the next chapter of Stunt Double, because all this violence is a bit much for me.