“My hooves hurt.” Weatherstorm whined, gingerly applying a little more pressure on his injured leg. A sharp, burning sensation erupted every time it met with the uneven dirt path.

“Quit your whining,” Belove barked, his voice slicing through the cold. “We’ve only been walking for ten minutes. You have wings – use them.”

Weatherstorm pouted. “If I were whining you would know about it. And my wings are quite sore to boot.”

“I’ll boot you in a minute, all right. Shut up.” Belove growled. He certainly was not in the happiest mood tonight.

“Well, I apologise if my physical wellbeing is not paramount in your quest for fame, Belove, but you were adamant that I attend this little party and, as such, I expect you to pay full attention to any moan, gripe or complaint that passes my lips.” He lifted off his hooves and carried himself upwards, hovering a little off of the ground. He didn’t allow Belove to see the smirk develop across his face: annoying his friend was one of his favourite pastimes, especially during travel.

Ignoring the mild verbal scuffle behind him, Starfire lapped in the scenery. Flat, green fields, the grass neatly trimmed to perfection, surrounded him on both sides. Occasionally, the sunburst corn fields and golden wheat plantations were interrupted by another red-wood farmhouse. One farm stood out in particular, sitting proudly on a hill in the distance like a monarch on a throne, a solitary barn and farmhouse overlooking miles of apple orchards. Ponyville was already a pretty rural town, but they had really entered the countryside now. Living as a city pony for so long, it took Starfire’s breath away: he had never seen anything like it. Rolling emerald hills, fresh flat pastures, glowing carrot gardens... the whole image was captivating. The moon had certainly never looked as big as this in Fillydelphia. The city-pony took in a nice, big gulp of fresh, clean country air: it was thick and heavy, and even TASTED different than city air – like he could bite off and chew huge mouthfuls of oxygen. He swallowed another helping before he leaned in close to Cananor, silently trotting beside him, and whispered, “Why does he speak like that?”

Cananor shook his head a little, as though shaking himself free of a daydream. “Wh- What?”

“Weatherstorm, I mean.” Explained the blonde-maned one. “Why does he speak like that?”

Cananor shrugged. “Like what?”

“Like... THAT.” Starfire lowered his voice a little more so he was out of hearing range of the pony in question. The ears of corn leaned closer, eavesdropping their conversation. “I mean, it isn’t natural, is it? Surely he puts it on.”

“You know...” Cananor pondered. “I never noticed before. I guess you just get used to it after a while.”

“But... I mean, nopony ACTUALLY talks like that, do they? I’ve heard citizens of Canterlot with more brazen accents than him.” Starfire hushed.

“I hope you fine gents know that I can hear every word you are saying as clear as a crisp spring morning back here.”

The unicorn shut up after that.

The further they walked, the smaller Ponyville became, until finally the little ball of light in the night faded from view completely. The land began to rise up at a gradient, the sloping hills slowly overpowering the flat fields. More trees began to spring up, new saplings poking their curious heads up through the fertile soil like a mole. One could only wonder how long they would last with no sunlight. Farmhouses thinned out until, a few minutes later, they disappeared completely, thus signifying an end to civilisation and a beginning to the wild unknown.

Starfire felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead as he climbed the almost vertical hill, making sure to dig his hooves into the crumbling dirt path least he tumble down and have to restart his ascent. ‘I’m... I’m not really this out of shape, am I?’

At least he wasn’t the only pony struggling. Derky and Weatherstorm were both finding the steep ascent a strain on their wings, and Cananor’s face was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. Only Belove, who had moved ahead to the front of the party, didn’t seem all that bothered by the mountainous path. Being a serving member of the Ponyville guard, an organisation would often partake in hikes across landscapes such as this, he was comfortable trotting along uneven territories for long periods of time when compared to his friends. He stopped at the top of the hill, giving the area below a quick scan, before turning back to his slowpoke friends and yelling down, “Hurry up! You’ll want to see this!”

The other four stallions huffed and puffed their way to the top of the hill, and were met by a majestic sight: all of Equestria lay before them. The Everfree forest sprawled out below them, a sea of trees, spanning untold miles. The forest floor itself was obscured by the thick, luscious tree canopy. Far in the distance, the capital city of Canterlot jutted out from the side of a mountain, water trickling down the rock face. The great Pegasi city Cloudsdale floated effortlessly to the far West, gleaming white columned temples atop a gleaming white cloud. Beyond this grand spectacle sat the town of Hoofington, Starfire’s home of Fillydelphia and Manehatton city to the East coast and Appleloosa to the Western deserts. Of course, all that these settlements appeared as were faint lights no larger than a pin, but their distance did not lessen the beauty of the view.

The group took a few minutes to soak in the sights.

“You don’t get views like that in the city, do you Starfire?” Cananor beamed, taking in the countryside.

“Nope. I was lucky to even see the sky downtown through the smoke.” Starfire replied.

“I apologise, but that’s nothing,” Weatherstorm disrupted the two. “The view one gets from Cloudsdale is nothing short of fantastical. The scenery is guaranteed to take your breath away. Don’t you agree, Derky?”

“The altitude took my breath away.” Derky said with a deathly serious face. “There wasn’t enough oxygen up there.”

Belove tapped his hoof impatiently. “If you ladies are quite finished...?”

They slowly and cautiously made their way down the other side of the hill towards the forest. After rounding another corner, a small woodland cottage came into view. It sat just outside the forest, on the sloped bank of a narrow stream that cut the earth in two, connected to the main path by a small and grassy bridge. Heaps of grass and hay grew over the roof and spooled out over the arched doorway, bursting from the gutters and sprawling over the windowsills. Bird-feeders and nests clung to the sides of the house, like the infestation of ivy which crept up the cream-coloured walls like snakes. Several trees encircled the residence, most acting as posts from which bee hives hung, surrounding the little mound-like-house in nature. A wooden gate, paint peeling from the splintery surface, lay open. No light shone from any of the windows.

Cananor ‘humpfed’ disappointingly. “It’s a cottage,” he said to Belove. “What’s the big deal? We're not going property hunting just yet.”

Belove hurried over to the front of the house, the old gate creaking as it swung open. “Don’t you know who this house belongs to? Fluttershy.”

“Well, good for Fluttershy.” Joked the unicorn. “What’s your point?”

The guard rolled his eyes and put on his best detective face. “Fluttershy was one of the six mares who went missing two nights ago. I say we do a wee bit of snooping around, see if we can’t find some clues as to what happened to them.” He walked up and tried the mahogany half-door, twisting the knob one way and then the other. It wouldn’t budge. “Locked,” he mumbled. “We’ll need to try and find another way in.”

Weatherstorm hesitated for a moment, nervous blue eyes dating left to right behind his glasses. “Excuse me, but isn’t this technically breaking and entering? I haven’t studied law as in depth as, say, Cananor here, but I’m fairly sure that’s illegal.”

Cananor laughed at the concept of ‘studying.’ When he had attended Law College, that was the last thing he did. Still, he was with Weatherstorm on this one. The idea of breaking the law wasn't a pleasant one. "I think he's right. I don't want to start my career as an adventurer by breaking into houses. It's not in the official hero handbook, last time I checked."

Belove scoffed off the idea of petty morality. “Listen, the place looks pretty abandoned. If it could help us find Nightmare Moon quicker, I say we bend the rules a little. Besides,” he tipped his helmet. “Who’s going to arrest us, sure? I AM the law.”

The others laughed at that. Belove wasn’t happy.

Starfire leaned in close to the window, wiping away cobwebs with his hoof. He pressed his nose against the glass, squinting into the dark interior. It was pitch black inside, too dull to make anything out, but he was sure he could see shadows moving in the gloom...

Weatherstorm stepped over another broken chicken coop as he made his way across the back yard. It was obvious that Fluttershy was keeping a poultry farm of sorts. There were no chickens present in the garden, but traces of them; white feathers lay scattered across the grass, blowing silently in the wind, leading up to the Everfree Forest. Perhaps when their master did not return, the feathered fiends took a desperate break for freedom...?

Turning his attention back to the house, Weatherstorm noticed that the back door was slightly ajar. The journalist carefully sidestepped a jagged roll of chicken wire protruding from the earth and wrapped his wing around the door knob. The brass was cool to the touch and sent a little shiver down his back.

With one sharp tug, the door swung open with a groan and Weatherstorm found himself face to face with a bear.

The bear, obviously as surprised as the pony, widened its wild eyes in surprise and dropped his teacup, saucer and all, ceramic smashing on the hard tiled floor in a pool of tea.

Weatherstorm casually closed the door in its face. He hastily walked off, wiping his glasses with the back of his wing. He definitely needed a new pair.

He placed the black, square rimmed spectacles back onto the end of his nose, adjusting the temples and earpieces over his flicking ears. It was then that he saw them: hoofprints in the grass, six pairs, all lined up neatly in a row. They lead into the Everfree Forest. He bent over and examined them closer, blades of fresh green grass tickling his muzzle. A little ladybird scuttled across one set of hoofprints that caught the Pegasus’ attention in particular: they were so dainty and light, barely disturbing the grass at all. They could belong to none other than Miss Rarity of the Carousel Boutique.

“Gentlecolts!” Weatherstorm called out to his friends, who were still trying to find a way to break into the cottage. “Excuse me, gentlecolts, but I appear to have found something of interest!”

Belove’s voice floated over the roof. “Is it a way in?”

“Actually, yes, but I would advise against it. I have, however, found something even better: that would be, the exact entry point of the previous party who entered the forest.”

There was a flurry of movement, and suddenly Weatherstorm was surrounded by excitable stallions.

“Hoofprints!” Belove squealed, his deep voice cracking a little. He cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, before continuing. “They’re pretty fresh, only made a few days...”

“Nights,” Starfire corrected him.

Belove shot him a dirty look. “...Nights ago. If we follow these prints through the forest, they could lead us straight to Nightmare Moon!”

“Or straight to our doom.” Starfire chirped in again. “Don’t you realise that following the tracks of six ponies that disappeared might lead us to the same fate?”

“He’s right,” Cananor sided with his fellow unicorn. “It would be like walking into a Ursa Major's mouth because it's holding a sign saying 'Warm and roomy.' Besides, you know the way, don’t you, Starfire? You know where Nightmare Moon is hiding out, yeah?”

Starfire shifted uncomfortably from one hoof to the other. “Well, I mean... I did say I knew a bit about her, and her... weaknesses, didn’t I?” He turned to Weatherstorm. “Didn’t I?”

Weatherstorm nodded. “Indeed you did.”

The look he gave Starfire was impossible for him to describe; it wasn’t really a smile, or a frown, but a stern sort of expression that said, ‘I know, Starfire.’

The unicorn gulped.

“But chalk this down as a rare occurrence, because for once, I actually agree with Belove. These tracks are recent, and will lead us directly to the missing mares. I say we follow them.”

Cananor sighed. “You’re just saying that because you’re so infatuated with Rarity that it clouds your judgement.”

Weatherstorm denied the allegations.

“Derky, we need your vote.” Belove called out to the Pegasus who was busy having a fight with a bunny over a carrot.

“Huh?” the ginger maned stallion turned his attention to his friends, thus distracting him from the scaled-down tug of war and resulting to a miniature roundhouse kick to the face. The rabbit stuck out his mischievous tongue, bundled his prize up and hopped in through the back door, slamming it behind him.

Derky clenched his sore jaw. It clicked a few times as he talked. “What did you say?”

“I said, do you want to follow these hoofprints left behind by the six mares that lead through the forest and directly to Nightmare Moon, or do you want to pointlessly crack on along that path until we reach the proper entrance to the forest, likely miles from where we have to be. Your choice, so it is.”

“Ugh...” Derky placed a hoof under his chin in thought. “I have to go with the first one. Final answer.”

“That’s just because he made the second option sound rubbish!” Cananor protested.

“It did sound rubbish, yeah...” Derky replied, only half listening. His mind was elsewhere: ‘Stupid rabbits...’

“Well,” Belove beamed with a clasp of his hooves, a cocky smirk prevalent. “That’s three votes against two. Sorry guys, but democracy wins. We’re following the hoof-tracks.”

Starfire grunted in annoyance. Belove clearly loved getting his own way and he began to wonder who the bigger poser was: Belove or Icarus. However, he was in no position to argue. He only wished Belove would trust him a little more, but the idiot likely was still under the impression that he was a spy.

Belove walked right up to the small opening in the thick undergrowth and parted a few of the bushes with his hooves. “This way. And be quick about it,” he barked. “I don’t want Icarus catching up.” With that, he disappeared into the forest, his short tail swishing behind him.

The others hesitated, obviously not showing his degree of enthusiasm to venture into what was possibly one of the most dangerous and least documented areas of Equestria.

“The Everfree Forest,” gulped Cananor. “I’ve heard plenty of stories about this place. They say that the plants in there grow on their own or something.”

Derky nodded. “I heard that the animals are all wild. Some of them have never even seen us ponies before.”

Weatherstorm’s teeth chattered. “An old sailor once told me a tale, that the clouds move all on their own, and that weather occurs without pony intervention.”

Derky shivered. “That’s weird. That’s really, really weird.”

“Rubbish,” the unicorn lawyer laughed. “Is that the same sailor who sold you that map to the forgotten underwater treasure of the sea-ponies?”

“That could well be real.”

“It was drawn on the back of a napkin. In crayon.”

Belove burst from the bushes, nearly giving them a heart attack. “Are you lot coming or what?”

The foursome grudgingly complied, Weatherstorm flying though first, Derky following, Cananor second last, which just left Starfire. He was halfway through the shrubbery when he turned behind him and took one last look at the natural world. Where he was going was anything but natural. The bright white moon winked at him, either wishing him good luck or mocking him. The unicorn took one last bite of the country air before he entered the claustrophobic, stuffy dark of the forest.

“My wings hurt.” Weatherstorm whinged, stretching the appendages above his head.

“Quit your whinging,” Belove growled, his voice cutting though the gloom. “We’ve only been walking for half an hour. You have legs – use them.”

Weatherstorm was silent for a moment, before replying with “Deja-Vu, I believe is the correct term.”

Belove face-hoofed.

The forest was certainly like nothing Starfire had ever seen before: or rather, it would have been, had he been able to see it.

But right now, the unicorn was having trouble seeing a few feet in front of himself.

Whilst not pitch black by any standards, it was still very dark in the forest, darker than what it had been in town. There were two reasons for this: the town had an ample supply of street lights that, although they obviously did not compare to the light of the sun, still managed to illuminate the area rather well and secondly the forest was just that – a forest. Very little of the moon’s natural light managed to pierce through the thick tree canopy.

The trees themselves were, from what Starfire could make out, nothing like any trees he had ever seen before. Despite having an interest, he hardly considered himself a master botanist, and Ponyville trees were nothing like these. Hundreds stood on either side of the weed ridden forest dirt path, worn away and eroded through years of use. Some were old, dark oak trees, branches snapped and missing random patches of bark, whilst others were weeping willows, crying green tears, their long and drooping branches swaying softly in the wind which carried their silent sobs. They lined in uneven rows, thousands as far as the eye could see, stooped over the narrow pathway like gnarled sentries, watching their every step. Perhaps it was just the dark playing tricks on him, but Starfire could almost make out faces in the trunks; evil, sneering smiles...

"I don't trust these trees."

Weatherstorm made Starfire jump a little in surprise, but the pegasus didn't notice. "What did you say?" Starfire stuttered, trying to return his erratically beating heart to normal.

Weatherstorm lowered his altitude a little, as well as his voice. "These trees," he whispered in the student's ear. "I know that it sounds rather childish and ridiculous, but... I don't quite trust them."

Starfire gulped and took a look behind him. He couldn't even see the entrance anymore, his vision obscured by thick, gooey blackness. A low lying branch scraped across his cheek, like a skeletal arm clutching at him with bony, lifeless fingers. He cringed, looking back up at the branch's owner: a towering wooden torso with a devilish grin engraved in the bark, it's eye-holes narrowed in sick perverted pleasure at his fear. A gust of wind blew through it's gaping mouth, a low, guttural moan rising from within.

Everypony stopped dead.

"I don't like this." Derky exhaled heavily. "I don't like this one bit."

Weatherstorm squinted his eyes into the darkness. "I must agree. Maybe we should turn back, find another route perhaps...?"

Starfire swiveled around, trying to determine where his friends were. The desolate path seemed to be growing darker and darker by the second. "Do we even know which way is 'back'? I can't see a thing."

"Quit being such babies, lads." Belove's teeth involuntarily chattered, his voice a lot less confident that what he wanted it to be. "They're only trees."

"I'm not sure if you guys be-leaf me, but I think these trees have minds of their own." Cananor swiped at a low lying branch which was shifting closer and closer to his tail, almost trying to clasp it in it's deathly embrace.

"Please refrain from over-doing it with the puns, Cananor. It's far too early into our journey to make us want to throw ourselves off of a cliff."

"But I was root-ing for a few more..."

"Wood you stop it already? Look, you have me making puns now."

"Oak-ay. Just trying to keep the mood light. It's times like these..." he shuddered, before continuing. "It's times like these that I remember what my father told me when I was a colt."

Weatherstorm felt a claustrophobic panic attack coming on. He inhaled sharply, trying to imagine himself in a wide, open field. "And... what was that, may... I ask?"

“Shut up and be a stallion for once in your life, you wimp.”

Weatherstorm cringed. “I fail to feel particularly motivated by that.”

“Yeah, my dad is kind of useless, I know.” The lawyer shrugged it off. “That’s why Phoenix Flight became my role model instead. And I know this: he wouldn’t be scared by a few stupid trees!”

Starfire felt another stick-like finger claw at his back. He spun around to find nothing. “I... I guess so...”

“You know,” Cananor continued, “I think he once sang a song about facing your fears. It was in issue #79, part 3, ‘Courtroom of Doom’, when...”

Belove interrupted his ramblings with a cough. “If you’re going to sing, then do it. Maybe it’ll take our mind off of the walk.”

The unicorn cleared his throat. “Okay, let’s see here... How did it go again... Oh, yeah!”

There was a flourish of aqua blue, his caramel coat camouflaging him into the darkness, as Cananor leapt atop a moss-covered log and stood up on his hind legs. “Ahem.” He took a deep breath.

Another deep, mournful moan rose from one of the tree’s wooden lips. Loud, and close.

Starfire shuddered a little, but stayed put. “Okay, Cananor, what were you about to...”

Cananor was the first to flee, already galloping as fast as his hooves could carry him.

Weatherstorm was right behind him. Starfire could hear his terrified, heavy breathing. Derky clung to the Pegasus’ tail, screaming rather loudly, allowing himself to be dragged along the rocky road face first. Even his panic was droll.

Belove hesitated for a second, bouncing from hoof to hoof on the spot, calling after his fleeing friends. “Come back!” He cupped his mouth, crying out in vain. “You pack of eejits! It’s only the wind!” He punched a nearby branch. The branch punched him back.

A few seconds later he was running down the path as well, kicking up leaves behind him, wailing “Wait for me!”

Starfire would have laughed at the over-confident, self-sure soldier reduced to a gibbering foal had it not been for his own perilous situation. Another bony hand brushed across his fur, parting the fibres like a rake. Then another. Hundreds of stick- like hands reaching for him, clutching at his mane, whispering death.

“You’ll never leave,” they sang sadly, a chorus of cries. “Join us.”

Terrified, the unicorn twisted away from the fingers and ran. He wasn’t sure which way he was running: they way he had came or the way he had yet to go. Maybe the way he had yet to go was really the way he had came? Where was the path?

“Guys!” he called out, blind in the dark of the forest. Another branch poked at his cheek. Starfire screamed, a shrill, ear piercing call for help. “Guys! Where are you?”

He dared look behind himself for but a second. It was enough time to see the thousands of hollow, lifeless eyes, the frail, skeletal frames, the malevolent, murderous mouths... tree guardians following him, plotting his demise.

Starfire tripped over another rock, collapsing face-first into a heap of decaying leaves.

Where am I? Where are the others?

He certainly wasn’t on the path anymore, that was for sure. The unicorn had no idea where he was at all. Everything looked the same: old, dead trees shrouded in shadows.

He looked desperately for a way back onto the road, to no avail. The whispering grew closer. The moans grew louder.

Starfire pushed desperately against the thick black dark, twisting this way and that, futilely avoiding the ensnaring grip of the dead trees. Another branch wrapped it’s bony embrace around his tail and began to tug, pulling him backwards into the dark.

“Come with me.”

Starfire felt himself falling, and let out one final scream.

And suddenly, he was on his back, staring into the comforting eyes of one beige coated unicorn. His saviour’s aqua – green mane drooped over his horn, ticking the student’s nose. His hoof was still firmly wrapped around Starfire’s golden tail, holding it aloft like a bunch of bananas.

Starfire shook the birds and stars from his head before shakily getting to his hooves. “What is your problem?” he groggily inquired. He swatted at the last remaining bird with his hoof, which burst into nothingness. “Why did you run like that?”

Cananor sighed deeply and dropped his friend’s tail. “I don’t know... I was scared, alright? I got SPOOKED.”

Starfire took a few seconds to analyse his surroundings. At least he could see where he was, several white shafts of the moon’s glow trickling down through holes in the ceiling of leaves. He appeared to be in a small forest clearing of sorts, cut off from the rest of the forest by a wall of hedges, perfectly circular and surprisingly peaceful, colourful wildflowers standing defiant amongst the common grass. And none of the flora looked like them wanted to cause him grieves bodily harm, so that was a plus. However, despite his somewhat calming environs, Starfire couldn’t help but feel uneasy: the forest’s aura was unbalanced, natural energies locked in a conflict with magical energies. As a unicorn, a magical being that was in tune with the feel of the world, he had felt it as soon as he had crossed into the forest. The whole thing felt highly unnatural, leaving the student a little weak at the knees.

Starfire’s heart stopped as he saw the bush he had been dragged through quiver a little, leaves shaking free and floating to the soil like ghosts. The bush rustled again, louder this time.

Cananor gulped. “Either that's the wind, or we've got...”

A light blue pony burst out of the bush, tumbling head over hooves a few times before coming to a stop on his face. The stallion’s trademark spectacles careered from his nose, abseiling across the length of the green before landing in the soil with a thump. He groaned dazedly, slowly picking himself off the ground. “Excuse me, gents...” he spat out a twig. “But could one of you kindly locate my glasses? I seem to have misplaced them.”

His spectacles were levitated back to their rightful home on the end of his nose. “Thank you.”

Another crash came from above them as another Pegasus joined them, this time falling through a large Derky-shaped hole in the tree canopy. He hit the ground with an unforgiving thump. “Ugh...” he snorted, testing his wings to make sure they were still in working order. “How... how did I get up there?” They decided not to ask.

The earth pony was the last to stumble into the circle of nature, literally rolling out from under the hedge like a sleeping bag. When questioned, he merely emptied his helmet out leaves and said, “Don’t ask.”

It was when he heard the rustling of leaves for the fourth time that Starfire realised they needed to get out of there.

“Wow, that was pretty intense, right?” Cananor laughed, his voice still shaking.

“Shh!” hushed Starfire. “Can’t you hear that?”

“Indeed,” Weatherstorm agreed. “I mean, I can’t quite recall why we were fleeing again, but regardless...”

“Be quiet!” Starfire warned, his eyes locked on the hedgerow. “I think...”

“Huh,” Belove sniggered coldly. “Speak for yourself. I wasn’t fleeing. I was just stretching my hooves.”

“SHUT UP, YOU FOALS!” Starfire’s sudden outburst had the desired effect. The chattering phased out instantly, and 10 ears pricked up, listening intently.

Derky’s voice lowered to a rasp. “What is it?”

“SHH!”

The bush quivered again. This time everypony heard it, and everypony saw it.

Belove’s ears flattened against his scalp in fear. “What do you think it is?”

Starfire's horn glinted slightly, just a tiny spark of blue magic that briefly illuminated the clearing, and five terrified sets of eyes.

“I’m not sure,” the unicorn replied. “But it’s getting closer. I can feel it.”

Somewhere behind them, a leaf crunched.

They span around, their hearts in their mouths, as another bush began to shake. Violently this time.

“It appears,” Weatherstorm gulped. “That it is moving around us. Encircling us, if you will.”

The five stallions assumed battle formation, striking a pose that looked far more heroic in their over-active imaginations.

Starfire took to the front of their arrow- shaped position, his head lowered and horn pointed straight at the vibrating hedgerow. Belove stood to his left, crouching low, ready to spring onto their imminent assailant. Behind him, Derky cowered, leaning against a mossy log for support. Fighting wasn’t really his thing. Well, he hadn’t discovered what his thing was yet, but he knew it wasn’t fighting. Weatherstorm floated like a butterfly to his right, his hooves balled into a classic boxing stance in front of him. His thousand-yard stare said a thousand words: he was both petrified and strangely excited. Cananor stood slightly away from him, his magic wrapped around a small, flimsy looking tree branch, poised at the shrubbery. His face showed signs of determination, but his eyes, wide and dilated, said otherwise.

Another crunch. This time, the snapping of a twig.

Starfire glared at the trembling shrub. He licked once at a bead of sweat and exhaled, blowing wispy air into a thin veil of moonlight. “Get ready. Here it comes...”

The monster burst from the bush with a squeak.

It took less than a second for Starfire to register the so called monster as a harmless woodland squirrel.

Breathing a sigh of relief, they lowered their guard, thankful that they had yet to be ripped apart by a savage, wild animal.

“Hello, little squirrel.” Derky cooed to the fluffy rodent, which was busying itself scurrying along the forest floor, shoving acorns into its cheek pouches which bulged to the brim.

Belove laughed as the squirrel looked up at the unicorn, let out a tiny shrill squeak of panic, and bolted back into the hedge from whence it came. “You know, I kind of expected...”

The monster leapt the hedge with a single mighty bound, its huge glistening clawed paws connecting with Belove’s back and sending him spiralling onto his chest. The earth pony didn’t even have time to cry out, let alone register what had just happened. He lay there for a moment on the wet grass, amongst the leaves and the flowers. ‘What in the hay was that?’

Groggily rolling onto his back, Belove came muzzle to muzzle with a ferocious Manticore, its gleaming white knife-like fangs glinting in the moonlight. The beast’s red lion’s mane was wild and untamed, and its fearsome red eyes glowed hungrily as it loomed closer to its prey. Licking its furred lips with a long, forked tongue, the half lion, half dragon placed two powerful paws on the earth pony’s hooves, pinning the squirming equine to the ground. It leaned in closer, so close that Belove could feel its hot, rancid breath part the hair of his mane. A long, armour-plated scorpion’s tail uncurled from behind it, the deadly spiked appendage poised directly at Belove’s face, swaying hypnotically like a charmed snake, a poisonous serpent spitting fatal venom.

The Manticore smiled, revealing rows upon rows of daggers protruding from its gums. It was going to enjoy playing with its victim...

Belove watched helplessly as the scorpion tail lunged forward. He closed his eyes and waited for the sweet embrace of darkness.

In fact, quite the opposite happened. The first thing Belove felt was a tremendous gust of wind blow over him, accompanied by a blindingly white flash of what had to have been lightning and a boom so deep it could have been none other than thunder, and then the weight on his chest was lifted.

Daring to peek with one eye, Belove saw the Manticore get propelled backwards by a focused beam of blue energy, blasting back over the hedge with a guttural roar.

Visibly shaken, Belove lay sprawled on the green grass for a few seconds. A butterfly lowered itself onto his nose, a stark contrast to the brief moment of violence that had taken place.

Starfire gave another nervous glance toward the shrubbery. His hoof outstretched toward the guards-pony. “Need a hoof?”

His invitation was rejected with a swipe, as Belove stumbled onto all fours, unaided. “I’m fine. Could’ve handled it myself anyway.”

The others stood in shock, their mouths agape. “What...” Cananor stammered. “...Just happened?”

“Manticore.” Replied Starfire, matter-of-factly. He still seemed uneasy. “I thought as such. I could feel its presence.”

“My dear Starfire, it appears that you are quite the hero.”

Belove scowled, brushing off the snail that had taken up residence on his chest. “I said I could have taken care of it myself...”

With another blood-curdling cry, the Manticore launched itself over the bushes and toward Belove, razor sharp claws aimed right at his head. The earth pony barely had time to give a small chirp of surprise and throw himself back to the ground as the glinting claws swiped at the air, slashing empty space where mere milliseconds ago his head had been.

The Manticore’s long fingernails sliced through Belove’s terrified whimpers and pierced the soft earth, jamming in the soil, immobilising it. Cananor took the opportunity to strike the struggling creature on the back of the head with his stick, which had little more effect on the towering predator than timidly blowing on it.

The creature tugged his claws free, tearing up blades of grass and clumps of soil in the process. Its long, copper mane brushed over it’s bloodshot eyes as it turned slowly, menacingly, towards it’s attacker, bearing it’s dagger-like fangs. A low, guttural growl rose from it’s throat.

Cananor gulped, the ice-blue aura diminishing from around the stick. It fell to the ground with a soft, muffled thump. “It was him.” He pointed to his neon blue pal.

The Manticore swivelled around to face the accused, snarling, saliva dripping from his black gums and making wet slapping sounds as it pooled on the grass.

“Excuse me?” Weatherstorm threw his hooves in front of him defensively. “I did no such thing, Mr Manticore. And I give you my word as a gentlecolt on that.” His eyes rolled to Starfire, who was struggling to keep himself on all fours. “Starfire, I don’t mean to rush you, but I would really appreciate another one of those... THINGS, you just did.”

Starfire inhaled sharply. “Give me a... minute.” He exhaled heavily. “Spells like that on a foe that big take a minute or two to recover from.”

“Oh, of course.” Weatherstorm nodded sarcastically. “But I doubt,” he continued to the seething beast, “That my word means much to a rather, how do I put this, UNCOUTH fellow such as yourself...”

The Manticore bellowed in rage at the blatant insult, its eyes flashing red in anger.

“Apologies, sir. I didn’t mean to cause insult but... Well, yes actually, I did. You can’t saunter around, attacking innocent ponies when you see fit to do so. Belove may be far from the perfect pony...”

“Hey!” Belove exploded, jumping back onto his hooves. “You take that back.”

Weatherstorm ignored him. “...But that is no valid reason for nearly ripping his head off.”

His words of wisdom fell on deaf ears.

“Derky,” he whispered to the Pegasus behind him. “You’re quite good with animals, aren’t you? See how you fare with this gent.”

“W-What should I do?”

“I don’t know!” Weatherstorm hissed. “Anything you can, that preferably does not get us ingested.”

Derky did what was quite possibly the most unexpected thing Starfire had ever seen in his life. He leaned back against the moss covered, fallen log, scooped up a poisonous snake that was slithering across it’s surface in a steady hoof, and casually threw the serpent at the Manticore with a grunt of effort.

The snake hit the half lion, half dragon square between the eyes with a wet smack, sliding down its emotionless face with a sound akin to a squeegee rubbing against a soapy window pane. It did nothing to better the monster’s mood. The snake gave a low, cold blooded warning hiss before slipping up a tree and into the high branches above.

“Really? That was your plan? Throwing a dangerous animal at an even more dangerous animal?”

The light brown Pegasus shrugged, his ginger mane falling over his gentle green eyes. “I’m not good with animals at all...”

Weatherstorm folded his hooves, trying to look as intimidating as possible, floating there in a pillar of creamy moonlight. In reality, he looked as intimidating as a baby kitten entangled in a ball of yarn. “Well, since we cannot settle this little squabble like civilised beings, I’m afraid I’ll have to get my hooves dirty and engage in combat with you. Now, before we begin, I say we lay down a few rules...”

The Manticore rushed towards him like a bull to a red flag, slapping him in his bespectacled face by the back of its paw so hard that the Pegasus was lifted out of the air and sent sprawling through the hedge wall, disappearing into the thick blackness outside their little sanctuary.

Belove saw crimson. “Don’t you dare,” he bellowed, “Touch Weatherstorm!” The Manticore had little time to bask in its recent victory before Belove pushed his powerful hind legs forward, bucking the wild animal square on the jaw with an almighty kick. His hooves connected with a sickening crunch, sending the Manticore stumbling backwards, clutching its mouth, dazed and thoroughly shaken.

The earth pony span around and flexed his muscular gaskins, ready for round two. The Manticore spat out a tooth: a long, curved fang. It comically poked at the hole in its gums with its flopping tongue, before issuing a deep, deliberate growl which slowly escalated in pitch and ended with a blood-curdling roar.

It was on now.

Belove champed his teeth, pawing at the ground with his hoof, ready to charge at his opponent. Hos opponent did likewise.

“Quit jumping out of those bushes and fight me, Pony on Manticore!”

The Manticore took up the challenge, rushing toward him, tail raised, like a speeding train. Just before he connected with Belove, the earth pony nimbly sidestepped him like a matador.

The Manticore realised his mistake too late. The hulking furred form smashed into a tree whose sneer turned into an open scream, snapping the trunk in two like it were a twig, sending shrapnel like wood exploding into the night sky.

Starfire wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by. He mustered up his remaining strength to levitate the idle fallen log from its resting place; dark earth trickling out from the holes on either side, placing the trunk in Derky’s outstretched hooves.

“Derky,” he commanded. “Now!”

The Pegasus nodded in understanding, positioning himself at quite an altitude above the dazed Manticore, cradling the heavy oak log like a child in its mother’s hooves.

The Manticore, staggering like it had consumed too much apple cider, shook away its concussion just in time to see the winged pony release his grip on the wooden block, sending it spiralling down at him, growing larger and larger.

The monster growled in surprise. It was a good thing nopony spoke Manticore, because what he was saying was most fowl. The log smashed into his face with a dull thump, sending the beast sprawling onto the grass. He didn’t move.

The onlookers cringed as the Manticore collapsed to the ground, which shook violently as though during an earthquake. It was at this moment that Weatherstorm fell back through the hedge into the circular clearing, re-adjusting his glasses.

‘If I have to climb through one more hedge today...’

His eyes widened in shock when he saw the unconscious form of the Manticore, drool dribbling down its cheeks. “Oh my... did you do that?”

Cananor came out from the tree he was hiding behind and rubbed his hoof through his aqua mane. “Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I handled that situation pretty well.”

Weatherstorm pointed to the stirring monster. It opened one bruised eye, and then the other, hungrily licking its lips. Slowly, like a cobra ready to strike, it rose from the grass, stumbling on all fours like a newborn foal. “No offence, but you didn’t do a very good job.”

Starfire groaned, not daring to turn around. “He’s a determined one, isn’t he?”

The Manticore regained his balance, gingerly feeling the bump on his forehead with his paw. He winced, then growled, his eyes narrowed and bent on revenge.

The five assumed their previous battle position, anticipating one heck of a fight.

The fight arrived, but just not how they expected it to do so.

It was Captain Icarus who burst through the bush first, a streak of white lightning as pale as the moon itself. His golden breastplate shone like a chalice, the blue feather of his Corinthian helmet a precious sapphire.

He was followed by another wearing the uniform of the Elite Canterlot Bodyguards, a nimble and slick looking unicorn with a curly brown mane. He had a serious face, the sort that suggested he smiled sparsely, and deep, piercing eyes, focused on the Manticore. Obviously a pony of few words and committed to his work.

The other three members of his squad, all identical in build and size, flew in after their leader, the scowls they wore showing they meant business.

Starfire, taken aback by the captain and his squad’s unexpected arrival, wondered if the hedge was actually a portal to another dimension. It would certainly explain the vast number of organic beings spontaneously jumping through.

A flicker of fear flashed through the Manticore’s primal eyes as Icarus uttered but one word, as triumphant as a war bugle. “CHARGE!”

The order was followed, the other four bodyguards rushing the beast with incredible speed. The unicorn was the first to strike, propelling himself skyward with a little help from one of the Pegasi. The Manticore was knocked backwards from the force of his atomic elbow drive, knocking what little sense the beast had clean out of his skull. It had little time to recover as one of the Pegasi swooped past his teetering body, his outstretched hoof catching the Manticore square on the nose.

Starfire winced at the resounding crunch the punch made. Even though it had nearly devoured him, he couldn’t help but feel strangely sympathetic towards the Manticore. These ‘Elite Royal Bodyguards’ were brutal, and that was putting it lightly.

Another of the Pegasi flew directly upwards, upper-cutting the Manticore under the chin. The thing’s eyes rolled backwards, barely able to hold onto consciousness.

Icarus watched the beating take place with an almost sick pleasure, his front hooves folded comfortably and smiling in glee. “That’s it, stallions! Keep attacking!”

He turned his head to the onlookers and removed his helmet, his amazingly blonde mane sweeping across his chiselled features. “Lovely!” He beamed, surprisingly cheerily. “How good to see you again!”

Belove groaned in utter disgust. “It’s BELOVE. And sure, we talked little over two hours ago, so we did.”

Icarus nodded, patting his ‘friend’ on the back with a powerful hoof that nearly sent Belove sprawling to the mud. “Ah, yes: Belove. I heard what sounded like a struggle,” He closed his eyes in pride. “From behind yonder hedgerow, so I ordered my squad to investigate.” The Pegasus motioned to his squad, who were relentlessly kicking the living hay out of the Manticore. “And I am sure you are thankful of the timing of our arrival. But worry not: there is no need to thank me.”

Belove snorted. “You’ll be waiting a long time for any gratitude.”

The earth pony’s cold tone seemed to displease the captain. “Regardless,” he said ,his smile diminishing. “You fine stallions can return to Ponyville now. We’ll take it from here.”

“I’ll think not. We’ll be rescuing the princess, thank you very much. Your days of fame are numbered, my friend.” Belove added with a wink.

Icarus’ face dropped completely, his wings suddenly standing to attention, casting an intimidating shadow. “I really suggest you return home and let the real stallions deal with this.”

Belove’s instincts kicked in, his muscles tightening instantly. “And I really suggest you kiss my flank.”

Surprisingly, Icarus laughed. He had a strange laugh; mocking, cold, calculating, patronising. “Well, my dear Belove, I was hoping that you may have had some sort of sense about you. It doesn't seem likely. Remember: you're making me do things I do not want to. You're the one forcing my hoof here.”

Weatherstorm voiced his opinion from the back. “Belove, can you please cease antagonising your nemesis and hurry up?”

Icarus grabbed for the guard with a snarl, baring his flashing white teeth which looked far less appealing in the dark of the forest. Belove ducked at the last moment, the hoof just brushing across his face, parting the fur. The earth pony recoiled in horror. “You... you tried to punch me!”

Icarus took a step back and flapped his royal wings once, a terrible look of malice in his eyes. “Attention, stallions!” He called to his squad.

Pit and the other three bodyguards stopped short, their hooves mere inches from trampling the poor Manticore’s bruised face. The defenceless beast let out a long, pained sigh of relief.

“As of this moment,” continued the captain. “These five stallions you see before you are to be treated as hostiles. I would like for you to forcefully remove them from the forest post-haste.”

The unicorn, Pit, rubbed his hooves together in violent anticipation. The other three Pegasi cracked their necks in a most thuggish manner, smiling. “It’ll be our pleasure, sir.”

They inched closer and closer, advancing on the group with their hooves outstretched, with faces of evil intent. "It's for your own good, stallions. It's for your own good."

The guards did not, however, see the long, twisting scorpion tail rise slowly above them. It was attached to a rather peeved Manticore, who was rather peeved at them in particular.

The low, gravelly growl caught them dead in their tracks. Wincing, they sluggishly turned back into the snarling jaws of the Manticore. One look at its face told them it was not too happy at being beaten about. The crack of its knuckles echoed through the clearing, scattering timid birds like leaves.

Starfire didn't wait around to see round 2, but he heard the panicked screams tear through the Manticore's roars. He took the brief distraction as a means of escape, ducking low to avoid the dazed body of a Pegasus swoop past, and followed Cananor, Derky and Weatherstorm through the bushes. He didn’t know what exactly lay on the other side, but whatever it was, it was better than here. “Belove!” the unicorn called back to his newfound ally. “Over here!”

The earth pony leaped over the Manticore’s wildly swishing tail like the most dangerous game of jump-rope ever recorded. “I know!” he called back, narrowly avoiding the tip of the scorpion tail which thrust into the ground mere inches from where he was standing, digging up dirt in an explosion of soil. “I’m capable of finding my own way out, thank you very much!”

The Manticore, however, was still locked in a brutal conflict with Icarus and his men. One Pegasus dared to fly too close, the only reward for his bravery a punch to the stomach. He fell to the earth with a grunt, winded, followed by a trail of white feathers. Another bodyguard leapt on the beast’s tail, thrown around like a rodeo champ, screaming as he was tossed this way and that. Finally, his grip on the scaled appendage diminished and he was sent sailing into a nearby tree with such force that the thing was uprooted, toppling dangerously, groaning in protest like a teetering drunk.

Belove didn’t notice the obvious danger hazard, but Starfire, watching from the bushes, did.

“Belove!” The unicorn screamed over the noise of the battlefield. “Look out!”

The earth pony stopped mid-gallop. “What? Are you acting the maggot?”

Starfire cupped his mouth with one hoof and pointed to the looming tree with the other. “That tree is about to fall!” He desperately warned. “Look out!”

“I told you!” Belove sneered. “I can…” A heavy, weary groan, like a zombie’s moan, was what it took to catch his attention. Eyes widened in horror, he watched as the old oak tree toppled to one side, barrelling toward him like a freight train. The sound of wood splitting and cracking burst through the air as the roots of the tree finally uprooted from the soil, ripping up weeds and flowers alike. The colossal wooden trunk gave one final breath of defeat, tired of holding onto life, and toppled forward. Belove was held rooted in fear for a few moments as he stared up at the falling tree, his flight or fight instincts in complete lockdown. The tree’s screaming, wooden face edged closer and closer to his, like a twisted lover’s embrace.

“Belove!”

“BELOVE!”

Starfire’s sharp, panicked tone brought Belove back to Equestria with a bump. The guard gave one quick glance back up at the falling tree before breaking into a full sprint.

The last thing he saw was Starfire’s outstretched hoof, and then nothing but black.

Belove?

BELOVE?

BELOVE!

He heard the unicorn’s voice bellow through the darkness. The rustle of leaves. The roar of a Manticore. The war cry of a certain captain.

And then light.

Well, moonlight, to be precise.

But a little moonlight was better than nothing.

“Belove!” Are you okay?”

The earth pony shifted uncomfortably. “Aye...” he replied meekly, his breath short. Something sharp was digging into his side. He only hoped he hadn’t been impaled. That would be most problematic in his quest for fame.

“Listen,” Starfire’s voice floated through the darkness. “You avoided the tree but got hit by a branch. I think you might have a concussion.”

Belove scoffed. “I think YOU might have a concussion.”

He heard Starfire sigh. “No I don’t. Listen, you’re trapped under the branch at the moment. I can levitate it off of you, but I need you to stay very still.”

Belove groaned. “I know you haven’t known me all that long, but staying still isn’t my scene.”

“Well, MAKE it your scene if you don’t want a branch growing out of your torso.”

“RIGHT, FINE.”

Starfire took a step back. He could clearly see Belove’s left hind leg comically sticking out from under the thick tree branch, adorned with thousands of green leaves. The pony this hoof was attached to was buried somewhere under all this foliage.

Behind the tree, Icarus and the Elites were tearing away at the Manticore, which was dealing out and taking in punishment in equal measures. If Starfire stayed here much longer, he knew a victor would emerge: he disliked the idea of being at the mercy of a savage wild animal and liked the idea of being taken back to Ponyville, head bowed in defeat and shame, by a group of psychotic soldiers even less.

Belove’s disembodied hoof tapped at the ground impatiently. “I haven’t got all day, you know.”

“Right...” The dark-blue unicorn scratched the back of his head with his hoof and nickered in frustration. In order to free Belove, he was going to have to lift the whole tree up, and that was no easy task. Far from it. In fact, it would be the heaviest object that the young unicorn had, up to this point, ever levitated.

Blue magic seeped out of his horn and around the enormous wooden frame, which vibrated a little. Starfire heard Belove’s muffled sniggers from under the tree. Either the leaves were tickling his face, or he had a strange sense of humour.

Starfire exhaled sharply as the tree lifted, ever so slightly, off of the sparkling green grass. Belove inhaled sharply as he felt the pressure lift, freeing the obstruction that was preventing air into his lungs.

A tuft of wet blonde hair fell over Starfire’s eyes, which were sealed shut in effort. ‘This is like... levitating... a THOUSAND pianos...’ Even his thoughts were out of breath.

Belove wriggled another hoof out from under his leafy-cell. “Don’t you dare go dropping this on me now!”

Starfire didn’t respond. He needed full concentration.

“Hey Starfire, pick up the pace!”

The interruption came not from Belove but surprisingly Cananor, who poked his inquisitive head back through a hole in the bushes. “We’re not here to enjoy the scenery, you know...”

His eyes fell over the scene before him; Starfire levitating a tree which appeared to have Belove’s hind legs protruding from it, amidst the backdrop of a Manticore fighting off a group of Canterolt guards.

“I knew Belove didn’t get on with you that well, but it’s no reason to drop a tree on his head...”

Starfire’s concentration faltered, resulting in the tree branch crashing back down on Belove’s hind leg, hard. The earth pony howled in pain.

“Gah!” The trapped leg twitched as though speaking. “You tool! You did that on purpose!”

Starfire sighed and swallowed, his throat irritatingly dry. “Cananor,” he puffed after summoning up a little more strength. “I need you to help with this. I can’t lift it on my own.”

The lawyer screwed up his nose and straightened his tie, looking past his fellow unicorn to the violence behind him. The Manticore was putting up a brave fight, but it was one it was loosing for the second time. It seemed fatigued, and the Elites were taking full advantage to exploit this weakness. “I would love to, but I don’t think we have the time. That show over there is coming to an end, and I've never been one to sit around for the after-movie extras. Can’t we just leave him here?”

“I heard that!” Belove called out from under the tree. His short, stubby tail swished in anger. “I may be trapped under a tree, but that won’t stop me from giving you a piece of my mind!”

“That’s horrible!” Starfire seemed genuinely shocked. “That’s awful! He’s your friend...”

“I was kidding!” Cananor blushed, avoiding Starfire’s judging eyes. “I was just kidding... Here, let me help.” The beige-coated one hastily trotted alongside his companion and combined his magical efforts to lifting the heavy wooden tree trunk.

Even with two unicorns, the thing was nigh impossible to lift, perhaps due to the fact that Starfire was still putting in 95% of the work whilst Cananor lazily whistled out an incoherent tune.

“It’s still too heavy. Can we get the others in here?”

Cananor yawned. The Manticore punched a Pegasus. “Hey, Weatherstorm, Derky; lend us a hoof here, will you?”

Weatherstorm’s head burst through the wall of leaves, hanging there like a disembodied ball. “I’m afraid I must decline. Heavy lifting is not my strong suit.”

“But if you don’t help,” wheezed the physically fatigued Starfire, barely managing to keep his hold of the vibrating tree stable. “Then Belove will be trapped forever.”

“And he will be sorely missed.”

“I heard that! You’re all rotten friends!”

Weatherstorm groaned in inconvenience. “Ugh... FINE. But if I get splinters in my hooves...”

He and Derky stumbled out from the undergrowth and, with a combined effort, they managed to hoist the fallen tree a few more centimetres, just enough for the earth pony to roll out from underneath, his one perfect armour dented and dinged beyond repair. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be back in the open, with an ample supply of fresh, clean oxygen. Starfire felt a warm smile creeping along his usually serious face. Working together as a team... it was a rare occurrence for him, but just like the incident at the Summer Sun Celebration, it felt heart-warming. That strange, foreign sort of feeling he couldn’t really describe: alien, yet familiar. Fuzzy and comforting.

Focus, Starfire. We need to get out of here. Fast.

“Oh!” Belove stretched his hind legs, arching his back like a cat. “It feels good to stretch my hooves.”

“Speaking of which, I hurt mine lifting a sizable amount of the forest off of you. I swear, it was just starting to feel better, as well.” Weatherstorm griped, cradling his injured hoof. “Please be more observant next time, Belove.”

The conversation was broken up by another roar of the Manticore, swatting at the Pegasi above him like parasprites. With that, the five stallions leapt through the bush, not really sure they were heading and not really caring where they were headed. Anywhere but here.

Starfire galloped until the sounds of battle faded into non-existence, enraged growls deteriorating into soft yips, and then nothing.

They ran for an extra five minutes, twisting around trees and obstructions in complete silence, carving their own makeshift path through the forest. Finally, in a part of the forest as utterly bland and indistinguishable as the rest, they came to a grinding halt.

Derky flopped to the ground, his wings exhausted. “Wow... I don’t think I can keep this up.”

“At least we got away from those crazies!” Cananor rolled his eyes and span his hoof around his head. “That Icarus isn’t as charming as some ponies make you believe.”

Belove spat a gob of saliva onto a nearby wildflower, running down the petals like a tear of disdain. “Yeah, we got away all right. No thanks to you.” The cold remark was thrown in Starfire’s direction.

The unicorn was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

Cananor defended his friend. “Whoa, Belove!” He blew out a whistled stream of air, uncomfortably. “What are you talking about? He saved your life. You could at least thank him.”

Belove slipped out his dented, crumpled chestpiece and threw his helmet down, clattering to the dirt with a clang. Both were past use. “Saved my life? He’s a spy!”

Starfire, Weatherstorm and Cananor collectively groaned. “Not this again...” They sighed in unison. Derky slinked away, notebook in hoof, quill in his mouth.

“Sure, think about it,” Belove continued. “How did Icarus know where we were? He’s working with them, I swear it. He’s trying to sabotage us!”

Starfire successfully defended himself, blinding the earth pony with simple evidence. “You do know that in order to’ spy’ on you, I would need to relay information back to him in secret, an impossible task considering you will not stop staring at me in suspicion. Furthermore, a Manticore’s roar is not impossible to track, especially for a trained soldier such as Icarus...”

“A Manticore he saved you from!” Cananor butt in. “Twice, no less. And he helped you escape.”

“If I may interrupt, I also aided our hasty retreat... and hurt my hoof in the process.”

Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Belove grunted in frustration and kicked his helmet with his foreleg. The armour tumbled away into a nearby bush, which shivered as the cold steel slipped inside with a hush. “Thanks...”

“You’re welcome.” Starfire beamed. “I wasn’t really expecting gratitude, but...”

“Let me finish.” Barked Belove. “Thanks to that wee setback, we’ve not only got Icarus hot on our tails, but we’ve lost the hoofprints we were following.” He grudgingly turned back to Starfire. “Looks like you’ll be our guide after all.”

Belove saw the bead of sweat roll down the unicorn’s blue muzzle. “Oh... alright then.” Starfire gulped once, subconsciously, as Belove gazed at him with a stare like an eagle hungrily eyeing up its next meal. “Uh...” He scanned the goopy blackness, before settling on one direction in particular. “This way, I think.”

The others simply nodded and wandered off in the direction of Starfire’s outstretched hoof. As he followed them, filled with uncertainty, Belove pulled up close to him and hissed, “Don’t think I don’t know what you are doing, ‘Starfire.’ You may have fooled them, but you ain’t going to fool me. I’ve got my eye on you.”

With that, the Earth Pony jogged on ahead, scouting out the route like a sniffer-hound.

Starfire realised that things were going to be a lot more complicated than what he had thought.

“For goodness sakes, put some effort into it!” The captain spat out in disgust at his men. It shouldn’t have taken this long to deal with a simple woodland creature, surely.

“We’re trying sir!” Pit screamed, narrowly avoiding the thing’s wildly swiping claws. The instruments of death cleaved an arc through the black sky and into the trunk of a nearby tree, whose gaping wound bled sap.

It didn’t deter the beast from using its other paw, however, nailing the unicorn on the side of the head, the vibrations causing his golden helm to ring like a dinner bell. His ears shrivelled in pain at the sudden burst of sound.

Icarus sighed with impatience. There’s an old saying; if you want something done right, do it yourself.

Casually, Captain Icarus flew right up to the Manticore’s face, showing no fear. The animal snarled, flashing him its intimidating teeth. Icarus snarled back.

Its tail rose like a rattlesnake, poised and dangerous. Icarus hovered there, showing no signs of moving.

“Are you going to take all day?” He taunted it, sparking the exact response he was hoping for. When the tail came swooping down towards him, he grabbed it with both hooves, flipped the entire Manticore over his shoulders, and threw it to the ground with such force that the unconscious monster was encased in a crater of soil. The last thing the Manticore felt was shock at how unnaturally strong the Pegasus was, and then it was all over in the blink of an eye.

“There.” The captain clapped his hooves together as if little had just transpired. “Was that so hard?”

Pit winced as he peeled himself off of the ground, groggy and shaking. “Sir... the stallions... they are getting away.”

Icarus said nothing for a moment, looking off into the distance at the sprawling metropolis of trees that lay at every angle.

“Let them go.” He finally answered.

“But, sir... won’t they possibly affect our objective?”

Icarus shrugged. “I cannot say. The Earth Pony is a stubborn one, but there is still a chance that I can work him around to our way of thinking.”

“So is it wise to let them escape? We can still catch them if we hurry.”

He was dismissed with a wave. “No, no. I’d rather not get my hooves dirty. It might prove too difficult to explain. Better the forest take them.”

“Are you sure about this, sir?”

“I think they will no longer serve us any problems. You can see how divided they are. In fact, we may just get what we want yet.”

“The Earth Pony is too suspicious. Do you really think we can win him over?”

“But of course. I always get what I want.”