"It all started about five weeks ago" Twilight began.

She then looked to Spike. They exchanged knowing nods. Spike put on a smile and sauntered over to Fluttershy.

"Hey Fluttershy" Spike said to the Pegasus. "I think I found a new uh... furry little woodland creature, that I don't think you've seen before! yeah."

Fluttershy Perked up at this. Her face immediately folding into creases of genuine concern. "Oh really?" She sounded more convinced of this than spike did. "What was it doing? What did it look like? It wasn't hurt was it?"

Spike, stunned at the effectiveness of his ruse, seized this opportunity, and like a puppet master formulated what he knew would move the Pegasus. "I dunno... he looked kind of lost, maybe even scared.. I think..."

Spike didn't have time to finish spinning his yarn before the Pegasus had ushered the dragon out the door insisting he tell her where he last saw the alleged woodland creature.

This left me sitting across from the librarian. Her eyes level with mine as we stared across the room at one another. The dimly lit room offered an ominous atmosphere. It was starting to get late.

I knew I had stepped into some deep dodo, maybe overstepped my bounds, but I felt now that I had ventured there, I was going to get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

"Sorry about that, Fluttershy is one of the few of us I haven't talked totally in depth with this situation about." She turned her eyes downward looking a little ashamed. "Its for her own good really"

"Oookay" I sighed "Lets make it like a Band-Aid and get it over with" I folded my hands and got ready for Twilights words. It was rather exciting in that respect, it was like story time, only a little more foreboding I had to admit.

"Alright" Twilight sighed and cleared her throat, seeming to steel herself still. "So, the forest you were in when we found you is called the Everfree Forest. you're familiar with it yes?"

I nodded "Yeah, spike told me about how dangerous it can be and I lived there for two weeks. So yes we're acquainted.. Is that why you guys built that wall? Cause I didn't run into anything too crazy there."

"Not quite Daniel" Twilight began "The fact that you lasted as long as you did is impressive, but anyone can if they have the right know how. For instance, the tree you mentioned that you slept under was no mere tree. Your so called superstitions probably saved your life"

"Oh" I said, feeling my face flush. Dang, I was pretty proud when I found out how dangerous the wood was from spike. I was hoping I could kind of ride on that fancy bid of luck and seem like a seasoned nature man. After all no one here would know to the contrary, and I had the beard to match it.

"Not to diminish your accomplishment" Twilight said quickly, smiling encouragingly, probably noticing my fluster at her last comment. "I'm sure you're a skilled woodsman, but you are very fortunate that did not run into many of the local predators.. or any of the woods new tenants." She looked away with those words.

Though obviously trying to spare my feelings, some of my confidence did return with that. After all even if I was resting beneath an enchanted tree during the nights, I still gathered my own food and resources from a foreign wood. And on top of all that I managed to avoid even a single encounter with a local predator. It was always my philosophy that a fight avoided, was a fight won.

"Anyways, that's just it though." Twilight began again. trying to get back to the point." It always used to be if you knew what you were doing and you kept you head down and your wits about you, the Everfree was nothing to fuss about."

I started to see where this is going. "Buuut, something changed right?" I lead slowly.

Twilight took a deep shuddering breath before responding softly. "Yeah, you could say that." She swallowed before speaking again with newfound mettle. "A good friend of ours named Zecora lived in the Everfree for many years. She was practically our expert on the place, living in her hollow deep in the woods. Her expertise on the unknown was a valuable asset on many occasions. More than that, she was a great friend." her face softened at this as she seemed to reminisce.

She chocked back a tear before clearing her throat. "Sorry" she said calmly. I don't like where I see this going. My stomach grew a fist inside it as I dreadfully awaited the next portion of Twilight's brief history lesson.

"Anyway" She began again, having regained her composure. "I was on my way into the Everfree to visit her as I had made a custom of doing every other week." She took another deep breath. "When I arrived the door had been broken down, and the lights were off inside." Her breathing became shaky and tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

Her eyes seemed to gloss over as she continued. "S-she was... in her bed, yeah..." She had tears flowing freely down her face now, her lips shaking as she spoke. "S-she uh she w-was over by the counter too.... she was everywhere..." A small sob escaped her before catching herself a bit, and trying to blink her tears away. Looking away from me as she wiped her face.

Stomach knotted further, bunching and threatening to empty its contents. My heart wrenched as I realized the full gravity of the Twilights tale. Should of picked it up from all the past tense. Her friend was dead.

I was more than a little uncomfortable at this point. I gave her some time to recuperate, after all, I was no stranger to loss.

I looked around to find something to distract myself with as she grabbed a tissue from across the room to wipe her tear filled eyes.

I glanced outside to see some soldier ponies out side talking with some folks and pointing. They seemed confused and reluctant to the soldiers words, but seemed to be abiding by whatever instructions they were receiving.

I looked back to Twilight as she balled up the used tissue and deposited it in the trash bin on the other side of the room. That whole telekinesis thing seemed handy to say the least. Guilt began creeping up on me, I spoke.

"I'm sorry Twilight" I said as sympathetically as I could leaning forward to meet her downward gaze. "You really don't have to continue if you don't want to. Its really none of my business as it is." I said still trying to meet her eyes.

She looked up suddenly meeting my gaze with an even stare. Cold and hard. It softened a bit and she spoke.

"No," she sighed. "I have to get over it eventually, crying won't bring her back." New conviction dawned in her face she then said "But it is your business, whatever killed Zecora is a danger to everyone and was no regular inhabitant of the Everfree. The main clue being that her body was... eviscerated, and not eaten." She coughed again and cleared her throat. "If one of the regular predators really had just gotten the jump on Zecora there would have been no body to find."

Her faced hardened "At least that's what I tried to tell them." Her face folded into an expression of pure anger and lament. "I tried to tell them that something like that doesn't just happen. But no, they were convinced "it was only a matter of time before a tragedy would befall someone who chose to live in the Everfree." "Twilight mocked, her cheeks now turning red with anger, and forming quotation marks in the air with her hooves.

She paused a bit and sighed, allowing some of the heat to seep from her face. "After Zecora's death I knew something was a miss. I tried to make an appeal to increase the guard around Ponyville and possibly build a wall. They refused saying I was just overreacting due to my traumatisation."

Twilight stopped for a few seconds and used her telekinesis to pick up a glass and fill it with water from the sink in the kitchen. Then she brought the glass over to her and placed it on the table.

She began again after levitating a glass of water to her lips and taking a long drink. Her eyes had become red and bloodshot from her tears earlier. "In the two weeks following that fun little political encounter, ponies started saying they saw strange figures shambling about at night. At first, only at the outskirts of the forest, but after another five days of this, a couple of ponies claimed to see these figures just outside the town, some were even looming around peoples porches, standing still as death itself" Twilight shuddered and I too found myself uncomfortably chilled. A small wetness formed in the corner of my eyes and I blinked it away. That shouldn't have spooked me as much as it did.

"Naturally," Twilight sighed as she began again. "It wasn't just mass hysteria, but was ignored just the same by the ponies with the power to do anything about it." Twilight looked down with a expression that betrayed no pain as she continue. "It took the death of two ponies for them to realize it wasn't just superstition and nerves." Twilight looked back up at me, her expression of torment caused a pang of sadness and sympathy to scorch through my chest.

"They lived on the edge of town" She began again returning her face to a more stable expression though, despite her efforts, still betrayed no feelings of hurt. "They were such a young and cute couple, like to the point it'd make you sick. But... " She took another deep breath "One morning their neighbors stepped outside and noticed the door was broken down and the lights still lit inside. Investigators looked into it in great detail. Thanks to the magic of forensics, they deduced that there were multiple perpetrators and none of them ponies. They broke in while they were having a late night meal, the man, whom was with the guard in Ponyville attempted to defend them with his weapon which was nearby at the time. He was immediately decapitated and crushed by means that are still undecipherable to this day, though they did find rotted snake flesh meshed with his own in the areas of inflicted blunt force trauma, what ever the hell that implies."

She seemed more thoughtful now in addition to her grief. "The female however, whom was a unicorn, was dragged off by the perpetrators. They would have called for a search and rescue but the forensics team found a copious amount of blood near the edge of the forest. The DNA matched so naturally it was deemed hopeless, and far too dangerous."

Relaxing a bit as she was making for a conclusion to her tale she said "At this point the issue could not be ignored, people had been brutally murdered and all evidence pointed to something or rather some things, lurking in the Everfree Forest. The result is the wall and guard patrols you see now."

"hmm" I hummed curiously "If its so dangerous, why were you and your friends walking through there?"

"We were actually on our way to Zecora's old place to stake out for a night when we ran into you" She said a little shamefully. "it was a silly and dangerous endeavour and probably could have very well gotten us killed. I was just so desperate to get answers and sick and tired of making no progress. I mean just because you build a wall around the town doesn't mean the problem is going to go away!" She exclaimed raising her hooves in the air "There is literally no better analogy for a Band-Aid solution than that. ..lets just say you were a welcome distraction."

It was at this time the door to the library swung open eliciting a jump from Twilight and I.

Spike and Fluttershy entered the library. Twilight shot spike a curious look after he had closed the door behind him.

Spike pick up on it and offered his explanation. "Unfortunately we couldn't seem to find the creature because a good soldier came and told us that we should head back to our homes and stay indoors for the remainder of the evening."

"That's strange" Twilight said "Since when are they enforcing curfews? I didn't hear anything about it." Twilight cocked her head waiting expectantly for spike to provide some clarity.

"Your guess is as good as mine" Spike shrugged.

Suddenly and surely a great amount of shouting could be heard from outside, they sounded urgent and likely military.

"what's going on out there" Twilight asked looking disgruntled as she marched toward the door.

She swung the library door open to reveal a troupe of white soldier ponies marching by at brisk speeds toward the west wall. The door frame was suddenly filled by a tall stallion with a red fringe atop his golden helmet and pale blue eyes.

"Miss Sparkle" he began his husky voice carrying into the library. "It'd be best if you stayed inside ma'am:

"What is going on sergeant-major?" Twilight nearly barked "Report!"

"The Pegasus patrols say they saw some big movement heading toward the town from the west ma'am." The large earth pony barked back with disciplined and rigid posture. "We're mobilizing and preparing for the worst."

Oh dear.

"Good work, Kathol" Twilight saluted "As you were soldier!"

The Major Struck a powerful salute before turning and trotting to catch up with the regiment he was responsible for.

Twilight closed the door and started for the stairs up to her room.

"We better get ready to entertain guests" She said quickening her pace. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Author's Note

I had much more fun writing this chapter, I prefer allowing myself to fall into a slower pacing and being able to appreciate the content I'm displaying.

As always any constructive criticism is HUGELY appreciated as well as any comments in general.

A new chapter will be released soon. I'm slowly making these chapters longer, but ill try to keep them relatively small to allow for consistent content updates and reading convenience. This may however change in the future when I get deeper into the story..