October 1st.

The Everfree Forest is truly a wonder.

In any other place in Equestria, you always know what is going to happen. A rainstorm at three. A slight shower at 6. Like clockwork, every single day. But, in the Everfree Forest, you don't know what is going to happen. "The Everfree Forest, where the weather controls itself and the animals live on their own". Unfortunatley, some ponies don't understand that that is what gives the Everfree Forest it's beauty. In addition to the beautiful plants and exotic animals, the Everfree Forest is unpredictable.

But something is out of place, even for a forest where unpredictibility is natural.

The animals are running. Some ordinary pony might take it as a migration or a hunt, but I know better than that. They're scared by something...and that isn't a good sign. When a manticore or a timberwolf are running from danger, something bad is happening. Not anything I can figure out just yet, but if I do i'll update the journel as soon as I can. Angel must be getting tired by now...

October 2nd.

I found something today I never thought I would see in my life. A manticore with a hole in it, covered in it's own blood.

Sure, anypony can take down a manticore. All that takes is some courage and a spear, but you can't rip a hole in it's stomach. Even after I got over the shock, I couldn't piece it together. So I called Twi and some detectives with superior autopsy tools. What they found was more disturbing; the wound had come from the inside.

Whatever had killed it, it literally burst through the stomach of the manticore from the inside of the body. No animal I know, even outside of Equestria, can do that. Not even a parasprite could do such a thing. So, naturally, the investigation team was perplexed. I hope nothing else like this happens ever again. I couldn't stand looking at such an abomination ever again. Apperently, the same team will be using magic to get better results. I hope I can sleep tonight...

October 3rd.

The results came back, and now the investigators are even more puzzled than theey had been before. Instead of giving answers, the results gave more questions.

Nothing had entered the Manticore's body. No trace of parasprites or ponies from inside the Manticore. Whatever had done this must have magically put the back piece of the Manticore back together from when they put the hole through it. This is now a full scientific investigation.

I just hope that nothing else has to die. I haven't found anything on my recent treks to the forest, but I have a feeling whatever did this isn't going to stop. The thing that puzzles me the most is not how a hole is in a manticore...

What did who or whatever did it want?

October 4th.

They're going to send out an investigation team, And they asked me to come with them.

I see why they want me to, but...I don't want anything to do with that monster. Nothing. If whatever or whoever it was can tear a hole through a manticore, than how fast could it tear a hole through me?

I didn't want them to get completely lost, so I wrote them up a map. I showed them the key points of the forest, including where I found the manticore. I just hope that they come out okay. I could never live it down if one of them died...

I went down to the library after I found out to tell everypony what was going on, so they can catch up with me and Twi. They all have theories of what the thing is, and they all sound absurd.

Rainbow Dash thinks it's some sort of tall, skinny urban legend thing that she's sure exists. Based on her description, I hope she isn't right...

Pinkie Pie thinks it's a snake as big as the world that bakes ponies into cupcakes. She's just being Pinkie Pie...

Rarity thinks it's a pony. That was my last guess, since a pony can't blow a hole through a manticore no matter how magically talented it is. When I pointed this out, she agreed and couldn't think of anything else.

Applejack believes it was timberwolves in packs. While she could be right, I pointed out to her that I saw them running away just a day before the manticore was found. She, like Rarity, couldn't think of another Explanation.

Twilight believes it is mere coincidence and that a lightning bolt hit the manticore, tearing a hole straight through it. I'm not an expert on lightning, so this seemed like the only logical reason...

But, was lightning that powerful? And what about the blood? While my mouth agreed, by brain was still suspicious...

October 5th.

The investigation team still hasn't come out yet. They could be dead. We don't know their whereabouts. I gave them a map, so how could they have gotten lost? I just can't except the explanation that they're gone...what could possibly want to hurt us? We never did anything wrong...

October 6th.

The investigation team went in with 7 ponies.

They came back with one, and he could barely speak.

He was saying things about how it was "The end", and how "it" would come for us all. His face was disfigured and a long gash ran down his stomach...

Angel can tell I'm worried. I'll have to be more brave about this from now on, so he doesn't get nervous. You don't like it when Angel gets nervous. My other animals notice, too. At least they're safe from all of this...

We don't know what to do. Celestia wants to send armed ponies in the forest. Luna disagrees, saying that whatever it was had to be left alone. I don't know what to do, I just want this creature gone. It's traumatizing everypony. We don't know what it is, we don't know what it wants...we don't know anything.

October 7th.

A pony went missing.

Her name was Roseluck. She sold roses in Ponyville square, and she went by the Everfree forest to pick some new ones. She vanished shortly afterwards.

If she vanished near the Everfree, what about inside of it? I talked to Zecora about it yesterday, and she says she hasn't seen it at all. I hope she's okay now...

This thing is putting everypony in ponyville in danger. It is a menace, it is a beast, and it is causing harm physically and mentally to ponies here. A desicion that I didn't want to make has finally come. I must do it for the safety of my friends and for others.

I leave tommorow.