Descending to Equestria

The story continues as we find a old stallion seeming to be entering his twilight years, rusty orange in coat and dull grey mane, he seemed to be carrying a pack full of clothes and a few belongings. This particular stallion used to be in the guard of the lower branch that dealt with minor incidents. His cutie mark a bronze sword crossed with a spear, he seemed he could hold his own though in a fight. Now retried heading to town to go see his family after a few years in service.

What is the importance of this low rate guard stallion heading for Ponyville? It's not him per-say, it is what follows the equine. In the forest that he had entered, following a path that lead to said town was something in the trees. He kept to the shadows as it watched intently with its burning yellow eyes. It's talons dug deep into the branch it was on, it had small assortment of armor on it's body. The two wrist braces that housed a deadly blade with sharp jagged edges on top, It licked its short sharp black beak as its white feathers stood along with its slightly grey pelt area. It crouched more as it readies itself to attack.

The gruff stallion ear turns to the noise in the trees, knowing something might be lurking in the woods he had his bronze, tattered sword well hidden in his pack. Leafs rustle as the unknown assailant makes its pounce, having only a split moment to undo the strap holding his back and reaching his sword. The stallion held his sword in his mouth tightly as he tightened his muscles in his guard stance. His defenses as he breathed through his mouth, his guard up high seeing what he was up against.

A griffin, an snow owl type griffin.

It's back was turned, it's movements halted as though it was petrified like a victim from a cockatrice. This made the stallion nervous, along with the armor it had on, it wasn't covered completely but it was still enough to be formidable.

It turned it's head 180 degrees to the stallion. The stallion began to drop a cold sweat at what he saw. Its eyes, large yellow void eyes staring at his soul, no fear, no caution in those eyes, just him in that yellow abyss.

The stallion stabbed his sword on the ground to try and communicate with this creature.

"Griffon! I have no need to fight you! Our species has a truce, so be gone from my sight lest you feel the stroke of my blade!" He warned as he picked his blade up again.

The griffon did not respond though, it only tuned it's body the same direction its head was facing. That disturbed the stallion even more as the griffon's gaze never left him. His heart pounding with fear, he had never seen this from a griffon but his instincts knew exactly what its intentions were.

Prey.

That's what the griffon saw through its eyes and the stallion knew this, it wanted to eat him. He clenched his sword tightly between his teeth as he locked his muscles yet again.

The griffin crouched for a moment before launching itself at the stallion. Quick to counter he had a short window to evade a deadly blade coming from the griffon's gauntlet. There was a spark within contact as the stallion put distance between him and the griffin. The griffin had its body lowered to the ground, pacing around the stallion in its saber cat body. The stallion on guard.

'Blast! What am I going to do?!' He thought as the griffin seemed he was coming in for another attack. Little time to for a plan the griffin leaps once again, talons and blades at the stallion. The stallion blocks his body with the aged sword, it keeping the sharp, newer blades and hook like talons at bay. The griffon let a low, soft growl as it pushed the stallion back with it's strength. The stallion's eyes widened as he his pushed until he is pinned against a tree. Keeping his mouth shut to hold the sword. The griffin's left arm retracts as it swings its sharp blade at the sword, it finally giving in as it broke with a snap. The stallion looks in horror as the griffin sinks its talons into his pelt, piercing through the flesh, passing the rib cage as the lungs were now punctured. The stallion dropped his sword as he screamed in agonizing pain, the wail echoing in the forest as birds flew from the trees.

The griffin yanked the stallion off the tree and threw him with great force, skidding through the ground the stallion could only cough blood as it tried to stand. The saber owl menacingly traded to his quarry with grace yet demonically as though its body housed much omnipotence.

The griffin placed a firm grip on the stallion's back neck as it pushed him back to the ground. Pinned again as the stallion could only choke on his blood, no words for help escaping to blood clogged esophagus.

The saber owl eyed the back of the stallion's neck deeply as his neck arched back and shot forwards as its hook like beak priced the stallion's neck. It dug deeper as the beak was now under the spine, knowing this the saber owl pulled as hard as he could. The stallion's eyes wide in horror as this process happened as his consciousness finally faded.

He was dead.

The saber owl took the entire spine with head in his talons as it let out a loud, long screech that was mixed with a roar, holding the spine and head over his the blood dripped into it's white feathers as it opened it's maw to partake in the blood if its fallen prey. Lapping up the aged 'wine'.

There was a loud echo heard s it grew louder and louder coming from the path the stallion was going. Accompanied by a loud, ear-piercing ring as the griffin flinched back at the assault of just one repeated word.

"TESTING, TESTING, TESTING, TESTING, TESTING, TESTING--!!!"

It tuned its gaze to the direction the stallion was heading, it took a few sniffs before it growled. The Saber owl now had its eyes on Ponyville. The feral yet coordinated griffin having found a new hunting ground to sate its appetite for red meat of any kind. However, there was another predator in the area. One that was passive to an extent but fierce when need be, and the griffin knew this from the scent.

In guard station centered in Ponyville Ms.Cheerilee had taken her students fillies on a field trip to see what the common village guard goes through on a daily basis. Perhaps some might aspire to be a guard themselves when they reach full maturity, this she thought would be best for those of physical talent and serve their great country.

"Now fillies remember be on your best behavior, we are here to learn about the guard ponies that protect us all so we could sleep well at night comfortably." She said as she wanted her students to show respect for the working guard class.

"So when are we gonna go inside the guard post?" Diamond Tiara said impatiently with her unamused look as she didn't show any care for the working class of any kind.

Cheerilee furrowed her brow, she was always like this to any other of lower class. Actually anypony who was different, though Silver Spoon was an exception, everything else did not matter.

Eventually a guard with regular steel armor with the trademark sun insignia center of his helmet and chest

Three fillies however with an innocent outlook were ecstatic about their field trip.

"Boy oh boy I'm so excited to see what these guards do!" Applebloom said excitingly.

"Yeah, bet they have to fight off some major beasts!" Scootaloo said as she threw punches at the empty air.

"You think they could take down gorillas?" Sweetie Bell held her hoof in thought.

"What? Why?" Scootaloo asked, Applebloom looked perplexed.

"Just wondering, you just in case Fluttershy's new pet goes wild." Sweetie Bell suggested.

"Hold on there!" Applebloom shouted unintentionally. "He ain't wild! Not really...he helps out in the orchard a lot! Heck he saves us work by climbing trees for the apples up high we can't buck. It saves apples and bad smells from the ones he couldn't get." She defended Leo, despite Big Mac almost running him down when he first came to work. Lucky for him Leo climbed up a tree where Big Mac couldn't get to him while Applejack tried t calm him down and explain the situation.

"Doubt it, Rarity says he a smelly best that will attack at will." Sweetie Bell said not being phased by Applebloom's defense to Leo.

To this Applebloom became a bit angry "Your sister is too overdramatic! She cries even for the smallest stain on her coat!"

Sweetie Belle got angry as well as she countered. "Your sister is too trusting if you ask me! Sure she can spot a liar with a second glance but she sure can't see a dangerous animal!" She stomped her hoof assertively.

Scootaloo could only watch as her two friends began to argue back and forth, though she could step in they would most likely tell her to stay out of this in unison, rather than to continue following the class while these two argued she wandered into a different room as her class proceeded without her. She scanned the room the racks holding shields, swords, and spears, desks with paper work and a bit of gear and a radio console.

None of this caught her interest till her eyes wandered to a wall full of megaphones, too many to count. She hummed in interest as she reached for a megaphone, she brought it to her mussel as she squeezed the trigger. "Testing." It sounded off loudly, she grabbed another megaphone and put it in front of the other, she repeated the same action only it was twice as loud. "TESTING!" She flinched back as she scanned the room for anyone who might have heard that. She examined the megaphones then back to the wall, she repeated this for a moment till a an idea had dawned on her.

She had set up all megaphones in a row, all set on as they where set on the desk that where aligned from the center to the room to the open window. She trotted over to the first megaphone, she chuckled mischievously as she rubbed her hooves together. A stray fly buzzing by the row of megaphones as they shook from the buzz of it's wings.

Scootaloo smiled as she licked her lips. She inhaled lightly before saying her intended words.

"TESTING, TESTING, TESTING!!!" She was shot back against a shelf as the megaphones destabilized as they exploded. The room shot up into a mess as desks flew, the radio console exploded, shrapnel flying everywhere. The other rooms of the guard post suffering the same fate as the guards and class screamed and covered their ears. To this Scootaloo looked outside as she saw the hell she had unleashed on her beloved town.

"Uh oh." She said.

The town feel into the sonic chaos as windows shattered, ponies screaming as they covered their ears. The windows to a pet shop shattering as parrots placed at the front window repeating the one word that threw the town in disarray.

Back in Twilight's tree house in her basement, Twilight had her mane tied to a bun as she wore small rectangular glasses, holding a clipboard and pen with her magical grip she examined a creature to what it would be called in Leo's world "pulpo" or in English an octopus. It stared back from its tank at her with its eyes as its bronze, yellow skin, Twilight wrote on her clipboard but something caught her attention as she tilted her head up to the door entrance. She flinched back as she the noise assaulted her ears, losing her focus, dropping her pen and clipboard. Loud cracking was heard as she turned her head to her tank as it gave out to the noise, water and glass spilling as the octopus laid limp staring back at her. Nothing happened till the creature leaped from the ruined tank and wrapped its tentacles around her face. Twilight flailed as she lost her footing as fell over as she tripped on her clipped board.

At Berry Punch's home Berry had just finished washing her dishes as she sighed in accomplishment. She walked over to her fridge, opened there was green bottles with rich maroon wine inside. She licked her lips as she reached for a bottle, grabbing a bottle. She noticed an echoing screech, turning her head to the window the bottles burst from the screech along with the window. The white walls of the fridge covered with wine, Berry Punch looked in shock as even the bottle in her hooves shattered as her leg hind leg was covered in wine. She looked in horror as the fridge was now like a horror scene where the bodies were kept, but rather than blood it was her precious, aged wine. She held her head as she wailed in a high pitched tone.

Her fix gone before her eyes.

Finally at Fluttershy's home, Leo sat at the dining table he filled out a few documents for citizenship he hummed as he wrote in equestrian thanks to Fluttershy paying for a tutor.

Fluttershy sat beside Leo as she helped him finished the large amount of paper work, in wells around the documents along with his written speech.

"Damn, that took forever but at least this is done." Leo said as he sipped his glass of apple soda, Applejack gave him a crate's worth for his help.

Fluttershy smiled softly as she wiped a ink smudge on Leo's cheek. "I'm glad Leo, with this paper work and speech the town will surely come to accept you, the worm incident helped."

He rolled his eyes at this, smiling. "I helped run if that's what you're implying."

"Pinkie said you all led it to a deep trench."

"By pure luck, we just ran for our lives as fast as we could. All the credit went to those two while I was ignored, not that I mind really." He shrugged as he patted a bit of dust from his jacket.

Fluttershy averted his gaze as she fell down about what he said, she didn't like how subservient he was to the cons of his life. Though she understands he was always like this due to his life she wasn't accepting of it. If he didn't really mind then why bother with the speech?

Both Leo and Fluttershy perked as they turned their heads to an echoing screech coming towards them. Like the others of ponyville, they both flinched as the windows shattered. Covering their ears, Leo could only watch in horror as the in wells along with his soda shatter all over his documents and speech. The feeling that came over Leo overwhelmed him as he clenched his teeth, standing from his seat as he let out a frustrating roar.

All of that effort and hard work now gone in the darkness of the ink that splattered over the papers.

Back at the school in the empty classroom an upset Miss Cheerilee along with the Chief guard in charge of the outpost, he was a muscular steel coated stallion with a shimmering orange mane that connected with to his scruffy beard, his name was Dawned Valor. His green eyes glared at Scootaloo as his wrinkles tightened, clearly he was in his mid years, wearing a what looked like an old set of gold armor as it lost its shimmer a long time ago.

"Do you have any idea the damage you have caused?! What were you thinking Scootaloo!!!" Dawned Valor yelled, stomping his hoof, making her flinch.

"Dawn, please don't yell at her she didn't know what she was doing she was just doing it out of sheer curiosity." Cheerilee defended, though she was not apposed that Scootaloo be disciplined. Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom watched from the hallway door, barely peaking through as not to be spotted. They wanted to know why she did this and what would happen to her.

"Regardless she has to be punished, and since her parents aren't here, it falls to me to drop the hammer on her." He loomed over, Scootaloo shrunk back, tears streaming down her cheeks. She doesn't know whys she did it herself but most likely it was to tune out her friends fighting, though even if she said that, it's still not excusable. Cheerilee was worried as well, she did agree she should be punished.

Though before the verdict could be reached a young stallion guard ran through the hallway entrance into the classroom, scaring both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell as they jumped from the path of the young guard.

"Dawn! Dawn!" He yelled, his breathing rapid, his mane messy and his eyes with fear.

"What Trot March what are you screaming about!? You act like somepony died!" The older stallion said as he shot up from his seat, not pleased he was interrupted.

"Dawn its...! It's Bronze Sword!"

Dawn had flinched back from the name. Bronze Sword was an old friend of his, to hear his name and see Trot's look of fear could only mean bad news.

"What happened?" He said.

The day was at early dusk as there was yellow tape around the scene. Blood stained the ground floor almost everywhere, flies buzzing into the remnants of the fallen stallion. The entire coat of said stallion pinned with against a tree, splayed out completely as blood dripped from the underside. The most sickening part was the skinned corpse was hanging from the center of the canopy by its legs, the head along with the spine was missing.

As the post guards were preserving the crime scene, Dawn cold only watch the sickening sight with stricken eyes, his old friend killed brutally and his body hung like a cow at a slaughter house.

His heart pounded as he clenched his teeth, his eyes streaming tears as he stomped his hoof. His friend dead and gone, a stallion who had now left a mare a widow and his adult spawn with his grand foals alone. The family suffering from the devastating news more.

"When will she be here?" Dawn asked as he tried to maintain his stoic composure, this shook Trot to see his chief this way, struck with sadness, anger and fear.

"She should be here soon sir." Trot removed his steel helmet as he looked over the entire scene. "Have you ever seen anything like this sir?" He asked looking over to Dawn.

"In all my years in the service I have seen many things, horrible things." His voice shook with every word, wiping his tears away. "But none of them match up to this sight." He nearly regurgitated as he caught a glimpse of his fallen friend's entrails against a tree.

A voice broke them out of their fear, turning their head they saw none other than Twilight Sparkle. She trotted over them hesitantly as she saw the entire gore before her.

"Oh goddess, what happened here?" Twilight said as she walked carefully walked around the dirt that was stained with blood. She covered her nose as she came up to the two guards.

"We're hoping you can tell us Miss Sparkle. From what our guards have gathered, they say it was either a manitcore or a Timber wolf but..." Trot paused as he pursed his lips.

"But what?" Twilight asked not sure what she was missing.

"Well look around you Twilight, the scene, everything from Bronze's body as been separate by order, from skin, blood, to entrails and look at the body." He motioned to Bronze's hanging corpse, still dripping blood, flies buzzing around the corpse.

Twilight started to see it now, how could dense beasts make this? In fact why was there this much left, if it where any from the category listed, there would be almost nothing left of him.

"We know it's not your forte but we thought your expansive knowledge could narrow down the list and pint us in the right direction." Dawn said as he faced Twilight, his stoic look had returned.

She wasn't sure what she could tell them, she did have a variety of detailed knowledge she wasn't sure what to tell them, though there was something off about the attack.

"The attack was barely in the outskirts of town."

The outskirts...where Fluttershy's cottage was to the north as this attack happened north east. She put this scene together with what Fluttershy was housing and the first encounter of what she was housing did to two Timber wolves by itself.

She didn't want to believe it because of the strong effort he had put into mending things with the town, taking a job helping the Apple family thought despite not making an effort mending things with her and Rarity.

But what else could have done this with intelligence, and judging from the pictures taken from the guards this thing had opposable thumbs, from the pricings on the body. Worse there where lacerations that seemed to be caused by a knife, which Leo had when he fought to save Fluttershy and AppleJack. She had her gaze lowered, her eyes darting which Dawn took note of he cleared his throat snapping Twilight out.

"Twilight, do you know what caused this?" He said, his tone now very serous as he eyes her like he was interrogating a criminal.

Twilight perked as she licked her dry lips, she had to think of a proper way to word her next words, she remembered that Bronze's body had pierces with opposable thumbs , it couldn't have been Leo despite the connection.

"Well if I had to guess it was some kind of different predator not from the Everfree."

"So what are you saying that a predator from a different region came all the way here to hunt?" Trot said clearly not pleased with the explanation.

"Hold on Trot, let's hear her out." Dawn checked Trot as he grumbled.

"Well usually when there is a large number of herbivores there are predators that would notice this, but our post has kept all the creatures from the Everfree in check ever since the incident. So the only explanation is that a different predator from a different direction came to this area probably cause of Leo." She hummed in thought, both Trot and Dawn perked as they leaned closer at the mention of Leo's name. Twilight seemingly now oblivious to try and not out the heat on Leo "When a predator comes around a bountiful potential prey that can fend for itself, others may be coaxed by the first predator's braveness to reside and hunt in the same area."

"So you're saying this might have been caused by the arrival of another predator. Like Leo?" He simply asked.

"Yes like Le--!" She covered her mouth, barely just realizing what she had just done. "No wait! Ignore that I was just mumbling and---" She had fallen to deaf ears as he turned his back and ordered half the guards to follow him and Trot to take care of the other half to wrap things up and bag the remains in separate body bags which they have never used.

He shouted the orders as the unit of guards readied their swords and spears as followed their chief in formation. Twilight's heart sank as she realized what they were going to do she panicked before trying to teleport to Fluttershy's cottage, but due to her lack of concentration she couldn't pull it off. She huffed irritably as she cried out to Dawn to stop, trying to stop what she had caused.

"Achoo!" Leo sneezed as he rubbed his nose.

"You alright?" Spike asked.

"Yeah just a sneeze." He said rubbing his nose. "I don't know how I let you talk me into this Spike." Leo said grumbling holding a shovel over his shoulder.

"Common dude Rarity asked me to grab some gems for her new dress design and I need help covering ground on finding them." Spike said walking beside Leo leading to a new location of gems where supposedly there where no diamond dogs. The only reason Leo agreed on this was to have a private, eye opening talk about his crush and her manipulative nature. This was the best time alone to give him this talk, he needs to hear this. After living with them for quite some time he had seen how ragged she runs Spike, and Leo hated her for it. He tightened his grip on the shovel as he narrowed his eyes. This morning was a disaster for him since his work went up in ink, rather than to lament about it he accepted Spike's offer with ulterior motives.

'You're gonna listen to this talk one way or the other Spike' Leo said in thought, wiping the ink marks on his face as best as he could. They finally arrived to the area, it was flat with a few boulders around, the area was undug and there where no holes which means no diamond dogs.

"Well here we are Leo!" Spike said a bit ecstatic as he was ready to please Rarity by mining a large amount of gems. "You take that side and I'll take this side!" Spike ran to the right of the flatten valley as stabbed his shovel into the ground and began digging. He could tell him now, but maybe it was better if he tired himself out, that way he wouldn't have the strength to argue. Leo nodded as he went to his side and began to dig, putting very little effort into his work for the sake of the mare.

Oblivious an empty fake boulder had tilted up just a bit as a three sets of eyes peeked, the voices where high pitched and raspy as they spoke.

"What is this? These are not the mare! These are monkey and lizard!" One of them silently shouted.

"It looks like she sent monkey and izard to do her work her." A smaller raspier voice spoke.

"Which means they already know the locations of jewels." A deeper raspy voice said as the sound of scratching could be heard.

"What should we do know?" the smallest of the voices asked.

"We gather the rest of our pack and wait under boulders till they have finally found all of jewels then after that we ambush and take their findings." The main voice said letting out a small internal cackle.

"What about the monkey and lizard?" The deeper one asked.

"What about them?" The main voice said taking no interest.

"Yeah..." The small one said. "...can we eat them?" He asked as he panted licking his lips.

The main voice hummed in though as he sized up both of them, they would bring a considerable amount of meat to he table. He too licked his lips as he panted. "Alright we may, gather the pack and tell them to bring our weapons, they may not look like much but I can feel they are not weak." He eyed them both as his instincts warned him of both creatures, the dragon seemed like he cold hold his own, but the monkey's presence sent a small chill, making his fur stand on his back. The howled out boulder closed as they went back to their lair.

The dogs too fell oblivious as another set of eyes watched both groups, it watched from the trees as the dogs vanished under the boulder. It let a small hiss in excitement, it quickly leaned back into the darkness as Leo perked his head up and turned to the noise. Like and alerted guard dog of an intruder, the eyes stared into Leo's as Leo stared back into the shadowed tress.

"Leo? Leo what's wrong, why'd you stop digging?" He asked as he went over to him, looking at what he was staring into. "What are you looking at?" He asked looking at Leo. He narrowed his eyes before speaking.

"There's something in those trees..." He softly said. Spike was now beginning to get creeped out as his gaze went back to what he was looking at. All he saw were trees and nothing more.

"Leo there's nothing there, you sure you saw something?" He said as he got worried for his companion, he always knew when he acted this way there was something bad trialing them.

He did not answer as he just stared, moments have passed as the wind blew a cold gust of air, the skies beginning to cloud as the sight of blue was now gone and dull silver was in place. The sound of leaves resonating from the wind's push to the north. Leo closed his eyes, turning his back and grabbing his shovel to continue his work. "Never mind, it's nothing." Leo simply said as he begun to dig again, this time effort was put into it.

Spike could only glance at Leo and what he was looking at, the braches moved as the winds blew, he noticed something off as on of the braches moved a bit harder than the others as it shook. Like something jumped off of it and back into the woods. Spike flinched back as he looked back at Leo who didn't take notice.

He gulped as he tried to brush it off, going back to his side of the area and resuming his dig for gems, eventually his thoughts drift back to Rarity and how pleased she would be for his generous act. Discarding the thought of what had been watching them both with a certain interest.