“Are we almost there?” Sweetie Belle asked nervously. Despite the fearless looks of her two companions, she still felt that going into the Everfree Forest was a bad idea, even if it was to meet with a friend.

“I dunno! Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo called from her spot piloting the scooter.

“Turn left! And yep, we’re almost there!” the last of the three Cutie Mark Crusaders replied.

Following directions, the orange pegasus filly turned to the left, making sure to do it gradually enough that the wagon behind her wasn’t thrown off balance too much. They continued zipping down the path, going right through a patch of Poison Joke and barely avoiding coming into contact with it.

“Slow down!” Apple Bloom yelled. “Yer gonna go right past it!”

Reluctantly, Scootaloo slowed her speed about halfway, allowing the trio to take a proper look at their surroundings as they went through. Now lacking the feeling of adrenaline pumping through them, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom found themselves feeling just as nervous about the woods as Sweetie Belle. The pegasus, of course, tried to hide it, but the earth pony didn’t hold back a shiver of fear.

“Is that it?” Sweetie Belle asked hopefully, pointing at a wooden hut decorated with odd masks on the outside. Apple Bloom nodded, and Scootaloo parked her vehicle just outside.

Hearing their arrival, a zebra familiar to all three Crusaders opened the door and stepped out. “Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? And even Scootaloo?” She motioned with her head for them to enter her hut. “Come in, and tell me how I can help you.”

“Thanks, Zecora!” Apple Bloom said gratefully, tossing her helmet into the wagon before trotting up to the door. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, after depositing their own protective gear, followed her.

“There must be some reason you came out here,” Zecora stated as the fillies walked in, Scootaloo being the last to enter and the one to shut the door. “If it is for cutie marks, I cannot help you, I fear.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head, feeling much more comfortable now that she was inside some form of shelter rather than out in the forest. “Nope! This is actually completely different!”

Apple Bloom decided to break in. “Y’all remember when the ponies in Ponyville were gettin’ all scared of you?”

Zecora sighed and closed her eyes. “Yes, I remember that time very well. I believe I was there, if you could not tell.”

The earth pony filly blushed and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Oh, yeah...sorry. Heh...”

Scootaloo stepped forward. “Well, there’s someone new in town - the mayor, actually - and he’s getting the same treatment that you were!”

“Well...most ponies don’t really have an opinion towards him,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “It’s just that there’s a lot of them who don’t like the idea of someone who isn’t a pony running the town.”

“We thought the two of you could get along well, being pretty much the only non-ponies around,” Scootaloo continued. “So we were wondering if you could come on into town sometime soon.”

“The new mayor has arrived? Of this, I was not aware.” The zebra lady rubbed her chin in thought. “Though I do see how what you are saying is quite unfair. He is not a pony, you do tell; what species is he, if it rings a bell?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Ah keep hearin’ ponies sayin’ he looks like some kinda monkey, or a tiny minotaur.”

Scootaloo laughed a bit. “A tiny minotaur? What would that even look like? A tiny mini-minotaur?” Her laughter was cut short when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle simultaneously elbowed her to get her to focus. “Uh...I mean, yeah! That’s what they say he looks like.”

“We haven’t really seen him ourselves,” Sweetie Belle admitted.

“You cannot always trust the things you hear,” Zecora warned them. “But if what they say is true, there is little to fear. If a creature like him was elected the mayor, there seems little reason for a monster slayer.”

The trio nodded, Scootaloo choosing to speak up. “Maybe you could help with getting the town on his side?”

Zecora nodded. “I will do my best, young Crusader...but for now, that must wait until later.” She walked over to hook where her cloak hung, picking it up and donning it. “For today, there are ingredients in the forest I need to collect. I shall have time to visit tomorrow, I would expect.”

Apple Bloom nodded happily. “Thanks, Zecora! This means a lot.”

The zebra smiled. “It is my pleasure, so do not worry. But I would suggest that to home you hurry; I must go now, so I cannot protect you...” Her smile vanished, and a dark look crossed her features. “You likely do not want a Timberwolf to get you.”

The Crusaders gulped nervously and nodded, heading off quickly after some hasty goodbyes. Hopping into their vehicle and throwing on their helmets, they sped off, back the way they came.

Continuing to follow the tracks, Chuck kept his shovel prepared in case anything jumped out at him. The entire area felt cold and spooky, even despite it being barely late afternoon. He kept looking back and forth, feeling paranoid.

He had avoided anything that looked even slightly dangerous or out of place. He didn’t dare touch any vines hanging from trees, strangely-coloured plants on the ground, or anything whatsoever that was off the dirt path he followed. A few times he had stopped to catch his breath, only to quickly start moving again when he felt like he was being watched.

Suddenly, a loud roaring sound reached his ears, and he froze. Expecting it to be some kind of creature, he spun around, shovel at the ready…

...except there was nothing there.

The roar continued, and he soon realized it sounded more akin to a motor than a wild animal. Turning back around, he saw three familiar fillies coming down the path at an alarming speed, just like when he saw them earlier.

Not thinking twice, Chuck quickly jumped to the side to get out of the way, not wanting to be run over. However, his attempt at a simple sidestep resulted in him stumbling and falling off the path completely into a pile of bushes.

The fillies, having apparently not noticed him, zoomed past him and down the path back to the town. With a sigh, the human quickly decided his help was completely unneeded here all along, and started to pick himself out of the bushes.

A low growl made him freeze.

He slowly turned and looked over his shoulder, coming eye-to-eye with what appeared to be a gigantic lion. A second glance revealed to Chuck that this lion possessed large wings, a scorpion-like stinger tail, and a very angry look on its face.

It roared.