It was always strange how the naked branches of the Everfree Forest’s trees blocked almost all light. It was nighttime, but the stars were nowhere in sight. Rainbow Dash already had an idea about what she should expect. This wasn’t her first time entering this little roller coaster, no way. She had already been in the Everfree Forest enough times, the night that Nightmare Moon returned first and foremost.

This wasn’t what she expected. The Everfree wasn’t supposed to be like this, feeling like they stepped inside a giant mouth. They told her that the area of the Everfree Forest near Ponyville was relatively safe after all these centuries of ponies living almost right on the edge of it, but she didn’t believe them. How was that howling den of danger and nightmares safe, where timber wolves and manticores prowled freely?

But it was. Gosh, she ached for that safe haven right now, and they hadn’t even met anything yet. This luck wasn’t going to last long, not with Luna so intent on hunting down worthy prey, and her idea of hunting in this place was by going around until something found them! Who the heck gave her such a stupid idea?

There were twenty one of them in here, and she could barely hear the hoofsteps of those in the back or front. It was like the Everfree was swallowing everything, every source of light and every sound. The unicorns had tried to light their way with light spells and they gave up wordlessly when Solid Charge ordered them to cut it out. It had been useless anyway. No matter how much magic they fed into their light they had barely been able to illuminate the path directly in front of their legs. The Everfree Forest had swallowed them. A few steps under the dreaded canopy, and it was as if they had reached the heart of a thick forest already.

They marched through the Everfree Forest in a double file, or they tried to at least, as much as it was possible in this pathless growth. Luna was taking up the front by her own, and she had placed Instructor Stampede in the back—thank Celestia for small favors—with Raven the Diamond Dog with him. From what Luna said the front and the back were the most dangerous places to be, but Luna felt comfortable taking the lead alone, and Raven might be able to smell anything that crept up on them much easier than any of them.

Rainbow Dash had been placed in the middle of the double line with Cast Iron at her side. She was a little cross about that at first, but a small of part of herself—that she really hated—was glad for this now that she was actually under all these gnarly branches. Luna placed her in the safest position as if she… as if she was a helpless pony. Rainbow Dash fumed at the perceived insult, but did so silently. She would use this to her advantage. Luna would soon realize that she didn’t place Rainbow Dash in safety—like a foal!—but at the best possible position so she could instantly jump to aid whichever side faced trouble. Rainbow might have been feeling a little skittish, but she wouldn’t let that make her a coward and hide behind others!

Shaded Swirl and Snared Wish were a lot more anxious than Rainbow Dash was, and the need to show more backbone than how she truly felt for their sake helped steady her resolve even more. The couple was turning their heads to every little sound, their ears flicked around erratically to cover every possible approach, and their tails were almost tucked under their bodies.

“Hey, calm down, okay?” Rainbow Dash told the two ponies in front of her. “We’re going to be fine. I’m sure that Luna knows what she’s doing.”

“Maybe,” Snared Wish conceded, “but I don’t! I mean, what exactly are we looking for in here?”

“Princess Luna said we’re hunting, honey. Probably some kind of dangerous animal or something alike. If miss Rainbow Dash says we’re going to be fine then it’s okay. Steady on, alright?” Shaded Swirl donned his best comforting smile, but it was apparent that the city-raised earth pony was out of his depth. His dress shirt was covered with small grappling foliage, and tiny tears were starting to make their appearance on the fabric, making him look dishevelled. There had been moments he looked ready to suggest they turn back, but a glance at his wife was all it took for a brave smile to appear and comfort to return to his eyes.

Snared Wish took her courage from her husband’s presence, same as he did from her, but there was more driving her. She would press her lips together, as if angering in a memory, and her steps would steady once more.

“Right, hunting. We can do hunting,” she assured herself. “First time, but this is what I’m here for. To learn. What do we hunt? Anypony know? Wolves?”

Cast Iron was tightly squeezing his axe in both hands, and was paying constant attention to the right of their column as they walked, searching among the trees for movement. “Timber Wolves,” the minotaur specified.

This exact tidbit was news to everypony, including Rainbow Dash. She saw Smoke Ring, a couple of rows in front, look back with his mouth open, stumbling a little as he stopped paying attention on where he walked. The unicorn gasped for a few seconds before turning back. “Well… Fuck.”

Tick and Tack, the earth pony twins from Baltimare were behind Rainbow Dash and Cast Iron. “Timber Wolves’ bodies are made out of wood, right? They can’t be that dangerous. I mean, can’t we just break them apart?” Tick asked.

Her twin, the one who tended to think deeper, answered her sister’s question. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. They’re magic creatures, their bodies are probably harder than they look. Remember that unicorn captain who magicked his brandy cabinet? We couldn’t even break the glass.”

The line suddenly halted as Luna stopped. All eyes turned to the Alicorn now instead of the conversation among them. “You ponies don’t really know anything about Timber Wolves, do you?” she asked, a little stunned at the realization. Sadness took over her expression for a few moments. “Right. Another mistake. I should have briefed you beforehoof.”

Her face filled with determination again, Luna spoke loudly enough to be heard by everypony. “Timber Wolves are creatures of magic, composed of the forest itself. They are notorious not only for their unexpected hardness and ferocity, but also their regenerative abilities. Explained in plain terms, if their remains are not broken in as small pieces as possible then they might as well return to normal in seconds. Sometimes they even seek to merge together, forming a massive Timber Wolf powerful enough to easily slay a manticore.”

Luna walked down the line slowly, making sure everypony was paying attention. “The Everfree Forest is crawling with far more dangers than Timber Wolves, but they will make a good start and introduce you to what you are supposed to be fighting against.” Luna’s eyes glowered at them as she continued the sudden lesson.

“A lone Timber Wolf can easily overpower two or even three average ponies if they don’t fight the way they are supposed to, and Timber Wolves are almost never seen on their lonesome. There are usually three or six of them at least, but larger groups are certainly not unheard of. In a rare few occasions there have been hunting packs consisting of hundreds of them.”

Blank Slate raised a hoof. “What is the right way to fight them?”

“Not on your own,” Luna answered. “Timber Wolves, unlike their flesh and blood brethren, lack teamwork. They hunt together, but fight alone. Fight as a team, cooperate and support each other, and you can take them down. They mostly pounce at their prey, seeking to bring it down and go for the throat or use their back legs to gut it. Being aware of their intent to leap and avoiding it will serve you well as long as you don’t get flanked by another. Now, have any of you seen a Timber Wolf before?”

Gobrend raised his claw, and surprisingly so did Trixie to his right. They were the only ones aside from Solid Charge and Rainbow Dash. Stampede didn’t even bother, seemingly intent on scratching his side.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Trailblazer sneered from the back of the line. The unicorn levitated a stick in front of him and it burst in flames, the flames colored as the stallion’s own mane. “They’re still wood. We can burn them.”

“It sounds like a valid plan,” Luna conceded. She turned to Gobrend and Trixie. “Would either of you have any objections?”

“It won’t work,” Gobrend said.

“Trixie has tried it before.” The mare in the garish magician’s hat shuddered. “It didn’t care, and they all kept running after me, only now Trixie had one that was on fire after her. It set my cart on fire. Luckily, there was a river nearby when they stopped hunting me.”

“Anypony got any questions or anything to add?” Luna asked.

“I do,” Gobrend said. Rainbow Dash recognized the posture and inwardly groaned. She had seen Twilight stand like that a thousand times. “Timber Wolves favor their olfactory organs or what they use as a substitute, to an astounding degree. It is their language of a sorts, and they share smells they have come across to denote worthwhile prey or locations. They seem to believe this to be a universal trait. That’s why they exhale a horrid, putrid breath at all times. Most scholars believe they use it either for intimidating reasons or to scare other, worse predators away from them.”

“Interesting, but what we should take from all this is simple: use your noses. You will know when they’re near. We are on the outer layer of the Everfree, and this is their main hunting grounds.” Luna went back to her place in front and they marched on.

Well, they knew now, and knowing was… certainly something. Didn’t help much. Stupid Twilight and her talks about how learning and understanding lessened a fear. That was a load of horseapples! She felt worse again!

The Wonderbolt-Wannabe glanced behind her just in time to witness Tack raise her left hind leg sideways and strain herself, letting out a thunderous roar that caused her tail to flutter in the short wind she let loose. “Hey, Goobread, does this smell like death?”

“You understand of course,” the griffin said in a polite tone, “that I can only take so much of your insults before I am driven to answer in kind, you sad, sailor’s playthi—Gaag! Yes, yes it does!” Far in the back the Diamond Dog howled in pain.

Mental note: when walking in ranked files, try to get as far in the front as possible next time.

Rainbow Dash would much rather she was on her own out here though all things considered. If she was, she could easily evade any predators or just fly the heck out if need be. But no, now she would have to stay and help the others who didn’t have sweet, fast wings to get their flanks out of danger’s way.

The sound of breaking glass echoed in her mind, and she quickly silenced it. No, these were stupid thoughts, selfish ones. She was sticking with everypony here, and if something bad happened… then so be it. Rainbow Dash wasn’t responsible for everypony, friend or enemy, when it came to a fight. All she was ultimately responsible for was whether she chose to fight—and accept the outcome—or not. And if her friends were involved? Heck yes she was going to fight.

She heard Red Dawn whisper a question. “Uh, why do Timber Wolves hunt only out here?” No, don’t ask further questions! Questions lead to answers, and the answers so far helped nopony! Better to know nothing! She was in a good place mentally, don’t, just-

Surprise bucking surprise, somepony had to answer, and that happened to be Gobrend, their resident expert. And oh, the joyful news he shared with all of them.

Apparently, the Everfree Forest could be divided into zones. In some of them you met certain… residents more than others, like the swamps, but the basic idea was that the deeper you went, the more you screwed yourself. Manticores and Timber Wolves, even the rare cockatrice or wyvern, were sticking to the edges not because the hunting was more plentiful there. They stuck to the outside because the deeper regions were too rough for them.

Manticores. Were afraid. Of going deeper. Celestia save us! Eventide took the opportunity to jump in and add to the horror as well. As far as food went, it was more plentiful the deeper you went.

Now, that didn’t sound scary did it? Wrong! There was a lot of food, because there were a lot of monsters. Take from that what you will.

“So, uh, how deep in the Everfree are we?” Rainbow Dash asked, nonchalantly.

“About… five hundred meters in? I think?” Cradle Song answered from near the front. “I don’t think we’re supposed to go deeper than a kilometer at worst.”

“Well, duh,” Drum Beat said from the back, answering his fellow Thestral. “We don’t want to end up dead.”

Oh my Celestia, what did she get into?

“Wait, wait!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “It can’t be like that. I’ve gone deeper than that with my friends, and we were fine! Heck, the Castle of the Two Sisters is about five kilometers in the forest and it’s absolutely safe!”

Nopony answered for a couple of minutes. Then Luna spoke up. “Celestia’s old castle is near a… special place of magic that protects the area. I suggest you never try to find how far its boundaries extent.” Luna was lost in thought for a moment. “I wonder if we could repurpose the old castle to our needs.”

“Maybe when we have some more members and experience, Princess,” Solid Charge suggested from next to her.

Solid Charge was acting a little weird, now that Rainbow thought about it. He was acting almost hostile in a sense. The words he used were courteous enough, but it was how he said them. Rainbow Dash knew the difference between a ‘thank you’ that was honest and filled with gratitude, and a ‘thank you’ that meant ‘could you also go fall into a hole?’ Solid Charge was treading dangerously near the second one at times, and- Oh my gosh, was that a rottersnake?

Rainbow Dash jumped in the air to avoid the red, snapping jaw, barely making it by the breadth of a hair, and four hooves came down on its long body, the two extra ones courtesy of Cast Iron and Snared Wish, even as a bolt of magic launched from Trixie’s horn and split the rottersnake’s head in two. A flaming, thin piece of wood skewed it a fraction of a second later, as a final insult.

“I totally had that,” Rainbow Dash said, wiping her front hooves on the dirt. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

Luna came to check on the commotion. “Bury the snake, clean your hooves, and cover the traces of blood you left on the dirt as well. I don’t want you to have the scent of blood on you in case we get separated.”

Celestia, she almost wished she was back at camp along with the others. On second thought, maybe she wasn’t that desperate yet. They were the ones stuck with Raegdan, and he didn’t look very happy at all with the fact that he stayed behind. They probably had it even worse.

Rainbow Dash snickered silently. Oh, she wondered what horrors they were being put through.

The bottle stopped twirling, it’s neck pointing at Leaf Stream like the talon of a dark god.

“Truth or dare?” Stalwart Shield asked Leaf Stream.

Raegdan sat next to him, his legs crossed and with his broken arm resting on his laps. “This is the stupidest game ever.”

“I concur,” Short Order said from the other side of Raegdan, watching the bottle with his single eye, unamused. “I expect this amount of negligence from the interior regiments, but I had greater hopes for the Lunar Guard. We should be setting up sentries and patrols.”

“With just us seven, we can’t. Too many approaches. It’s safer if we simply don’t separate. It’s not like there’s anything here interested in stealing rather than eating us. Setting a camp in the middle of an open field was a mistake,” Raegdan said. He frowned at the bottle. “Mind you, I’m minding it less and less.”

Leaf Stream grinned smugly at them. “Well, you should have said something else other than ‘whatever’ then when I asked what we should do, shouldn’t you? Limit Breaker, solid choice, my good stallion.” She exchanged a hoofbump with said young stallion who was grinning bright enough to remove any need of fire. “Alright, I’m gonna go with… truth!” she answered Stalwart Shield.

“Alright. Hmm…” Stalwart Shield scratched the back of his silvery, messy mane. “Is it true that you and…” Stalwart Shield glanced fearfully at the biped next to him. “And a certain individual had an ‘encounter’ tonight?”

“I’m going to stab you in your sleep.”

“Pardon? I couldn’t quite make out that whisper.” Stalwart Shield raised his ears.

Sea Breeze choked a sound between a laugh and a cough. Raegdan offered her a sip from his canteen which she gladly took. Broken Gust on the other hoof was still busy smiling as if this game was her birthday wish come to life and it was everything she hoped for.

Leaf Stream’s smile had frozen on her lips as she tried to think of a way to answer the question that wouldn’t make her sound like either a backstabbing moron or having a thing for the ‘certain individual’, may tartarus take his soul and perhaps Stalwart Shield’s as well if it had the time.

“...Yes…” she hissed, her tongue wrestling her empty brain.

Stalwart Shield glanced at Raegdan for a fraction of a second again. The tall alien was slowly sipping from his canteen, looking bored, and staring mindlessly at the distance, giving no sign of being disturbed or annoyed of any allegation. Stalwart Shield and Broken Gust looked at each other and shrugged.

“Right, my turn,” Leaf Stream quickly said, and gave the bottle a spin. The bottle spun and spun, slowing down little by little. The neck of the bottle passed over every pony at a turtle’s pace.

Stalwart Shield looked pained at the prospect of getting into Leaf Stream’s hooves. Limit Breaker lit up again, anxious to get a chance to play. Sea Breeze looked on, her face blank but her eyes betraying her amusement. Broken Gust was doing kissing practices with her lips, and her Thestral, slitted pupils almost turned into circles when the bottle almost stopped at her. Short Order was the very definition of apathy.

The bottle stopped. It pointed straight at Raegdan.

Leaf Stream laughed. “Oh, ho! I got you. I got you now! You’re gonna spill-”

“Dare,” Raegdan said.

Leaf Stream didn’t let her smile show as Raegdan played straight into her hooves, but he must have noticed something, perhaps the sparkle of anticipation and utter, magnificent villainy in her eyes, because his remaining eye widened just the tiniest, tastiest bit. Leaf Stream leaned forward, and inspiration hit her. Two birds. One stone. She won either way.

“I dare you to kiss Stalwart Shield.”

Stalwart Shield huffed in dismay. “This is the exact reason this game never amounts to much,” he said, not surprised at all. “Somepony always pushes too much too soon and hmmphh!”

Raegdan grabbed Stalwart Shield’s short mane, pulled his head back, and leaned down to do the unimaginable. The firm lip-lock held for a good number of seconds as well before he pushed Stalwart Shield away from him and wiped his lips with his forearm. “There. Dare done. My turn?”

“Why tongue?”

Leaf Stream nodded. Her throat slasher’s smile didn’t go unnoticed by Short Order. Everypony else was guffawing in surprise and laughter. Except for Broken Gust. Her leather bat wings had popped so straight she was definitely getting a cramp later on.

“I’ll have you know, young filly,” the veteran Royal guard warned Leaf Stream, “that I have a certain amount of disciplinary actions in my name. Some of them involved my superiors. You’d do well to keep this in mind before you get any ideas.” Leaf Stream’s sinister smile remained in place. This was her game. Short Order simply hadn’t understood it yet.

Raegdan gave the bottle a spin. It pointed at Broken Gust. The mare trembled and breathlessly screeched in excitement. Raegdan sighed. “Okay. Truth or-”

Leaf Stream didn’t even see her coming. One moment Broken Gust was standing there, the next she was burying her tongue down Leaf Stream’s throat, her wings hooked on her back to ensure Leaf Stream’s hooves had no chance in Tartarus of pushing her away. Sea Breeze was struggling for air next to her, her manic laughter echoing in Leaf Stream’s ears in merry accompaniment to Broken Gust’s moaning and Leaf Stream’s choked screams for freedom and a stop to the molestation.

“Hey!” Limit Breaker called out, pouting angrily. “That’s not how the game is played! You’re ruining it!”

“There’s a nasty smell coming from our right,” Raven yelled, calling for everypony’s attention.

Luna immediately halted them. Everypony rushed to form a line waiting for the oncoming opponents, but Luna quickly ordered them to form a circle instead, getting Stampede to array them in a proper order.

Stampede had them make a three ringed circle. On the outer ring he placed the earth ponies, minotaurs, Raven, Gobrend, and himself. Luna placed herself there as well, right in the middle of the side facing the direction they were expecting to be assaulted from. Cast Iron and Solid Charge were placed in opposite sides as to block the sight of those behind them as little as possible. They left enough space in between them to swing their weapons and fight without getting in each other’s way, but not enough to let anything slip through. Spears, axes, and sturdy hooves stood ready.

The second ring was composed of the unicorns. Tidal Wave, Smoke Ring, Trailblazer, and Trixie. They stood behind the first ring, each of them watching a different direction. Solid Charge made sure to warn them, Trailblazer especially, not to set any live Timber Wolves on fire. It would only make things worse for the frontliners.

Every pegasus and thestral was waiting in the center, forming their own, tight ring, and Rainbow Dash stood there with them. Their job would be to watch, and speed to the aid of anypony who was in trouble, cover any openings, and stay in the air and mobile as best as they could.

Now all that was left was to wait.

Rainbow Dash sorely wished they had waited a day before venturing into the Everfree on this practical experience training. She was all too aware of every aching muscle and joint, and the slight grogginess in her head as her body called for sleep suddenly felt like a wave of tar that threatened to cover her and slow down her every response and reflex. She wondered if she would be able to strike as hard or accurately as she would need to, or did all the work and stress she had been involved all day with had sapped too much of her strength? Luna had made a point of warning them that almost no fight would come to them while feeling their best, and Rainbow Dash suspected this was why she dragged them in here without letting them rest, but right now, with her nostrils flaring as she tried to catch a whiff of what crept up in the dark, it felt too reckless and dangerous.

She focused her mind on the lessons she had been taught. Put all of your body weight on your strike, and use the force of it to bounce back instead of carelessly following along. Be wary to not be cornered or flanked. Go for the torso as it was the largest target, and only aim for the head or spine if you are certain you won’t put yourself in risk. Keep your distance, and maintain the initiative, don’t let your opponent dictate the fight. A thousand pieces of advice that blended all together, from how to stand on what to look for and how to breath. She shuddered, suddenly fearful that she would forget one of them and it would cost her life, or the life of somepony else.

Luna breathed in deeply, inhaling a scent that Rainbow Dash, high strung as she was, wasn’t sure if she really smelled at the edge of her sense or she imagined it. “Timber Wolves. They are almost here. Prepare yourselves.”

Rainbow Dash’s hind legs dug into the earth, preparing to use the extra resistance and in the right position, almost subconsciously. Her wings half spread, ready to get her airborne or tuck in and avoid any attack, and her tail coiled around her instead of being in easy reach. Her lungs regulated her breathing without her input, breathing steadily. All the words of the lessons and advice vanished, and what remained was action without thinking.

The thick foliage rustled, and every eye turned to it. A sharp reprimand from Eventide and Stampede warned the flyers and the unicorns to keep eyes all around them. Everything was covered in shades of black and the darkest blues, the moving leaves turning into shapes, and sinister eyes. With the confirmation of their approach, now every errant branch and stick around them became the leg or snout of a Timber Wolf, waiting for them to turn away to be attacked.

The bushes spread aside, and eight large Timber Wolves made their appearance, led by a truly massive one. Rainbow Dash felt her throat dry up at the sight, and her courage vanish. Eight, when one of them could easily kill two or three ponies, that’s what Luna had said. The odds were balanced, but they were tired, and this was the Timber Wolves turf. What if more of them were waiting around them?

Ponies didn’t fight Timber Wolves. Ponies ran. Even Twilight, who had so much more magic than everypony else, Twilight who once put an Ursa Minor to sleep and levitated it all the way to its den, when faced with Timber Wolves would either teleport or run. Fluttershy never attempted to try her stare at them, their ferocity too great to risk it. She lived right next to the Everfree, closer than everypony else, and when she heard them howl she’d call all her animals into her cottage and hide under her bed.

They were going to fight. Oh, Celestia help them, they were mad!

Luna walked in front, abandoning the ring, and everypony quickly scooted closer to cover the empty spot. The Alicorn stood alone in front, facing the pack of monstrosities with a smirk on her face. She took her eyes off them and looked behind her and at them, her grin widening.

“I’ll take the alpha. You can have the rest.”

She wasn’t afraid. Rainbow Dash knew that Luna wouldn’t be afraid, but she didn’t really know it. Heck, the mare was loving this. She was almost trembling in anticipation for the fight, and…

Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to be afraid either! If Luna could do it, so could she! She would hold the line, she would jump in and kick and bite, she would keep her friends here alive, and she would make sure they would all make it on top. These Timber Wolves didn’t stand a chance!

Weapons stood steadier, hooves dug in the earth, and horns lit with tamed magic. The Lunar Guard stood ready.

The alpha Timber Wolf took a step forward and growled, a deep reverberation that sounded like a tree splintering and falling without stop. The sound never ceased, not even as the alpha sniffed the air and its packmates spread around their circle.

Suddenly, the alpha whined. The rest of the hunting pack froze still, and all of them started sniffing questioningly, at the air and the ground. Their muzzles all converged towards Luna, the Alicorn obviously perplexed by the strange behavior. The Timber Wolves let out a keen wail, and as one they turned and ran, the stubby branches that served as their tails tucked between their legs. Two more of them appeared, ones that had gone unnoticed and had circled them, running to vanish behind their fellows as well.

“What just happened?” Tidal Wave asked, searching around them with eyes filled with suspicion.

Sunrise Storm lowered her spear, and removed her helmet, looking around them as well. “This isn’t supposed to happen is it?”

Red Dawn glanced behind them. “I don’t suppose it’s a trick or something? They left just to attack from behind us?”

“Impossible!” Gobrend said vehemently upon the suggestion. The griffin’s good wing crossed the air in front of him in denial. “They do not possess this kind intellect.”

Blank Slate smelled the air. “I don’t smell anything. What were they sniffing around for?”

Luna lifted one of her front legs and smelled the pit between it and her torso.

Raven approached the night princess, inhaling through his nose, his wolfish muzzle ridging in concentration. “I don’t think it was you, uh… Princess,” he announced after a few moments. “You smell fine. Just not very pony like. Is that how Alicorns smell?” he rhetorically asked.

They stood, unsure of what to do, waiting their cue from the Princess of the Night. Finally, Luna gritted her teeth, the grinding noise extremely audible in the stillness. “He did something,” she mumbled. “Centuries of killing them, and they never ran from me. How dare they! There’s a trick, I will find it out, and then give them a real reason to be afraid!”

“It’s called adding insult to injury, and it was funny at the time. Then it kind of became a habit.” Raegdan shrugged as much as possible with only one functioning shoulder.

Limit Breaker clapped his hooves and laughed, falling on his back. “Like- like a dog peeing on a tree!”

“Well, said that way it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Raegdan said, grabbing onto that comment. “Trees, Timber Wolf corpses, what’s the difference, am I right? I had to empty the old bladder at some point, why not then?”

Short Order was paying attention to Sea Breeze, a hint of worry across his scarred face. “Are you alright, miss? Is your horn in pain?”

Sea Breeze was tracing the blackened stump that was all that remained of her horn with her hoof, her head lowered and eyes lost in view of another place or time. She jerked back to the present. “No. No, I’m ok. I was just… lost, reminiscing of older loss. I wish there was one like you with us before. I was with a group a few years back. Apprenticing to Najee to learn his art. We were attacked by Timber Wolves, and barely escaped, but we had wounded. We were too far from help, and in our folly we decided to cut through the Everfree, lest our companions helplessly expire.”

“That must have sucked,” Raegdan remarked apathetically. He took his canteen in hand and kept sipping, leaning back against the trunk of a tree. He never stood entirely still, always fussing with something, even if it was just drinking water extremely slowly.

Short Order stood up. “I’m going to get you something,” he announced and headed for their supplies.

“It took us days. We were near the south end, where it’s the narrowest, and it still took so long. Maybe we lost our bearings. Maybe we counted the days wrong. We thought Timber Wolves a terror, but there are worse in there.” Sea Breeze’s eyes lost focus, and her voice got harder to understand as if she wasn’t able to completely articulate herself. “I’m still not sure what we saw at times. Warped, deformed monstrosities. The forest itself rising up. Clouds of light, pillars of stars, whispers and screams. I think I heard my... It was horrible. We kept casting, and casting, and casting, keeping ourselves up only through alchemical concoctions, running all the while as much as we could in our state, never stopping. The Everfree or- or something talked to us in there, but I don’t know what it said, I don’t want to know what it said. We made it out in the end. Over half of us were gone. We only realized it when we were out. They were just… gone. All gone. Najee was gone too, I don’t know when, he ran right next to me, and… and I don’t remember when, but at one point must have no longer been there.”

Short Order came back, holding a small, unmarked bottle in his magic. He nudged Sea Breeze, and passed it to the magicless unicorn’s hooves, urging her to take a drink. Sea Breeze did, and closed her eyes at the sharp sting of the liquid burning down her throat. She tried to give it back, and Short Order shook his head.

“Anyway,” she said, now out of the trance she had gotten herself into, “that was how I ended up with this.” She pointed at her horn. “Too much magic, forced unnaturally. It rotted off. So did the horns of the other two surviving unicorns.”

Raegdan gauged how much water was left by making it slosh around. “Not bad though. You could have done better, but still. Not bad at all. I’m actually surprised that any of you got out. Ah well. Maybe next time you will do better, eh?” He chuckled.

“You’re an ass,” Leaf Stream declared.

“Pardon?”

“Sea Breeze lost half her group, and here you are, going oh I could do better, I’m so smart and amazing, just ignore how I screw up more often than a screwdriver.” Leaf Stream fell back down on four legs, abandoning the bad impression she did. “Ass,” she repeated.

Raegdan gave Leaf Stream a dirty look while everypony else sat aside, watching like spectators in a match. “I was only going to offer her some advice, let her know how to do better next time, because I fucking know how. She might get into a similar situation again because this is what she signed up for and I’m trying to help her! How does that make me an ass?”

“Oh, ho!” Leaf Stream laughed, her words dripping sarcasm. “I can’t wait to hear this. What’s your advice, wise sage? Should they have ditched their wounded? No, wait. They should have used them as bait! No, wait, I got a better one! They should have dragged them along and every now and then force one of them to run in another direction while bleeding! Am I getting warm? Come on, shower us with your wisdom.”

The biped looked away, chewing the inside of his cheeks. “Well, now I don’t want to.”

Leaf Stream’s mouth gasped open for a second in awed surprise. “You ass!” She ignored the little black pot in her head that clanged its lid in support of giving that kettle what for. She turned to Sea Breeze. The poor mare was stunned by the implications of what she heard. “Don’t mind him. In fact, buck him. In fact, literally buck him. There’s a reason he’s not in charge.”

Limit Breaker was pouting angrily at Raegdan. “That’s not right. This is not how it’s supposed to be done at all.”

“News flash, kid,” Raegdan said, waving the canteen around. “There’s no manual for that kind of stuff. You just do what you need to do to get as many out alive as possible, including yourself. There is a thing as acceptable losses.”

“No, there isn’t!” Limit Breaker said, standing up. “That’s just a way to say you gave up. The right way is to save everypony. That’s what good guys do!”

Raegdan almost snarled in disgust. “Oh heavens, you are one of those…” He hissed out the rest of his breath and took a long drink, swilling the water in his mouth. “Let me guess, kid. You think that when something nasty is going on, the good guys, the heroes,” he spat,” will come and save the day?”

Limit Breaker raised his chin. “I don’t think it.”

“Well, that’s crap,” Raegdan stated, looking back straight ahead and away from everypony, sourly drinking his plain water. “There are no heroes to save you when things get real bad. No one comes when you’re hurt or alone. It’s just you. Just look at Sea Breeze.” He nodded towards the surprised mare. “No hero came to save her and her group.”

“What? Of course they were saved,” Limit Breaker said, looking confused. “She just told us.”

Raegdan looked even more confused. “What are you on about?”

“She just said it. She risked herself for the others, kept casting nonstop even when it hurt her that much, she tried to save everypony, and then,” he added with real admiration, “after going through all that she joined here to help even more ponies! Sea Breeze is a hero!”

“Me?” Sea Breeze breathed.

The metal canteen in Raegdan’s hand shook as he pushed his lips together. “Then too bad for her,” he growled. “Heroes die, kid. That’s what they always do.”

“She looks alive to me.”

“No, I mean-”

“I bet she could go for a walk.”

“Look, what I mean—” Raegdan stopped his outburst with a long exhale, and carefully explained, “is that heroes always die, okay?”

Limit Breaker pulled back blinking as if Raegdan blew in his eyes. “What? No they don’t!”

“Ok, maybe not always, but like nine hundred ninety nine out of a thousand. They lose.”

“No, they don’t! Heroes win.”

Raegdan huffed, looking for all the world like he was having difficulty convincing somepony that the sky was blue. “Ok, where the hell did you get that stupid idea?”

“Where did you get yours?” Limit Breaker asked, incredulous. “Heroes always win. It’s how it goes in stories, and what always happens.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

Stalwart Shield leaned sideways to whisper to Leaf Stream. “I heard a rumor once. I refused to believe it. It went that Raegdan used to wear a dress and put on a wig for some of young Twilight Sparkle’s imaginary tea parties. For some reason… it’s not that hard to see him doing that now.”

Leaf Stream gently pushed him away from her. “Respect the private space, ok? I’ve had it defiled way too many times today.” The image was funny though. She wondered if it was true. Honestly, she heavily doubted it.

“When do heroes ever lose? That doesn’t happen,” Limit Breaker asked, frustrated.

“That always happens. It happens all the time!” Raegdan said, embittered. “Look, you have situations or stories where there’s a… an evil king, or mage, or- or a monster that comes out of nowhere and kills everyone in its path, right?”

“Yeah. And the heroes win. That’s the whole point!”

“OK, fine. Let’s say they do. But what happened to the others before those heroes won?”

“Others?”

“If there’s an evil king or mage it means he made it to power by using his methods. But someone must have tried to stop him, right? Or if he has been around for a while. There can’t have been just one person who tried to stop him. There could have been hundreds. All of them, trying to be heroes, and failing. The king crushed all the rebels, the mage vanquished all his opponents, and the monster killed everyone a thousand times before. What about these ‘heroes’? Trust me, heroes die all the time. One in a thousand… that’s understating it. They’re simply called victims then.”

Everypony’s eye had turned to Limit Breaker, waiting for his response. Surprisingly, the young stallion seemed to mull over what he heard. For a few seconds, his dark red colours and the striking gold eyes, combined with the extremely rare serious look on his face, made him look far older and dangerous than he normally did.

“So… what you’re saying is that heroes might be brave, but chances are that they will fail and die. They do their best and they die because or despite that…” he hesitantly said.

“Yes!” Raegdan had a look of relief.

Limit Breaker however wasn’t finished yet. “... But they don’t stop trying. Meanwhile the bad guys might be cowards and live, but only until the heroes finally get them.”

“What? No, that’s not- How do you even figure that, you little idiot?” Raegdan yelled.

“Pfft, that’s all obvious,” Limit Breaker said, waving his hoof. “And everypony knows that heroes win anyway because even if the villain wins he still loses. Bad guys can’t win because they lost from the very beginning. That’s basic stuff. I mean, do you even know of a villain or monster that died of old age or happy?”

“But—”

“Besides,” Limit Breaker continued, smiling brightly once more and without realizing how much his debate opponent had deflated. “Doesn’t really matter, does it? Whatever we did before or thought or whatever you or Trailblazer says. We are here to be heroes, just like Princess Luna. She protected ponies a long time ago, didn’t she?”

Raegdan’s face twisted in a sullen grimace. “Yeah. And you know where that got her?”

Limit Breaker looked around him. “Right here? I mean, she’s back to fighting monsters, right? Then that means that she’s a hero, and since we’re in her team we will be as well! Doing the right thing because it’s right, no matter how scary or hard it is.”

Clapping began behind him. Stalwart Shield, Sea Breeze, and Broken Gust were applauding him. Even Short Order was doing a discreet, half hearted slow clapping, a half smile etched on the elder pony under his eyepatch.

Though all of them could see the dazed expression on whatever could be seen of Raegdan’s face, between his cloth mask and the bandages over his eye, none of them was close enough to hear the whisper that made it out of his lips. None, except Leaf Stream.

“Luna is a… hero?”

Limit Breaker was lifting his hooves in the air, accepting the applause and bowing down. Sea Breeze put a leg around his neck and pulled the shorter stallion close to her. “Okay, kiddo. You deserve a reward for vanquishing my jitters. If we have apples I shall make you fritters.”

“We do. Come, I’ll show you,” Short Order said, leading the way.

“Hey, if there’s time maybe you can make enough for everypony? I’ll help,” Stalwart Shield offered, tagging along.

Broken Gust got up as well, but delayed a bit to pause next to Leaf Stream. “So, uh, you can fit two in a tent you know. If you squeeze really tight…”

“No.”

“Which one is your tent?” Broken Gust asked, making sweet eyes at the crippled pegasus.

“None. I’ll sleep in the Everfree. Find a manticore and hug it for the sake of my virtue.”

Broken Gust giggled. “Well, if you change your mind, mine is the last one in the second row.”

“Towards the forest?” Leaf Stream asked. Broken Gust nodded, her whole being filled with hope and anticipation. “Great. Thanks for letting me know.” So I can avoid it, she thought.

The Thestral winked at Leaf Stream and left, swivelling her tail and flank. Leaf Stream hid her eyes behind her hoof and wondered if maybe she was some kind of evil, serial murderer in her past life and karma was finally catching up.

Leaf Stream waited until she was sure everypony else had gone, following the promise of freshly made apple fritters, and then turned back to the figure that seemed to dominate her life lately. “So. What’s new?” she casually asked.

“I’m really, really tired of being ignored in favor of believing in butterflies and rainbows waiting at the end of every road,” Raegdan answered, resting the back of his head against the tree trunk. “This? They’ll end up believing it, and they’ll get hurt. You know it’s not like that. How come you didn’t say anything anyway? I’m surprised you didn’t comment at all. That isn’t like you.”

“I was busy thinking deep thoughts,” Leaf Stream said, shrugging.

Raegdan snorted, spitting some of the water he kept in his mouth. He wiped it from his shirt without success. “You? What were you thinking about?”

“Mostly how amazingly inclusive we are to the disabled. Between you, me, Short Order, Gobrend, Sea Breeze, Smoke Ring, and Stalwart Shield we got quite a few cripples. Heck, I’m sure there’s something wrong with Blank Slate as well. There’s gotta be a reason he keeps wearing that damned… cardigan or whatever it is. Now that I think about it, Princess Luna should count as well. Maybe we should rename it to the Broken Guard.”

That was a complete lie of course. What she had been thinking of was the mess they had found out about. Specifically, she had been wrangling her brains to figure out some way for everypony to come out unscathed. All she got out of it was stress, stress, and then, as if that wasn’t enough, she felt stressed. Like she needed any more of that.

“Stalwart and Smoke Ring aren’t. There’s nothing wrong with them, is there?” Raegdan pointed out, drawing Leaf Stream out of her thoughts.

“Give me a couple of days,” Leaf Stream growled. Raegdan chuckled.

“By the way, I got something to give you.” She grabbed the envelope out of her small saddlebag. With her wings gone she found she needed someplace to stash small stuff, and was never a fan of stashing it in her mane like some idiots who had a pillowcase of a mane tended to do.

Raegdan took it, wiping the edge she had bitten it from even if she left no saliva at all. “This has already been opened,” he commented.

“Hey, great news. Your eye works fine. Yeah, I checked out what it says so I could be sure we wouldn’t have any problems with all that crap you told me. Sue me for taking measures.”

He took the paper out of the envelope and started reading, turning so he could get as much of the fire’s light to illuminate the contents. There were two letters inside the envelope. One written by a dragon’s claws and one by a pony’s magic. Leaf Stream had already read both, so she wasn’t surprised to see him crumple them and roughly shove them in one of his pockets.

“I forgot little flame’s birthday…” he muttered, covering his face with one palm.

“It’s not that bad all considered,” Leaf Stream said. “It’s not like you could go to the party, being on the mend and all. Besides, they covered for you, right? Princess Celestia sent a present with your name on it, and Twilight forged a letter that you supposedly wrote wishing him happy birthday. It’s obvious he bought it judging from this thank you letter. All you have to do is pretend that was all from you next time you see him. Just a few more lies. You are good at those,” she added with contempt.

“I forgot little flame’s birthday,” Raegdan repeated. He took a deep breath and stood up. “I’d like to stay alone for the rest of the night if you don’t mind. I’ve got to do my exercises and... just want to stay alone. Please.”

Leaf Stream wasn’t sure how wise that was. “You aren’t going to try and follow Princess Luna in the Everfree or anything, are you? Cause then it’s my flank on the line.”

“No, don’t worry,” he said, waving her away even as he started walking. “I’m gonna be around, and I think I… I‘ll stick around. Luna said stay? I’ll stay. Go with the others. Have some fun. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure you’ll be ‘fine’?” Leaf Stream asked, doubtfully.

“I don’t know. We’ll see, I guess. I’ll see you later. ...Leaf Stream?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m… sorry for piling all our crap on all of you.”

Leaf Stream humphed and turned her head away. “Yeah, well, it’s my job, and anything other than keeping silent and it’s others who get screwed. What did you expect us to do?”

“I… I don’t know,” he said, his shoulders hanging. He stood up straight. “Leaf Stream… Do you think I’m losing them?” he asked, patting the pocket where he stashed the letters. “Or can I still hold on to them for a little while longer?”

“Seriously? I think you already did. This…” she raised her hoof displaying him, top to bottom, “can’t keep friends or family. I don’t know what they saw in you before, but I’m sure it wasn’t what you are now. Nah. You haven’t got a chance.”

Raegdan didn’t answer. He stood there for a moment, looking down on the fallen, empty envelope on the ground, then shrugged and turned away, slowly vanishing in the darkness, absently humming a sad song. Leaf Stream watched him go, doing her best to convince herself that he was only being dramatic. The bastard was fine as rain. He just acted out like that, wanting pity. She’s had it up to here with him. She’d check on him later on. Just to make sure the princess didn’t blame her for not obeying her orders. Nothing else.

She should look up what kids liked to read as far as comics went when they got back to Canterlot. That little dragon wouldn’t shut up about these stupid magazines. If Raegdan sent a few of these to the little firestarter then-

Oh, what did she even care? Let him burn.

She marched off to find the others, so she could watch their work and sample it. Fritters, and lording over others. That was the life. Who cared about Raegdan’s stupid personal problems? The guy was a total waste of space. Let him dig his hole even deeper.

Power Ponies. Yeah, that’s what the little lizard wouldn’t shut up about. She made a mental note to remember it.

He actually said sorry… Huh. Who would have guessed?

The consensus was to keep following Princess Luna, and try their luck a little deeper in the forest. They had all hyped up too much, waiting for the fight with the Timber Wolves, and to have it end like that was anticlimactic. Instructor Stampede said it best anyway; Were they here to be Lunar Guards or not? Any monster they hunted down was one less that could threaten ponies. They hadn’t chosen this place completely at random. North of here was the road that lead east from Canterlot and it approached the Everfree Forest more than any other location. If anything decided to move outside the Forest then it would put ponies in danger. A little culling here wouldn’t be amiss.

At least, that was the plan. None of them ignored the fact that most of them had zero practical experience, and that there was a chance that they might be biting more than they can chew. But this was what they had chosen to do, and they might as well follow it through to the end and prove it wasn’t a flight of fancy.

Now Rainbow Dash on the other hoof didn’t have all that binding her here. She could leave any moment, and Luna had in fact told her that she could go if she chose to. Rainbow Dash chose to stay though. She was here to learn as well, and this seemed to be the best opportunity she had.

A picture in her head of her five friends facing something they had no idea how to deal with because Rainbow Dash turned tail also took part in the decision. She wasn’t here just to learn how to defend herself. She was here to learn how to defend her friends.

Rainbow Dash carefully stepped over a crawling vine, careful not to make contact with any of the jagged, spear shaped leaves. She passed a quiet warning to Tick and Tack behind her, same as Shaded Swirl did to her and Cast Iron.They kept up a slow pace, and were trying to keep a relatively low profile.

She heard Trixie warn Sunrise Storm behind her as Rainbow checked her side again, watching for any shadows that failed to move with the swaying branches, just like Luna told them. There was a large boulder cresting a small rise, and as they went around it she noticed that something had sculpted a deep line on it.

“Hey, what do you guys think did that?” she said, raising her voice and pointing.

Everypony stopped to look. The boulder was huge, perhaps twice a minotaur’s height, and over twice that in length. A completely straight line had been horizontally carved on it, but as they got closer Rainbow Dash realized that this had happened a long time ago. Time, wind, and rain had smoothed it over, and thick lichen grew inside the cavity.

Luna came back to see what they were looking and froze at the sight.

“Princess? Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You know what did this?”

Luna blinked and shook her head. “I- yes. I did that. A long time ago. Stars, we’re here? So close?” She looked around, her head whipping in every direction. “The trees haven’t changed at all. They should have grown, shouldn’t they?”

“Some old story?” Rainbow Dash guessed out loud.

“Indeed. A very old one,” Luna answered. She was lost in thought, staring in the darkness of another direction that the one they were heading into. “If we’re so close, then… We’re changing course. There is something we must do,” she ordered.

“Is this wise?” Eventide asked, doubtfully. “We will be heading deeper into the Everfree.”

“Not much. We’re almost there. This is important.” Luna started walking, and everypony followed behind her.

There were a few mystified, exchanged glances, but nopony protested. Solid Charge broke off from the line briefly to make sure everypony kept to their places, as well as check them up briefly. When he was done he returned to his place in the front of the line.

“Princess,” he asked, gruffly. “What exactly are we looking for?”

“A body.” Luna’s horn lit, and a barely perceptible light appeared over the ground. “Hole here, everypony watch out.”

“What body?”

Luna kept silent for a few moments. “When I first assembled the Lunar Guard comprised of Thestrals, we came here. Somepony had witnessed something… very strange according to rumors, and I wanted to take a look.”

“I’ll take a wild guess and say it was some monster,” Smoke Ring said.

“Correct,” Luna absently answered. “More than one. They came from the deeper regions of the Everfree, breeding all the while, and were slowly heading outside.”

“What were they?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Luna shrugged. “Who knows? I never saw them before or again. Most of what comes from the depths of the Everfree is unique. Most of them were young, or still weak and inexperienced, and we defeated them easily. All except one. It was not as large as some as the others, but it was extremely cunning and ferocious. We pushed it under a ridge, and planned to crumble the whole thing over it, but one of my guards got injured. His name was Steel Edge. He wasn’t really a warrior, not on the level of the rest. He was along mostly to maintain weapons and for his technical expertise. A quartermaster of sorts whose skills would allow us to spend more time on the road.”

“I know this name,” Drum Beat said, clearly in awe. “I remember it from the stories. It’s hard to believe they were actually real. His clan died out four hundred years ago. It was then that the rest of the surviving clans all merged together.”

The Alicorn continued as if Drum Beat never interrupted her. “I tried to reach for him. I really did, but the cliff was already breaking off, and the creature loomed over him. I tried a spell I’d never tested. It’s purpose was to replace his current location with one he occupied ten seconds ago. It was a failure. The spell blew in my face, launching me back and away from him. Next thing I know, Blooming Spiral was shaking me awake. Both the creature and Steel Edge were under the rocks. We didn’t know if the creature was dead or just trapped, and we were all hurt. We left Steel Edge there.”

They trundled through the forest in silence. Blank Slate spoke up. “We’re going to recover what is left, are we not?”

“Yes.”

“It will be good to finally give him peace after so long,” Sunrise Storm said from the back.

“Over a thousand years, rotting under the rocks. Yes, he deserves better,” Luna said, speaking quietly. “They all did.”

“May we ask what happened to the rest of the Lunar Guard, Princess Luna?” Red Dawn asked. Rainbow glanced at the Thestrals and wasn’t surprised to see them all stay quiet.

Luna stopped walking for a moment, her whole body flexing. A second later she was walking again. “They all died. Six days later. There worse things than what you can find in here. Evil so twisted and vile, far worse than what even the Everfree can ever hope to produce.”

As Luna said, it didn’t take them that long to reach their destination. They stopped at the top of a hilled part of the forest, looking down at a short cliff. If this was the place that Luna meant, then there were no traces of any collapse remaining. The forest had reclaimed everything. Trees grew down below them, and even a few had sprouted out of the cliff face as well, their trunks curving upwards among roots from the trees above.

They silently made their way down to discover that any search would be useless. There were no rocks or boulders to be seen. The ground was nothing but soil and vegetation, covered with rotting leaves, branches and foliage, but otherwise smooth as the rest of the forest had been.

Luna was standing at the edge of the area she had designated, examining the landscape with wide eyes, while some of the guards walked around looking for some point to start while others were spread around by Solid Charge and Stampede as sentries to form a small perimeter. Rainbow Dash flew close to Luna, and landed next to her.

“It doesn’t seem as there’s much we can do, Princess. I mean, we can’t dig with spears, can we?”

“No, you’re right of course. I just thought that- I hoped I could make this a little right somehow,” Luna said, sadly.

“Hey, don’t give up!” Rainbow Dash immediately said. “We can come again later with some shovels or something now that we know where it is. Trust me, I know we have a few back at the camp. It’s a big space though. It will take some time. Where will we even start?”

“Hmm? Oh, no worries. I think I remember where.” Luna walked ahead, heading towards the face of the cliff. “Steel Edge stood somewhere around here. The creature was right over- whoah!”

The ground shook. At first Rainbow Dash thought it was an earthquake, but none of the trees around them moved. Whatever was happening it was straight below them. She jumped in the air again, and Luna joined her, flying less than a meter over the ground. The earth groaned and heaved, and then it split.

Dust soared in a cloud around them, and the earth rose up. Up and up it went, like a pillar. Rainbow realized the truth too late. That wasn’t the ground rising up. It was brown and black, covered and mostly made out of leaves, sticks, and rotting compost, with some mud flowing in between, like cement. It glistened wet under the little light they had, its surface looking surprisingly organic and alive.

A… thing stood before them. It was shaped like a minotaur or… No. It was shaped like Raegdan. There was nothing resembling horns on the featureless lump that served as a head, and its proportions were more like that of Raegdan than any minotaur or Diamond Dog. It took a step, and Rainbow Dash noticed, with eyes that suddenly took in every detail, from how the leaves on it shone to how the mud it was made of kept swirling, that the legs bent just like Raegdan’s. It was as if somepony took a heap of mud and made the crudest possible imitation of him.

It stood over twice as tall as Raegdan, thick and solid looking despite the soft materials it was made of. It looked around it. Rainbow could tell that it did, even though it had no eyes, just slight dips that she supposed were its eyes or sockets. It’s body swiveled, and the mud head on top turned this way and that. Something appeared for a fraction of a second under the head, an orb of sorts, less that half the size of the creature’s head. It was white or possibly a faint yellow, grinning madly.

Rainbow Dash felt her stomach rumble and threaten to heave.

“It’s alive… How can it still be alive?” Luna whispered. “Why… Why is it here now? Why now of all times?”

“What the bleeding Tartarus is that fucking thing?” Tick screamed at the top of her lungs.

The creature, that moving gunk of forest waste, found what it was looking for. Cast Iron was fallen prone near it, shaken off his hooves by the quake it caused. The forest gunk bent down, a crude hand reaching out for him.

“Oh, heck no, you disgusting forest gunk,” Rainbow Dash said. She flew for it, even as it took hold of Cast Iron. It didn’t try to lift him up. The forest gunk simply held him while part of its mass flowed down the trunk-like arm, covering Cast Iron little by little. The minotaur struggled to get free, but the creature had gripped him well.

Rainbow Dash planned to kick that thing, distract it and give Cast Iron an opportunity to escape. Her plan was foiled with a sickening splat. She sunk deep into the soft body of the creature. It was soft when she flew into it at least. As soon as she tried to escape it started hardening, trapping her into it.

She wrestled with it, trying to move her wings, her hooves. She fought to kick with the legs that were trapped in it, but couldn’t even move them. Her front legs were out, but it was like she was hitting hard mud, and the disgusting, swamping foliage flowed back to repair any damage.

Something burned. A heat started around the portion that was embedded into the forest gunk’s body, quickly becoming painful. It burned, and it grew hotter, but it didn’t feel like fire, more like hot water, hotter than anything she could imagine, and she felt the one wing caught in it hurt, hurt like she had dipped it in acid or something like that-

“Don’t you hurt them! Don’t you dare hurt them! Don’t touch them!”

Luna shot like a comet, screaming and with eyes lit on fire. She aimed for the arm of the forest gunk, and just like Rainbow she sunk into it. Before the creature had enough time to solidify Luna bent her neck and buried her long horn into it. Light grew in intensity from the inside of the creature, the foliage it was comprised of turning it a sickly green. A second later the part where Luna was dissolved. The rest of the arm, from the elbow and below, lost its rigidity and rained down nothing but wet mud. Cast Iron quickly stood up, and Solid Charge was by his side dragging him back. The minotaur was smoking, and he seemed to have lost some of his coat, his naked skin red and raw.

“Get Rainbow Dash! Get her out of there!” Cast Iron shouted, coughing and paying more attention to the pegasus than himself.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t free herself. She screamed in pain. She could feel blisters forming on her skin under her coat as the heat became overbearing.

“Rainbow! Hold on, I’m coming!” Luna shouted. She shot again, and sunk right next to Rainbow. “Get ready to jump off!” she called out, and repeated the process, sinking her horn into the chest of the monster.

Rainbow felt her teeth vibrate, similar to how it felt when you hummed and slowly brought your teeth together, only dozens of times stronger. The ‘flesh’ of the creature didn’t break down like it did before but became springy and soft. It felt like she was swimming in jello, and Rainbow doubted she would be able to escape in time until Luna placed her legs behind Rainbow’s. Now she had something to push back against, allowing her to leap out of the thick sludge.

Rainbow fell on the ground and felt hands dragging her back. She looked up, hopeful for a second that Raegdan was there to kill that thing, but it was just Raven who pulled her away with his paws.

She glanced at her wing. Her coat was smoking as well, and it had shortened and curled as if it had been burnt. Her feathers were a disaster. Most of them had melted somehow, and everything hurt as if she had been tumbling about in poison ivy.

Luna was still caught. The creature’s swampy flesh solidified again, trapping the Alicorn. Luna tried to bend her head to stab her horn into the chest again, but Rainbow’s escape had moved her, and now she simply wasn’t positioned right to do that.

“Princess! Get out, now!” Stampede shouted, the elderly earth pony looking distraught for the first time.

The Alicorn tried to do that, moving left and right, but she was completely trapped. Nothing but her head was visible. The creature ducked lower, touched the remains of its arm, and became whole again, the mucous-like half-mud, half-flesh knitting together with the sound of wet slurping. It stood up, unharmed, and with Luna captured in its chest, gazing down on them.

Luna stopped fighting. “Get out!” she yelled, desperate. “Run, get out of the forest! You have to warn Raegdan and my sister, it will eat, grow, breed and spread if left alone. Leave me, I can take care of myself. Run! Run no- Aaaaah!” Luna screamed, and Rainbow knew that the thing was doing what she did to her and Cast Iron before.

“We can’t leave her here!” Rainbow Dash shouted, pleading. “We can’t!”

Solid Charge looked behind him. Everypony was gathered together, watching the Princess scream in pain and ordering them to run. Solid Charge glanced at the forest gunk creature, then Cast Iron, then them, and then back at the Princess. He only delayed a second before he made his decision.

“Lunar Guard….” he called out in his gravel voice.

“Attack!”

Not all of the muck had been absorbed back to the giant creature. A small puddle stood unmoving, and with the attention of everypony turned to its parent, it started to crawl away, an amorphous blob that quickly scaled up the cliff under the cover of darkness.

It followed the scent of the creatures below, following the path they came from. A smell of blood attracted it, and it dug into the earth, revealing the broken body of a snake. The blob took it into it, and soon it had dissolved and the blob was no longer a blob. It’s crude serpentine body slithered faster, travelling more efficient than it did before. It was larger as well. It kept following the trail, rushing for the outside where the hunt was plentiful and easier.

A few small animals happened on its way. They were taken too, the smell of earth and forest not alerting them to its position. The muck-made creature kept going, now in the shape of a humongous scorpion almost the size of a pony, the tiny bug too slow to avoid its death.

It made it out of the forest.

In the distance it saw fires burning, and it knew it would find more meat there. Meat that would make it grow. Make it stronger. Make it divide and spread.