Chapters It was a fairly normal day in Ponyville. The sky was clear thanks to Rainbow Dash, a pleasant breeze blew through town, and everypony was busy. Especially a purple winged unicorn in the town library. “Spike, is everything packed?”
A lighter purple dragon comes into the room, carrying a rather large pack. “Yes Twilight, everything’s ready to go.”
Twilight smiles as she checks luggage off of the list. “Hehe, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Shining Armor. I’m glad he managed to get a few days off so that we can hang out.”
Spike rolls his eyes as he says, “Still don’t see why you have to take so much stuff. You’re packed like you’re going to be gone a month.”
It was Twilights turn to roll her eyes as she replies, “I know, I know, but this is just a few things that I wanted to bring along with.”
Spikes legs begin wobbling as he asks, “I few things?” before they give out and the bag falls down on him him. Twilight uses her magic to lift the bag off of Spike and sets it aside, revealing a flattened dragon. Spike puts his thumb in his mouth and blows until he puffs himself back up.
Twilight giggles at the scene as she continues looking over her list. After a few more looks, she rolls up the paper and exclaims, “Whelp, that seems to be everything. Hopefully nothing happens while we’re gone.” And almost on cue, somepony begins banging on the door. Twilight sighs and says, “Of course.” She trots over to the door and opens. Standing there, is one of her friends, Applejack. “Ah, Applejack, what’s going on?”
The orange pony quickly comes in and starts explaining. “Well, I was on mah way over ‘ere ta see ya off when I got the feelin’ that somethin’ was watchin’ me. Now, it could be just mah imagination but Fluttershy said that a lot of her animals have been scared to go inta tha woods. Not ta mention I occasionally ‘ear growlin’ sounds.”
“Well, it’s the Everfree Forest. Stuff like that is kind of normal.”
“Not what I’ve been hearin’. Also, I found footprints of somethin’ I’ve never seen before. Twilight ponders and then asks, “Well, what
“They look a bit like Spike’s hands, ‘cept with five fingers instead of 4, wit claws ta boot. And they were deep too, like they belonged to somethin’ big. And I’d say they were ‘bout tha size of wanna your normal sized books.”
“Hmm, I’d say it was a dragon, but they usually prefer to fly instead of walking around if they can help it.” Twilight stands there for a minute, thinking, before saying, “Well, I got a few hours before the train arrives, how about we go take a look?”
“Ya sure Twilight? I’d hate for ya ta waste your time on a wild goose chase.”
“It’s no problem at all. Spike,” Spike stands at attention. “Hold down the fort, will you? I should be back in a little while.”
Spike salutes and says, “Sure thing Twilight.”
Twilight turns back to Applejack and says, “Alright Applejack, show me where you found those footprints.” After a walk that took just a few minutes, Twilight and Applejack arrive at the Everfree forest. “Alright Applejack, remember where you saw them?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Good. Now, let’s get going.”
Before they could enter, a voice rings out behind them, “Hey, where are you guys off to?”
The two ponies turn around and see Rainbow Dash standing behind them. Twilight speaks up, “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash. We were going into the Everfree Forest.”
“What for?”
Applejack speaks up this time. “Well, I’ve been hearin’ things I’ve nevah heard before and found some weird footprints. So we’re going to check it out.”
“Oh cool, mind if I join you?”
Twilight smiles and says, “Sure, the more the merrier.” Now the group of three prepare to head into the forest, unsure of what they are going to find.
Into the Forest of Danger
It took about 10 minutes, but Twilight and the others finally found the footprints they were looking for. Twilight pulled a container full of white goop and dumps it into the footprint. Rainbow looks over and asks, “Uh, Twilight. What are you doing?”
“Making a mold. If we don’t find the creature that made it, at least I’ll have this casing to look through zoology books and figure out what it is.”
“Why not just look through the whole forest until we find it?”
“Because A. I have to get going in a few hours and B. This forest isn’t exactly safe you know. What, with manticores, cragodiles, and other nasty creatures.”
“Ha! There is nothing in this forest that scares me.” She then turns to a random direction and yells out “You hear me?! Nothing can scare me!!” Her boast is answered by a very, very loud roar, a roar that sends chills running down the three’s spines.
Applejack eyes Rainbow Dash and asks, “Did ya really have ta challenge the forest, Rainbow?” Her question is answered by a sheepish giggle from the cyan Pegasus.
Twilight looks up from her mold and says, “That sounded awfully close, wouldn’t you think?”
“Yeah, and I don’t like it. I think we should get outta here.”
“Not a chance. I’ve heard recordings of every creatures signature sound ever found and never heard one like that. We are going to find it.”
“And what?” Rainbow asks. “Ask it to sing us a song?”
Twilight rolls her eyes and begins heading in the direction the sound came from. But before she can take more than 2 steps, Applejack dashes in front of her. “Are ya crazy?! We are NOT heading towards whatevah made that sound. Who knows how dangerous it is.”
“Exactly,” Twilight says. “For all we know, it could be friendly.”
Twilight pushes past Applejack and continues walking. “Yeah, when ‘ave we evah been that lucky?” She looks up at Rainbow Dash, who’s only response is a shrug. “Alright, best we follow, so she don’t get hurt.” About half an hour passes and still no signs of the creature. Well, unless you count a bunch of broken trees with claw marks all over them and torn up, bloodied earth to be signs. “What in the hay happened here?”
“Looks like a fight,” Twilight notes. “A pretty nasty one from the looks of it. Look at all this blood. The ground is almost completely covered.”
“And it stinks.” Rainbow Dash covers her nose. “Smells like something died here.” She then flutters down and lands on a rock, only for the ‘rock’ to begin shifting. “Whoa!” Rainbow Dash quickly gets off and the clear markings of a cragodile are seen.
The girls, remembering the monster from their previous encounter, shriek and begin to run away but then notice it isn’t chasing them. In fact, other than when Rainbow Dash sat on it, it hasn’t moved at all. “What in tarnations is going on?”
“I don’t know. It should be chasing us.” Twilight then walks around the cragodile and all the color drains from her face. “I-i-i-it, it, it…” Applejack and Rainbow Dash run around to see what has Twilight so spooked and discover what happened. The cragodile has been completely torn open in the stomach and chest area, and, judging by the claw and teeth marks, was in the process of being eaten. “I-I don’t understand. Cragodiles are one of the top predators around here. Nothing preys on it. Not one this size.”
“Well,” Applejack begins. “Somethin’ killed and started eatin’ it. And I ain’t about to stick around and become dessert.”
“I’m with Applejack on this one Twi. We really should head back before whatever killed it decides to come back to finish it.”
But Twilight wasn’t moving, and it wasn’t from shock. She then stands up straight and says, “No, we can’t go back.”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash both yell out, “What?!”
“Think about it. Whatever killed this cragodile has to be pretty powerful. Not to mention the kill looks fresh, so it must still be nearby. Way I figure, if this thing decides to move to a new hunting ground, who’s to say it won’t come into Ponyville?” She then turns to the side. “No, we need to stay here, track this creature down, and capture it, before it harms anypony. Are you girls with me?” Neither one of them answer. She turns back to her friends and see that they have horrified looks on their faces, looking back behind Twilight. Twilight follows their gazes and sees what they are looking at. There, staring out from the shadows at them, is a pair of almond shaped, glowing, yellow eyes. Then, in a flash, a bat with glowing wings comes fluttering out of the darkness, shrieking as the girls go running for cover before flying off. After the bat flies away, Twilight peeks up from her hiding spot to look around. She then exhales and says, “Well, glad to see that the Bright-wing bats are still around, ehe.”
Rainbow Dash pops her head out of a tree and asks, “That was it? A bat?! How lame it that?”
Applejack walks out from behind a rock and adds, “Well, at least it wasn’t… whatever killed this cragodile.” Suddenly, the bushes begin rustling. “Now what?” The answer comes as a strange looking creature comes out of the bushes. It is taller than a pony and walking on its back legs with its much shorter front legs, or in this case arms, pressed up against its body. Its neck is long and slender and its tail even more so. Its head is lizard like, with yellow eyes that seem to catch every movement and small blood red feathers running down the back of its neck and on the outside of its arms. One of its 3 toed feet has a large claw on it, made for slashing. It has blue and black stripes on its body that almost wraps around it. The creature bobs its head, watching the orange pony carefully. “Uh, Twilight, think this is what you were lookin’ for?”
“N-no, I don’t think so. Just don’t make any sudden movements, maybe it will leave.”
The creature then extends it arms, opens its mouth, and shrieks at them. Rainbow Dash yells out, “RUN!!” and everypony does just that.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight in the air and Applejack still on the ground, running as fast as her hooves can carry her but the creature is slowly catching up to her, snapping at her hooves. “Somepony get this thing away from me!” She then feels herself tripping over a vine, sending her lurching forwards. She turns back just in time to see the creature leaping at her before she closes her eyes.
Then, out of nowhere, Rainbow Dash swoops in and delivers a hoof to the side of the creatures head, causing it to lurch sideways. “Ha!” she exclaims, “Bet you didn’t see that coming!” The creature responds by swinging its tail at her but she manages to dodge it and takes off, yelling, “Catch me if you can!”
The creature hisses in anger and gives chase, leaving Applejack behind. Twilight lands next to her and asks, “Applejack! What happened?!”
“T-that thing almost killed me but Rainbow Dash stopped it and now she’s being chased by it! We gotta go help her!”
“Agreed. Let’s go!”
Rainbow Dash continues galloping through the forest, making sure to dodge every vine and leap over every rock she comes across. She then looks back and no longer sees the creature. Screeching to a halt, she thinks, “Oh man, I hope that thing didn’t go back to Applejack.” She hears a branch snap and ducks just in time to dodge the creature’s jaws snapping at her. “Ha! Think you can get the drop on me? I can just fly away!” She opens her wings but before she could do so, she sees the creature’s throat start to swell. “What the…” In the blink of an eye, the creature then spits a green clump right at her right wing, earning a shocked yell from the pegasus. “Hey, what was that for?!” She tries to fly away but finds that she can’t move her right wing. She looks at it and sees that the green clump has solidified. “Aw man, that ain’t fair!” Seeing the adhesive work, the creature begins closing in on its prey, hissing and snarling. Rainbow Dash takes a stance and says, “Well, c’mon, I ain’t got all day!” Suddenly the same roar she heard before occurs and another, much larger and different creature leaps out of the brushes, snapping up the smaller creature in its jaws by the tail. The small creature shrieks with a mixture of pain and fright as the larger one begins slamming it on the ground before tossing it in the air and catching it by the neck and jerks its head, killing it. The creature then drops the smaller one and roars again with victory. Now that everything is still, Rainbow Dash can get a clear look at this creature.
It is vaguely wolf shaped except it is easily twice the size of a normal pony. It was thick yet soft looking navy blue fur covering its body measuring at about 4 inches long and, shockingly, 3 ½ foot long bone spikes on its shoulders and hips and a foot long spike on its elbows and heels. And perhaps the most striking feature is its head, which looks like it’s made of solid bone and looks like a skull, with two 1 1/2 foot long spikes pointing backwards and 8 much smaller ones below the larger ones. It has dog like back feet, but with longer toes and its front paws vaguely look like hands with five fingers, each finger and toe sporting almost 2 inch claws. When it opens its jaws, dozens of teeth can be seen, each looking like they could bite through almost anything. All the marks of a powerful and dangerous predator.
The large creature then looks straight at Rainbow Dash, growling softly. She tries backing up away from it but finds her back hitting a tree. She closes her eyes, expecting the worse. But instead of death, she just hears a strange sound. She opens her eyes a bit and sees the creature’s nose almost touching, smelling her. After a few seconds, the creature snorts and says in a deep, monotone voice, “Why are you here?”
Surprised that it can talk, Rainbow’s only response was, “Uh, excuse me?”
The creature growls and says, “Perhaps I was not clear enough. What are you doing in my forest?”
“Uh, well, you see, uh…”
The creature, growing impatient, groans and simply says, “Never mind, it doez not matter. Just leave. You do not belong here.” And begins to walk away.
Annoyed at his command, Rainbow Dash jumps to her hooves and says, “Hey, you can’t just tell me what to do! We came here looking for you!”
The creature looks back. “We?”
“Yeah, ‘we’. Now who, and what, are you?”
The creature quickly spins around and gets in her face, studying her, glaring at her. Despite suddenly appearing, the pony doesn’t flinch. “Impressive” He thinks. “Very well zhen,” he says out loud, “I am Asteroth Irontooth of zhe Bone Valley. And az for what I am, I am a Bone-Hound. And you are?”
“R-Rainbow Dash.”
“’Rainbow Dash’, hmm? Interesting. I honestly did not expect any creatures here to be capable of speech.”
“I-I could say the same of you. I’ve never seen anything like you before.”
“Hmph, zhat is because I try not to let myself become seen.”
“Well, like I said earlier, me and my friends were looking for you.”
“For what purpose?”
“Well, we’ve been hearing strange noises and found weird footprints and wanted to make sure you aren’t a danger to Ponyville.”
“Ponyville? Is zhat zhe land where you are from?”
“Not exactly.”
“I see. Well, I should be going and you should as well. Farewell, Rainbow Dash.”
“Wait a minute!” Asteroth pauses. “Uh, thanks, for saving me, I mean. And if ya want, you could come to Ponyville, as long as you don’t cause trouble. It’s in that direction.”
Asteroth stands there for a few moments before saying, “I will consider it.” He then walks over to the smaller creature’s corpse, picks it up in his jaws, and walks away into the brush. After a few moments, Rainbow Dash gets up and begins heading back towards Ponyville before passing out from exhaustion.
Author's Note
I hope you guys like it so far. And if anyone can tell me what they think of my attempt at making accents, that would be much appreciated :)
And for those who are wondering, this is was Asteroth looks like, minus the lines on his head. http://kitsune2008.deviantart.com/art/Razakel-Drawn-by-Matt-Wilson-461400441?ga_submit_new=10%253A1402978192
Rainbow Dash wakes up a few hours later in a hospital bed. Groaning, she stretches out her wings, only to find a bandage around her right wing. Trying to figure out why she’s there, she suddenly remembers the conversation she had with the mysterious Asteroth. As she sits there with her thoughts, the door opens and one of the nurse ponies comes in and, upon seeing that she’s awake, says, “Ah, good morning Miss Rainbow Dash. How are you feeling?”
“Y-yeah, I’m good. What am I doing here, and why do I have a bandage on?”
“Your friends, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Applejack came rushing in last night, carrying you, said you girls were attacked by some creature. And as for the bandage, you had some green goop, for lack of a better word, on your wing that was almost impossible to come off until it just decided to fall off. Your wing was sprained from it so we put some salve on it and wrapped it up. Also, your friends are still in the waiting room right now. If you’d like, I can have them come in.”
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”
The nurse pony smiles sweetly, “No problem at all.” And then leaves the room.
About a minute later, Twilight and Applejack come rushing in. Oh dear Celestia, are you okay Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asks worriedly.
“Ya, you weren’t lookin’ so good when we found ya. We almost assumed the worse. Thank Celestia you’re alright, Sugahcube.”
Rainbow Dash smiles at her friends concerns but playfully brushes it off. “Yeah, of course I’m alright. That creature didn’t stand a chance.”
“Uh, to be blunt Rainbow Dash, I doubt you could’ve defeated that creature by yourself.”
“Yeah yeah.”
“So,” Twilight begins. “What exactly happened? What happened to that strange creature?” Rainbow Dash remains quiet for a few seconds before explaining. After she tells her story, Twilight and Applejack stand there slack-jawed. “So, you’re telling us that you actually encountered the creature that killed that cragodile? And it saved you from that creature?”
“Yup.”
“And you talked it? And it talked back!?”
“Pretty much how it went down.”
“T-that-that’s simply amazing! What was it like? Was it aggressive? Did it threaten you?”
“He was a little aggressive at first, asking me why I was in ‘his’ forest. But he calmed down and seemed somewhat friendly, if somewhat aloof.”
“Well, did he tell you his name?”
“Yeah. I don’t remember the whole thing, some kind of grand title or something, but his first name is ‘Asteroth’.”
“’Asteroth’? What a peculiar name.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. And he said that his kind are called ‘Bone-Hounds’. I can tell he’s not from around here. Never heard an accent like his before.”
“What kind of accent?”
“Well, instead of saying ‘this’ and “that” he would say ‘zhis’ and ‘zhat’, which was kind of weird. Also, shouldn’t you be in the Crystal Empire by now?”
“Well, yes, but after what happened to you, I canceled the trip so I can make sure you’re alright. Shining understood and asked me to let him know if I need help with anything. But still, that was simply amazing! Oh, how I wished I could’ve met him. I have so many questions to ask him now.”
“You might get the chance one day.”
“Perhaps. Oh well, just focus on getting better, I’m going back to the library. How about you Applejack?”
“Nah,” she replies. “I think I’ll hang out with Rainbow Dash some more.”
“Alright, see ya girls later.”
Once Twilight leaves the room and closes the door, Applejack looks at Rainbow Dash and says, “I don’t think I can evah thank ya enough for saving mah flank back there. I owe ya one.”
“Eh, don’t sweat it. That’s what friends are for.”
“Well, how ‘bout this; once you get out of here, we can invite the others and I’ll crack open one of my apple ciders.”
Rainbow Dash instantly perks up at the mention of apple cider. “Well hay, I can get out now. No problamo.”
“Heh, I don’t think so Rainbow. You stay here until your wing’s all healed up.”
“Aww, but apple cider…”
“Damn it.”
“Just get some rest. I’m sure you’ll be out of here tomorrah mornin’, maybe even later today.”
“Yeah yeah, see ya later.”
Back at the library, a dark blue male Pegasus with yellow eyes behind grey glasses with similar dark blue colored mane and tail, each with a black zigzag sign in both, standing in front of the door. He is wearing a light blue shirt with tattered sleeves and a similar colored bandanna around his neck. His cutie mark is an open book with a pen writing on it. He inhales, holds his breath for a few seconds, and then exhales. “Alright Shuffling Mist. Just knock on the door and hand the book to Spike. Twilight should be almost to the Crystal Empire by now. Yeah…” He raises his hoof and knocks on the door. Footsteps can be heard as the door opens up and the familiar purple dragon is seen. “Hey Spike, what’s up, little man?”
“Hey, Shuffling Mist, long time no see.” They both bump fists/hooves. “I’m doing good, just got done unpacking Twilight’s stuff.”
Shuffling Mist tilts his head at this. “Wait, Twilight’s still here? I thought she left.”
“Well, that was the plan but something turned up. Rainbow’s in the hospital.”
“What?! What happened?”
“I don’t exactly know myself. Just said something about being attacked. Come on in and ask her yourself.”
Spike steps to the side and bows his head, which earns an amused snort from Mist. Mist steps inside and as Spike closes the door, he takes a quick look around and chuckles to himself. “Same old Twilight,” He thinks to himself, “Always have to have everything in a certain order. Glad to see that she’s still keeping those books I gave her.” Over on one of the shelves, are 4 books in a series called “The Adventures of Shadow Wing” by the ghost author, “Rainy Tales”. “It’s amazing how popular those books are.”
Slightly annoyed and mostly amused, Twilight answers, “Very funny Shuffling Mist.”
Mist laughs as he removes his hooves and steps back. “So, my main man Spike told me that you canceled the trip to the Crystal Empire. Something about Rainbow Dash being in the hospital. What happened exactly?”
Before Twilight answers, she first asks, “Well, you have nothing to do, right?”
“Nope, free as a bird tonight.”
“Good, cause I have quite the story for you. Spike, can you get us something to drink and eat?”
“Right away Twilight.” Spike then rushes into the kitchen area as Twilight begins to tell Mist about what happened in the Everfree Forest.
After almost an hour of explaining, Mist is finishing up his tea when Twilight describes what Rainbow Dash told them in the hospital. “And then she says it spoke to her and then left. Can you imagine?”
“No, that honestly sounds very hard to believe. I mean, I just can’t wrap my head around the creature that first attacked you. Sounds like a raptor but that’s impossible. And you don’t think that’s what killed that Cragodile, do you?”
“Doubt it. It wasn’t too much bigger than any of us, so, it was very unlikely.”
“Hmm, strange.”
“Yeah, and when you came in, I was trying to draw out what the creature might look like based on Rainbow Dash’s description. I got a number of sketches and when she gets out, I’ll ask her to look over them and possibly describe it again.”
Shuffling Mist looks over Twilight’s sketches. One looks like a giant dog with a cartoonish head while another looks like some sort of demon from Tartarus. “Interesting. Ya know, that creature sounds like something Rainy Tales would love to put in one of his books.”
Twilight sports a big grin at the mention of one of her favorite authors. “Yes, it would be. Just imagine Shadow Wing and the other Night Guards trying to track it down while it’s chasing Rose Petal. I can imagine it now.” Twilight sets down her tea cup and flies up onto the railing. “It was a stormy night and the young unicorn mare Rose Petal is being chased by the Bone-Hound. She’s running across a thin fallen tree over a ravine, calling out for Shadow Wing to save her. Her hoof slips and…”
Right as she says the last few words, her hoof loses its footing and she falls, only to be caught by Shuffling Mist. “As she falls, Shadow Wing swoops in and catches her, just in the nick of time, as the storm begins to part. The creature roars in anger as the moon highlights their silhouettes. They stare into each other’s eyes, slowly closing the distance between them until…”
“Uh, what are you guys doing?” Spike asks coyly.
Shuffling Mist and Twilight both snap out of their fantasies and realize their lips were only a few inches apart. Mist’s wings automatically stop flapping and they both fall to the ground in a jumbled heap. Both blushing heavily, they begin apologizing towards each other at the same time, trying to let the other finish before growing silent again and looking away. Mist is the first to break the silence as he says, “Oh, hey, speaking of Rainy Tales, I got this for you.” Mist pulls a book out of his saddlebags and gives it to
Mist couldn’t finish what he was going to say thanks to Twilight glomping him, and nuzzling his neck, saying, “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! This is so amazing! I don’t know how you always get the books before everypony else but thank you!” Mist smiles sheepishly until Twilight gives him a peck on the cheek. “This is a great gift Mist. Once again, thank you so much. I’m going to start reading it now.” She stares at her book hungrily but then remembers, “Oh, right, you’re still here, heheh, I should…”
But before she could continue, Mist holds up a hoof and says, “Nah, it’s alright Twilight. I actually gotta get going anyways. Forgot I had an errand to run.”
Twilight makes a somewhat sad smile as she says, “Alright Mist, I guess I’ll, you know, see you later.”
“Heh, yeah, see ya later. And tell Rainbow Dash I hope she gets better if you see her before I do. And try not to let her know you have that book, she may try to steal it.”
Mist sticks his tongue out and Twilight giggles. She then responds, “Will do. Let me get the door.”
“Thanks. See ya.”
“Bye.” Twilight waves as Shuffling Mist spreads out his wings and takes off. She then leans against the door frame and watches the sunset before sighing and closing the door. When she turns around, she sees Spike smiling smugly at her with his arms crossed. “What?”
“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Spikes then snickers as he adds on, “Just thinking how cute you two looked acting out a romantic scene. Especially when you two were about to kiss. Ha ha, that was…” He looks back at Twilight and his smile disappears as he sees her have an incredibly annoyed look on her face, cheeks red, and her horn is glowing. “Oh crap…” The door then opens and Spike is gently tossed out. When he lands on the ground, the door slams shut. He then begins pounding on the door, crying out, “Oh, c’mon Twilight, I was only joking!” The door locks. “I know you’re not going to leave me out here.” Lights turn off. “Uh, Twilight?”
“How long has zit been? A few hours? Days? Weeks even? I cannot tell. When I breathe in, I smell not zhe scent of the jungle I’ve grown up with, but instead zhe scent of something else. Something bitter. I strain my ears to hear zhe sounds of birds and dragons and Deathwings. Zhe soothing sounds of zhe waterfall and wind blowing through zhe leaves. I can hear none of zhat. I only hear zhis constant beeping sound, like zit is trying to burrow into my head. And I hear voices as well. Zhey are not speak my language but I can still understand zhem. And zhe clopping of hooves as zhey run around. Like prey, trying to escape zhe predator. Where in zhe name of zhe great Gods am I? Wake up Asteroth!” Asteroth begins to very slowly open his eyes. Instead of seeing the sky, he only sees a white ceiling. He stretches and finds his claws clinking against the hard tile floor. He is alone in this strange area, his only company being a strange shiny object, the source of the beeps as he has found out. They seem to keep pace with his heartbeat, making him wonder if they’re connected. He looks at his arms and sees something white wrapped around them, and wrapped around his tail, legs, and other parts of his body. He hears a clicking sound and turns his head towards the source as a door opens and in walks one of the nurses, a unicorn looking at a board.
She looks up and sees Asteroth staring at her. “O-oh, you’re awake. We were hoping the medicine would have a positive effect on you.”
Asteroth groans as his body is still sore. “Where… am I?”
“Oh, you’re in a hospital.”
Asteroth widens one of his eyes. “A… ‘hospital’?”
“Well, yes, when Twilight and the others brought you in, you were in pretty bad shape. That was a few days ago. They said that they were attacked by some creatures and you helped fend them off.”
The Bone-Hound looks away. “Yes. I remember now. Zhe Speeders”
“Excuse me?”
He looks back at the nurse and replies, “Zit is nothing. Just tell me, am I being held captive here or something of zhe sort?”
The nurse makes a shocked expression. “Oh goodness, no, of course not! We are simply keeping you here until you fully recover. And all of your expenses are being paid by Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Asteroth scuffs and mumbles, “I am not even going to pretend I know what ‘expenses’ are.” And turns back to his makeshift bed.
The nurse simply shrugs and says, “Well, if you do not mind, I am going to inform Twilight and the others, let them know you’re awake. She said something about wanting to ask you some questions.”
Without looking at her, he simply responds, “As you, and zhey, wish.” And lays down.
The nurse nods and leaves the room. A few minutes pass by and Asteroth is alerted to a familiar voice. “Well well well, look who it is.”
Asteroth looks up at the doorway and sees Rainbow Dash, wing now free of a bandage. “Oh, I remember you. Rainbow Dash, from zhe woods.”
“Yup, and I remember you, Asteroth. May I come in?”
“If you want to, I will not stop you.”
Rainbow Dash steps in and closes the door with one of her back hooves. She takes a look around the room and whistles. “Damn, they really cleared out the room here. Though, considering the size of ya, I can’t blame them.”
Asteroth looks around and asks, “I am guessing zhat zhey have more items in here?”
“Oh yeah, they normally have beds and stuff. Considering you couldn’t fit on one, they just took the mattresses and put them on the ground for you. Took, like, 6 ponies, including Twilight, to carry you in here.”
“Yes, zhat is what zhe one pony waz saying a few minutes ago.”
Before Rainbow Dash could continue, the door opens, and Twilight and Mist come walking in. Surprised to see Rainbow, Twilight smiles and says, “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash, didn’t expect you here.”
Rainbow Dash smiles back at her friend and replies, “Yeah, the nurses wanted me to stick around for a few more days, make sure my wing is alright, even though I feel 20 percent better than before.” The statement causes Twilight to giggle. Rainbow sees Mist standing in the door frame and says, “Hey Mist, what’s up?”
“Oh, hello there Rainbow Dash. Long time no see.”
Twilight walks pass Rainbow Dash and stands in front of Asteroth, who simply looks back at her, before smiling and saying, “Hi there.”
Asteroth, slightly confused, says, “Uh, hello.”
“What is your name?”
Slightly more confused, he responds, “My name iz Asteroth. Asteroth Irontooth, of zhe Bone Valley. And you are?”
“I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. And this is my friend, Shuffling Mist.” Twilight gestures towards Mist, who awkwardly waves. “And you apparently already know Rainbow Dash.”
“You would be correct.”
“Well, I just want to say that, you have no idea how grateful we all are for helping us save Ponyville.”
“You are welcome.”
“If, uh, you don’t mind, I would like to ask you some questions.”
Asteroth thinks about this for a few moments before replying, “Perhaps another time. I am still not at full strength. Also, I am hungry. Iz zhere anything to eat?”
This earns a nervous silence from the ponies. Mist was the first to speak up. “Well, hate to break it to you buddy, but, we don’t exactly eat meat around here. Fish and eggs, yeah, sure, but not like what you eat.”
Asteroth scoffs. “I figured as much. Well, what about zhe Speeder?”
“The… what now?” Twilight asks.
“Zhe Speeder, the creature I killed zhat day.”
“Oh, so that’s what you call them? Well, we had it sent to Canterlot so that our princesses and scientists can examine it.”
Asteroth groans. “Zhen zhere is nothing to eat. Perfect.”
Asteroth begins to get up but is stopped by Twilight, who asks, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I am going hunting.”
“Not in the state you’re in, you’re not.”
“I have not eaten for 3 days now. I am hungry. If I cannot go hunting for meat, zhen do you at least have fruit?”
“Fruit?”
“Yes, fruit. My kind are not strictly carnivores. And we will eat fish and eggs as well.”
This shocks Twilight. “So, what you’re saying is, your kind are omnivores?”
“If zhat iz what you wish to call it, zhen yes, I am.”
“Well, it’ll take us a little bit to gather enough fruit to feed you. Anything else?”
Asteroth lays there for a few moments, thinking, before saying. “Yes, do you have any hot springs around here?”
“Hot springs? What for?”
“When a Bone-Hound iz injured, we prefer to lay in hot springs, which help us heal.”
Twilight ponders this for a few seconds. She then stamps her hoof down once and says, “Aha!” startling everypony (and everybone-hound). “Well, we don’t exactly have any hot springs, but we do have a spa. And you are more than welcome to go there to recover, if you say that it’ll help.”
Asteroth thinks this over before replying, “Well, I am not sure what a ‘spa’ iz, but if it will help, I welcome it.”
“Very good then! I’ll go ask them to release and transfer you.”
Before Twilight exits the room, Asteroth says, “I can walk myself, thank you very much.” Asteroth gets up and proceeds to head towards the door but feels something weighing him down. Looking back, he sees that he is still connected to the beeping machine.
He growls and opens his jaws to bite it before Mist stops him, saying, “Whoa, hey, you can’t do that, that’s property of the hospital. You would have to pay for that. You have to wait for one of the nurses to take care of it.”
Asteroth rolls his eyes and replies, “Very well zhen.”
After a brief argument between the nurses and Asteroth over whether or not he should be escorted by hospital staff, the argument is settled with Rainbow Dash offering to escort him. The two are walking through the streets of Ponyville, with Rainbow Dash pointing out various things. “And that is Sugarcube Corner, where the best sweets in Equestria are made. Over there is the library, where Twilight lives. There’s the Town Hall.” Rainbow looks at her walking companion and notices him looking around, nose in the air. “You alright?”
Asteroth looks at the young pegasus and simply says, “Of course. I am simply taking it all in. Though, I am curious az to why zhere are so few ponies around.”
Rainbow starts looking around and notices that, there are in fact, only a few ponies around. “Huh, normally, this is the busiest day of the week. Where is everypony?” Rainbow Dash looks over and sees her friend, Rarity. “Hey, Rarity!”
“Hmm?” Rarity looks over at the source of the voice and sees Rainbow Dash. And Asteroth. “Ah, Rainbow Dash. A pleasure to see you out of the hospital. And, uh, who is your… friend here?”
Rainbow Dash is about to begin introducing the two but Asteroth begins for her. “I am Asteroth. Asteroth Irontooth, of ze Bone Valley. And what is your name?”
“Ah, I am Rarity. A pleasure to meet you.”
Rarity bows her heard and Asteroth does the same. “Ze pleasure is all mine, Rarity.”
“Hmm, such an exotic accent. I think you’ll fit in nicely where. Now then, where are you two off to?”
“Rainbow Dash here waz just taking me to ze spa. I had gotten into a fight with some Speeders zhat attacked zhis town.”
“Oh yes, I heard about that. I just came back to Ponyville yesterday and everypony is still scared stiff. Won’t even come out of their homes.”
“Explains why we haven’t seen anypony.” Rainbow Dash adds in. She notices Asteroth cringes a little bit from a random pain on one of his wounds and says to Rarity. “Sorry Rarity, but we gotta get going. Asteroth here still needs to get his wounds taken care of.”
“Well, if you are heading towards the spa, perhaps I can join you.”
“Sure, the more the merrier.”
“Hmm, alright darling, I shall see you there later.”
A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash and Asteroth are standing in front of the spa. “Well, here it is. Now, try to behave and let me do the talking. Don’t want ya to scare anypony.” Asteroth scoffs, prompting her to say, “Just saying.”
The Bone-Hound simply rolls his eyes as he follows the young pegasi in. The bell rings as the door opens and the two spa owners, Aloe and Lotus, both chime, “Hello, and welcome to Ponyville Day Spa, the greatest spa in Equestria. And how may we hel…” Their practiced speech cut off as they see Asteroth standing there, towering over them, looking at them rather seriously. “Uhh…”
Before the awkward silence could grow, Rainbow Dash jumps in, saying, “Yes, I think the hospital called and made arrangements for you guys to let us have the largest spa room. The one with the huge tub.”
Aloe is the first to snap out of her shock as she turns her gaze to Rainbow Dash. “Er, yes, that’s right. Since we hardly use that room, the tub is being filled up right now. Should only take a few more minutes. We do apologize for the wait.” She notices her sister still staring at Asteroth and bumps her flank against hers. “Isn’t that right Lotus?”
Lotus shakes her head and quickly says, “Yes, we do apologize for the wait.”
Aloe rolls her eyes and thinks, “I already said that.”
Rainbow smiles and says, “Thanks a lot.” She then turns back to Asteroth and asks, “You don’t mind waiting, do ya?”
Asteroth turns his head towards Rainbow Dash before replying, “Hmm, no, I suppose I do not. Though, I would prefer not being stared at.” The last sentence being ended with his looking back at the fraternal twins.
Both Aloe and Lotus blush at their earlier rudeness and Aloe speaks up, “Yes, I apologize for that. It’s just… when the hospital told us to expect a creature that wasn;t pony, we weren’t expecting something so… huge. And honestly terrifying.” She places a hoof over her mouth at the last word, scared that she offended their guest.
But instead of getting mad, Asteroth simply chuckles, though it’s still somewhat scary sounding, before saying, “Heh, zit iz no problem. I prefer zhat you are honest with your feelings instead of pretending on being nice. And I know I am terrifying looking. But rest assured, I mean you ponies no harm.”
Aloe and Lotus both smile, with Lotus this time speaking first. “Well, that’s good to hear. And I believe that the tub is finished filling up. Now, if you two would just follow me please.” Asteroth and Rainbow Dash do as they’re told and follow the two ponies.
The twins lead them to a door and Aloe opens it. Rainbow Dash goes through with no problem. Asteroth, on the other hoof. “Uhh…” was all the rather large Bone-Hound could mutter as his shoulder spikes keep getting stuck on the door frame. “I do not think zhat zhis will work.” It takes a few seconds but Asteroth manages to squeeze through by belly-crawling through the door, earning a snicker from Rainbow, only to turn into full-blown laughter as Asteroth hits his head on a low hanging chandelier as he stands back up, earning a groan from the predator.
Even Aloe and Lotus are trying to resist giggling, before Aloe says, “Now, if you two need anything, you need, but to call us. Cheers!” And she closes the door.
Asteroth looks around and is almost immediately reminded of the hospital. Everything is squeaky clean and shiny. Unlike the hospital, though, everything is brightly colored and he can smell fruits and other scents he’s never smelled before. “Zhis place, zhis… ‘spa’. It iz nice.”
Rainbow Dash was already relaxing in the tub when she heard Asteroth. “Yeah, it’s great here. Water’s nice and hot. Nopony to bother us. And plenty of time to rellaaaaxxx.” The last word coming out slowly as she sinks deeper in the tub. “So c’mon in. Water’s great.” Asteroth climbs the stairs in one step (The steps rather small compared to his leg length) and climbs into the tub before plopping in, causing the water to overflow a bit. The tub is just deep enough for the water to almost reach his shoulders, leaving his back dry. He then rests his head on the edge of the tub and sighs. “Pretty great, huh?”
Asteroth closes his eyes. “Mmm, yes, zhis iz nice. Very nice.”
Rainbow Dash decides this would be the perfect opportunity to check out her spa companion. She can see his dark navy blue fur shifting slightly as he breathes deeply. The spikes on his shoulders, hips, and head shinning surprisingly brightly. His eyes almost invisible thanks to the shadows in the sockets of his skull head and the black eyelids. Every now and then, his eyes open and she can see his irises, yellow like gold and intense, yet there’s also a gentleness to them as well. When she first saw his eyes, his pupils were slitted, kind of like Spike’s. Now, they were rounded. Her eyes focus back to his fur. “I wonder how soft it is.” She thinks to herself. Without realizing it, she asks, “Hey Asteroth, can I ask you something?”
“Hmm?” was her only response.
“Would it be alright for me to pet you?”
“Pet me?”
Rainbow’s eyes widen. “Er, I didn’t mean… Well, I just… I was wondered what your fur felt like. That’s all. If it’s a problem, though…”
Asteroth remains silent for a few seconds before answering, “I suppose zhat zhere is no issue with zhat.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Rainbow nervously extends her hoof towards Asteroth and touches the area between his shoulders. Asteroth tenses up for a few seconds at the sudden touch but then calms back down. Rainbow Dash then begins stroking his fur and to her amazement, his fur almost feels softer than Rarity’s silk curtains and dresses. A deep rumbling sound comes from Asteroth’s throat and Rainbow pulls her hoof back quickly, afraid she did something wrong, until Asteroth looks at her expectedly and that’s when she realizes he was purring. Or at least the Bone-Hound equivalent of purring. She then puts her hoof back between his shoulders and begins petting him again. She then works her way towards his neck and finds that the fur there is even softer. Thicker, but still soft, a surprising contrast to the rest of his appearance. She reaches to his head and begins feeling it. Hard, like she thought. But she could tell that Asteroth could somehow still feel her touching his head because he shifts it a bit. Rainbow Dash playfully knock on his head, earning a grumble for her efforts, which in turn causes her to giggle. She playfully taps both of her hooves down the length of his head like a drum, which, while annoying, Asteroth allows her to continue.
That is, until she gets close to his. When she taps her hoof inches away from the tip of his nose, his eyes flare open and he jerks his head up, shocking Rainbow Dash. He then turns rather angrily at her and says, “You are NOT allowed to touch me zhere!”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know! No need to snap at me like that!” Asteroth grumbles as he turns around in the tub so that his head is away from Rainbow and lays back down. “Look, I’m sorry, alright? Besides, what’s so special about your nose that you don’t want it being touched?” Asteroth remains silent for almost a minute. “You know what? Never mind.”
The two remain silent for a few more seconds before, “For my kind, touching noses iz considered… personal.”
This causes Rainbow Dash to blush. “O-oh, I, uh, I didn’t know that. Like, how personal, exactly? Best friends?”
“Family or mates.”
“Oh.” Rainbow Dash rubs the back of her head in embarrassment. “Great job Rainbow,” she thinks to herself. “Way to make it awkward.”
Thankfully, the awkward silence is broken when Rarity enters the spa room. “Hello there! So you managed to rent you the large spa room! How wonderful!”
“Heh, yeah, it is pretty nice.”
“Hmm, and how about you dear Asteroth? Felling any better?”
Asteroth shifts his head just enough so that his right eye on the side of his head is facing here before responding. “Yes, zit iz very nice. I am feeling better already.”
“Excellent! Oh, and I ran into Twilight along the way. She said she would like you to swing by the library so she can ask you a few things.”
“Ze library?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash cuts in. “It’s hard to miss. Big tree, middle of town.”
“Ah, I see. Very well zhen.” Asteroth stands up and begins climbing out of the tub. “I might as well go now.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, of course.” Once Asteroth is out of the tub, he shakes himself dry, much like a dog would, before belly-crawling back through the door.
Once he is gone, Rarity turns to Rainbow and says, “He certainly seems nice. A bit on the scary side, sure, but still friendly, if a bit quiet.”
Rainbow Dash chuckles a bit before responding, “Yeah, just don’t touch his nose.”
“I beg your pardon?
“Eh, nothing. Let’s just say that his fur is way softer than most of your dresses.”
This causes Rarity to gasp. “Softer… than my dresses? Preposterous! My dresses are the best in the land!”
“Heh, whatever you say Rarity.” Rainbow ends her sentence by sticking her tongue at her friend, earning an annoyed look from the fashionista. Rainbow leans back and closes her eyes, allowing her thoughts to drift. “I hope Asteroth isn’t too made with me.” She thinks to herself. “I’ll have to find a way to make it up to him.”
Over in the Ponyville library, Twilight Sparkle is sitting at her desk, writing on a long, long list of questions. Spike walks over to her, placing a glass of water on the desk. “Uh, Twilight?”
“Hmm?”
“You sure you’re not over doing it a bit? I mean, that is a lot of questions after all.”
Twilight puts her pen down and turns her head towards Spike and says, “Yeah, I know it’s a lot of questions. But think about it; this is an entirely new species. I’ve read almost every single book in the Canterlot library and I don’t remember ever reading about a creature that resembles Asteroth. So this is exciting. Not to mention, he can talk! So I can ask him pretty much anything.”
“Well, yeah, but who’s to say that he’ll answer most of them?”
“Well, he does owe us anyways. We did save him by helping take care of those creatures.”
“Before or after he saved us?”
This makes Twilight silent for a moment. “Yeah, you got a point there. Still, I hope that he answers my questions.”
Before Twilight could continue talking, a voice calls out her name. “Twilight Sparkle. You wished to see me?”
“And judging by the accent, I’d have to say that’s him.” Twilight trots over to the door and opens it. “Ah, Asteroth, I see that Rarity ran into you?”
Asteroth raises one of his eyelids before responding, “No, she did not run into me. We had met up at zhe spa.”
“It’s a figure of speech.”
“A what now?”
“Never mind. Come on it.” Asteroth groans at having to go through a small opening once again but manages to squeeze through. As Twilight is gathering up her notes and questions, Asteroth takes a moment to look around. It does, indeed look like a tree from the outside, but on the inside, it is completely different. He walks over to the book self and sniffs the books there, reeling back at the smell of dust before sneezing. “Bless you.” Twilight says, eyes still on her notes. Once she organizes everything, she walks over to Asteroth and shuffles her notes. “So, would you mind if I ask you a series of questions?”
Asteroth tilts his head at the question and says, “Forgive me for answering your question with another question, but what kind of questions? And for why?”
“You’re a new species.”
“We are not.”
“Well, you are to Equestria. I've never seen a creature like you before so I’d like to write a lot of notes about your kind, maybe even turn it into a book.”
“Book?”
“Later. Anyways, may I continue with the questions?” Asteroth nods. “Excellent. Now, what can you tell me about your culture, your beliefs, that kind of stuff?”
“Hmm, well, we have four main Gods: Umbra Somnium, whoze name means ‘The Shadow of a Dream’ in our language and iz zhe Chief God of Shadows and Dreams. Lumen, whose name means ‘Light’ and iz zhe younger brother and zhe God of Time and Light. Mortem, ze God of Life, Death, and zhe Underworld. And finally, Maris Domina, who iz zhe Mistress of the Sea. They are our four Gods. And zhen zhere are zhe Twins, our two moons who forever chase each other until they are both whole once again. And zhen…”
“Wait, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but… two moons?”
“Yes, zhat iz what I said.”
“But, there aren’t two moons.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah, we only have one moon. And Princess Luna raises it every night.”
“Funny, because I distinctly remember having two moons. And zheir names are Luana and Salena. Iz zhis ‘Princess Luna’ one of your Goddesses?”
“No, she isn’t. Not exactly. Anyways, on to the next question. Do your kind have any laws or anything?”
“Hmm, well, in a way, yes.”
“And?”
“Well, zit iz hard to explain. You would have to witness zhem to understand.”
“Uhh, okay then. Next. Hmm. Eh, let’s save the questions for later. Let’s just do the physical examinations.”
“’Physical examinations’?”
“Yes. You know, see how long you are, how much you weigh, that sort of things.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Now then, if you do not mind, can you stand with your tail and head pointed straight out?”
“Uhh…”
“It’s to measure the length of your body.”
“Oh, right.”
Asteroth does as he’s asked and stands up while stretching out his tail and pointing his nose straight ahead. Twilight magically pulls a tape measure out of her desk and extends it. “Hmm, it would seem that you are about 15 feet long and 3 inches long. Stand straight up please. Uh huh, and about 4 feet at the shoulders. Alright, let’s write that down. Now then, open your jaws and lower your head please if you don’t mind. And please don’t bite me.” Asteroth does as he is told and opens his jaws. “Um, Asteroth?”
“Ehh?”
“Where are your teeth? All I see are your gums.”
“Oh, my apologies.” Then, in a flash, he extends his teeth, making Twilight jump a bit. “Zhere you go.”
Twilight puts her whole head inside of Asteroth’s mouth and begins examining his teeth. “Amazing. Retractable teeth. Every one of your teeth seems to be retractable. And you have so many. I’ve counted, at the very least, 50 teeth! And despite all these sharp teeth, you say that you’re an omnivore?”
“Uh huh.”
“Fascinating.” She takes a look at Asteroth’s canines and remembers another one of her questions. “Um, Asteroth?”
“Hmm?”
Twilight measures Asteroth’s canines, writes the length in a notebook, and says, “I keep wondering; how exactly do you talk? I mean, you don’t have any lips so saying O sounds should be impossible.”
“Ah, well, you see, my kind are capable of mimicking any sound we hear.”
“Any sound?”
Asteroth replies, “Any sound.” But instead of sounding normal, he sounds exactly like Twilight, pitch and all, earning a look from the young alicorn.
“Haha, very funny.” Twilight grins as she rolls her eyes and rolls her tape measure back up. She clears her throat and says, “Alright, that’s it for measuring your length and teeth. I don’t have the proper scales for measuring your weight so we’ll have to do that some other time.” Twilight then puts a hoof to her mouth as she lets out a loud yawn and shakes her head. “Ugh, I haven’t been able to sleep recently. Not to mention I’m a little hungry.”
Asteroth follows up her yawn with a yawn of his own. “Yes, and I am hungry az well.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure where Applejack is. She’s supposed to be gathering up food for you.” A knock is then heard on the door. “Spike! Can you get that for me please?”
“Sure thing Twilight!” Spike calls down. “Right after I get done with this comic!”
“Now Spike!”
“Ugh!” Spike folds a corner in his comic and sets it down. He then comes running down the stairs and opens the door. “Oh, hey Applejack.”
“’Ey there Spike. Twilight ‘ere?”
“Yup. Her and Asteroth both.”
“Oh, finally! I’ve been lookin’ fer them all day! Mind if I come in?”
“You can come in Applejack!” Twilight calls out.
Spike steps to the side and allows the cowpony to come in, who is carrying a rather large bag full of something in her teeth before setting it down in the middle of the room. She looks at the two and asks, “And where in tarnations have ya’ll been? I’ve been lookin’ fer ya all day long.”
Twilight chuckles nervously and answers, “Well, Asteroth went to the spa to help his wounds heal and then came here so that I can ask him questions. And what’s in the bag?”
“Food, for Mr. Hungry ‘ere. Plenty o’ fruit and veggies in this ‘ere bag from my farm, so eat up.” Applejack then grabs the bottom of the bag with her teeth and pulls it up, dumping the bag’s contents out. Apples, carrots, beans, tomatoes, a watermelon, and a few other items. Twilight gives Applejack an annoyed look for dumping food all over her floor but Applejack pretends not to notice. “It is so much fun, messin’ wit her.” She thinks to herself.
Asteroth slowly walks over to the pile of food and sniffs it. He then opens his jaws, and his tongue slinks out. But his tongue is unlike any other tongue they’ve seen before. It’s burgundy in color, 2 feet long, and is split into three 6 inch prehensile tips that vaguely looks like a hand and the three split ends are covered in tiny bards designed to hold slippery prey or hard to reach fruit. He wraps the three ends around an apple and pulls it into his mouth, closes his jaws, and crushes it, letting the juices settle in his mouth before swallowing everything. “Mmmm, zhis fruit iz rather tasty. What iz it called?”
“It’s, uh, called an apple.”
“An ‘apple’? Zit is amazing!” Asteroth then begins sniffing and tasting all the other food in the pile.
As Asteroth is gorging himself, Applejack turns Twilight around and whispers in her ear, “Did ya know that he had a tongue like that?”
Twilight whispers back, “No, I didn’t. I even examined his mouth. It looked like a normal tongue to me. It’s rather fascinating, how he uses it like a hand of some sort.”
“But he already has hands.” A chocking sound suddenly distracts them from their conversation. They turn around and see Asteroth shaking his head while coughing and gagging. “Uh, Asteroth. You alright?”
Rainbow Dash and Rarity both exit the spa, stretching their legs and, in Rainbow’s case, wings in the afternoon sun. Rarity is the first to speak up, stating, “We were in there for quite some time now. I do hope that Sweetie Bell is alright.”
Rainbow Dash rears on her back hooves and stretches a leg around the back of her head before falling back on all fours. “Oh, I’m sure she’s alright. Probably hanging out with Applebloom and Scootaloo all day, trying to earn their Cutie Marks. Same ol’ same ol’.”
“Hmm, yes, I suppose you are quite right. Still, some of the things they do are… undignified.”
“Heh, yeah, I think I know what ‘crusade’ you’re talking about. The one with the dirty prank calls.”
Rarity groans from the memory as they begin walking. “Yes, that. I still don’t know where they learned those obscene jokes.” The silence from her pegasus friend answers her question. “Rainbow Dash, you didn’t .”
“I only told Scoots a few jokes, I never expected her to actually tell the others and think that’s how to get their Cutie Marks.”
Rarity performs a facehoof and responds, “They’re only fillies, Rainbow, they don’t need to know jokes like that. Especially not young fillies.” She looks over and sees Rainbow Dash mouthing her last few words.
Rainbow then sheepishly grins at the annoyed Rarity and then says, “Eh, they’re gonna find out anyways.”
“Perhaps, but not yet. I would prefer to keep my dear Sweetie Bell’s innocence until she gets older, perhaps after she gets married.”
Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. “Rarity, you know you can’t keep shadowing her all of her life.”
Rarity simply sighs as she closes her eyes and lowers her head. She opens her eyes back up and replies, “Yes yes, I know. It’s just, you know my issue with my parents.”
“Ohhh yeah, they’re something.”
“Yes, and I hardly even talk to any of my other family members, especially the ones in Manehatten. Really, Sweetie Bell is the only family I truly love and talk to. I just don’t want to lose her so soon. Is that selfish of me?”
Rainbow Dash looks up into the sky and ponders as stars begin to come out. “Well, not really. I mean, it sort of is but I understand what you’re talking about. I don’t have any siblings myself but Scoots is kind of like a little sister to me. And while it is important to try to be in her life, I just don’t think that it’s a good idea to try to take over.”
“Hmm, perhaps you’re right.” Rarity smirks as she looks at her friend. “That’s surprisingly astute of you Rainbow Dash. I never would have expected such wisdom.”
Rainbow rolls her eyes and replies, “Yeah, well, when you hang around Princess Egghead herself, you tend to learn a lot of stuff.”
Rarity giggles. “Yes, Twilight most certainly is a good influence.”
“Yeah, ain’t no denying that. Just don’t tell her I’m actually taking her lectures to heart.”
“Your secret is safe with me my dear.” They both begin laughing as they continue walking side by side, ignorant of the rather large shadow in the ground slowly following them before part of it rises up and light blue eyes appear near the top, staring at them intently before dissolving back into the ground and continuing to follow them.
Twilight and Applejack approach Asteroth continues hacking. “Are you alright Asteroth?” Applejack repeats as he shakes his head, though in response or trying to dislodge whatever’s in his throat is unknown. Asteroth’s eyes then glow with a golden aura as he gives one final cough and a carrot surrounded by the same gold aura comes out of his jaws. After the carrot hits the ground, the golden aura disappears.
Asteroth makes a sound of disgust and relief as he says, “No, I waz not alright! But I am now. Bleh!” Asteroth glares at the carrot and swats it away. “What iz zhat disgusting thing?”
Applejack slowly walks over to him and says, “Uh, that was a carrot, which is a vegetable.And it’s good fer ya."
Asteroth’s rolls his tongue out and shakes his head, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. “I cannot eat zhose ‘vegetables’. Zhey have no juices in zhem. Nasty.”
Applejack scoffs and jerks her head back. “Well now, ex-cuse me fer not knowin’ yer favorite foods.”
Before an argument could break out, Twilight steps between the two and asks Asteroth, “What was with your eyes glowing a minute ago?”
Asteroth tilts his head and asks, “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, your eyes were glowing when you pulled that carrot out of your throat. And the carrot was glowing as well, like you were using magic.”
Asteroth opens one eye and narrows the other. “Uh, yes, I waz using magic. I am a spell-hound.”
“A what now?”
“A Spell-Hound. I am one of many among my kind zhat can uze magic.”
“Fascinating. Can you use your magic again please?”
“Of course. What would you like me to do?”
“Hmm.” Twilight looks around and notices a pile of her books. “How about you try to pick up that pile of books please?”
“Most certainly.” Asteroth looks at the pile of books Twilight pointed at. He concentrates on it and his eyes begin to glow a feint golden color and the same color surrounds the books as he magically picks them up moves them a few feet and gently sets them down. He then looks back over towards Twilight and asks, “Satisfied?”
“Satisfied? Satisfied?! This is amazing! Not only have we found a species that is intelligent, but capable of using magic as well! I can imagine that with your strength, speed, and magic, you’d be a formidable species to fight.”
Even if Asteroth couldn’t smile, it is fairly obvious from his posture that he was definitely taking pride in his species strengths. “Heh, yes, we are a formidable species, though, I have yet to reach my full strength.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, I am not full grown yet.”
Twilight and Applejack both share a look. They then look back at Asteroth and Applejack asks, “So, how old are ya?”
Asteroth tilts his head up, trying to think of how to answer that, before looking back at the two and answering, “Well, I would have to say zhat I am around 73 years old.”
Both Twilight’s and Applejack’s jaws almost hit the ground and Spike drops a stack of books he was carrying. Twilight is the first to speak up. “Y-you’re around… 73 years old?”
“Yes, I am.”
“And you say you’re still growing?”
“Uh, yes.”
“But, you’re huge! And powerful. How much bigger are you going to get?”
“Uhh, I do not know. My father is larger zhan other bone-hounds, but zhey probably get just a little bigger zhan I am right now.”
“Amazing, simply amazing.” Twilight thinks for a few seconds before stamping her hoof, startling everypony and Bone-Hound in the room. “Drat, then that means that I’ll have to somehow find a full grown Bone-Hound and measure them. How long do members of your species tend to live?”
“Well, zhe oldest bone-hound in zhe Bone Valley iz Loki, who is more or less ageless. Zhe second oldest, however, iz Old Caiman, who iz, I think, around 868 years old.”
“E-eight hundred… and sixty-eight years old? T-that’s amazing! And what do you mean by ‘Loki is more or less ageless’?”
“It iz difficult to explain. You’d have to meet him yourselves.”
“Well then, why not take me to the Bone-Valley then?”
Asteroth and Applejack both shout “What?!” at the same time, and Asteroth continues, “No, zhat iz not a possibility.”
“And why not? It seems like you’re able to come and go as you please.”
“Zhat iz because it iz far more dangerous in my homeland zhan it iz here. Zhose Speeders zhat attacked zhis town? Zhose are just one of many dangerous creatures zhere. And most of zhem are immune to magic. Besides, zhe Alpha would more zhan likely not allow it.”
“The ‘Alpha’?”
“Yes, zhe Alpha iz zhe leader of zhe bone-hounds in zhe Bone Valley. He is far larger zhan any other bone-Hound, with silver fur. All bone-hounds obey him, and, with him being a Bane-Hound, he iz more dangerous zhan any other bone-hound.”
“Let me guess, bane-hounds are more about strength?”
“Yes and no. bane-hounds are incapable of using magic but zhey are also immune to magic az well. No magic will effect zhem, with zhe exceptions of, say, portals and zhe like. But anyways, zhe Alpha, he doez not trust outsiders, regardless of zheir intelligence.”
“Well, perhaps they might be up to a discussion. After all, he allows you to come here.” That statement causes Asteroth to rub the back of his neck with his left paw while looking away. “Wait, don’t tell me…”
“Zhe Alpha, nor any other members of zhe Bone Valley, know zhat I am here. I actually discovered a cave zhat led to here weeks ago and explored zhe forest every now and zhen. Zhe others do not even know about zhe cave.”
“So, what do you think would happen if more bone-hounds discover the cave?”
Asteroth looks back at Twilight. “Honestly? I do not know. No Bone-Hound knows what zhe Alpha might do. He might forbid any bone-hound, including myself, from going into zhe cave. Or, he might send a group of Bone-Hounds through to explore with zhe possibility of expanding our territory. Again, I do not know. But tell me, if he were to send a large group of bone-hounds through and you Princesses discover zhis, what would they do?”
Twilight puts her hoof to her chin, pondering this question. “Well, knowing Princess Celestia, she would probably send a group of ponies to meet with the group of bone-hounds with the intention of diplomacy. How would they react?”
“Zhey might attack zhe ponies.”
This throws Twilight and Applejack off. “Wait, why?”
“Many bone-hounds are, to be blunt, paranoid of large groups. Not to mention, zhe cannot speak zhis language.”
“What language?”
“Your language. Zhe language we are speaking right now.”
“I was wondering how we could possibly speak the same language. But, how do you know our language?”
“My mother taught me zhis language, though, how she knew it, I do not know. I never understood why she taught me zhis language, for I never spoke in it but when I first heard you in zhe forest, I recognized zhe language. It waz… strange.”
“Indeed. I’m curious as to how she knew our language. And no other bone-hounds know our language?”
“Other than two of my friends, a bone-hound, Shivara, and a dragon, Yama.”
“A dragon? You’re friends with a dragon?”
“Of course. One of my oldest friends, thoze two are.”
“And what are the dragons from your homeland like?”
“Well, zhey are large scaly creatures, capable of flight, fire, and magic. Powerful beings zhat even us bone-hounds wouldn’t dare anger. And each dragon possess a certain element, like fire, water, earth, lightning, and others.”
“What element is Yama then?”
“Well, Yama iz…” But before Asteroth could answer, two screams are heard from outside. “What in Umbra Ragni?”
“That sounded like Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.” The screams are shortly followed by a very loud roar that rattles the library. “And what was that?”
Applejack is already at the door when she turns to Twilight and says, “C’mon, we hafta help Rarity and Rainbow Dash!”
Twilight puts on a determined look. “Right away. You coming Asteroth?”
Asteroth nods and the three go outside to face the newcomer.
The next morning, Twilight wakes up and finds herself at her desk. “Did I fall asleep here? Huh, haven’t done that since I first studied to become Celestia’s apprentice.” She smiles warmly as the memories fill her head. “Yeah, that’s when I first got Spike.” Her eyes widen. “Oh crap, did I leave him outside?!” A snore coming from upstairs answers her question. She exhales from gratitude but then blushes when she remembers why she threw him out. “I can’t believe I almost kissed Shuffling Mist. Sure, I think we were both fantasizing and didn’t realize it but still, I hope it won’t be awkward next time he comes over.” Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears a knocking on the door. “Now, who could that be at this hour?” She gets up from her desk, walks to the door, and opens it, revealing Shuffling Mist. It takes some willpower to keep herself from blushing. “O-oh, hey Mist. What’s up?”
Mist nervously smiles and says, “Well, I didn’t notice until I got home but I think I left my saddle bags here. It was late when I realized so I didn’t want to come back and bother you.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all.” Twilight takes a quick scan of the library and sees Mist’s bags in the corner. “Yeah, got them right over here.” She picks the bags up with her magic and gives them to Mist, who puts them back on. “Now, is there anything else?”
“Well…” Mist shifts his hooves nervously while clicking his tongue. “I was, uh, kind of wondering, well, if you’d be interested in, perhaps…” Mist is interrupted when the two of them hear shouting and screaming. “What the…?”
A small group of ponies round a corner and begin heading towards the library. Twilight calls out, “What is going on?”
“What is…?” Twilight soon gets her answer as a familiar shape comes around the corner and she whispers, “No…” Coming around the corner is the same kind of creature that attacked Twilight and her friends when they were in the forest. The “Raptor” as Mist calls it, except this one is bigger than the other one and this one has a row of feathers going down its back and covering its tail. The raptor sticks its nose in the air, smelling, before turning its gaze towards the group of ponies gathered around Twilight. The feathers on its whole body raise and it shrieks at them, causing the ponies to rush inside the library, all except Twilight and Mist. The raptor then begins running towards them, faster than anything Twilight’s ever seen. “Look out!” Twilight then charges up her horn and fires a blast at the rushing creature, hitting it in the head. To her and Mist’s shock, the magical blast simply bounces off, only succeeding in dazing the raptor for a few seconds. “Impossible! That should’ve worked!”
The raptor, now enraged, charges back forward. Mist tackles Twilight out of the way as the raptor crashes into the library door. He then picks her up and says, “C’mon, we gotta lead it out of here.” Twilight nods and they begin running. The raptor picks itself up and, upon seeing its prey escaping, gives chase. Twilight and Mist are both shouting at the other ponies to get inside, lock their doors, and do not come out until they say it’s clear. “So,” Mist begins. “What are we going to do against that thing? Obviously, magic isn’t going to work.”
“We have to trap it somehow. I’m still trying to figure out how though.”
“Maybe give it a treat and tell it ‘sit’?”
Twilight rolls her eyes. “Very funny.”
When the two round a corner, they nearly crash into Applejack and Applebloom. “Whoa Nelly, what in tarnations is goin’ on?!”
“It’s the creature! Or another one of those creatures. The one that attacked us in the forest.”
Applejacks eyes open with shock. “Say what? Here, in Ponyville?”
“Yes, now you have to take Applebloom and get out of here while Mist and I try to figure out how to capture it.”
“Gotcha. C’mon Applebloom, let’s…”
But before she could give any orders, the raptor jumps from a roof and lands in the middle of them, causing them to yell and split up. The raptor looks around until it spots Applebloom. Snarling, it goes after the young filly, tries to run away as fast as she can, calling out, “Applejack!”
“Applebloom! Run!” Applebloom squeals as the raptor snaps at her, dodging the deadly jaws, with the four older ponies close behind. Applebloom suddenly cuts into a narrow alley and darts through, the raptor nearly slipping as it goes in after her, knocking over trashcans and boxes, making the route inaccessible. “Drat, we have ta go ‘round. Hurry!”
Applebloom runs out of the alley and continues running as the raptor bursts out behind her, boxes and can going flying all while shrieking menacingly. She spots an empty can laying on its side and makes a b-line for it, ducking into it. The raptor tries following her but is too big around the shoulders to fit. Still, it continues trying to snap at her, barely missing her. “Get away!” she shrieks but the raptor persists.
The can widens a bit at the opening and just as the raptor makes one final lunge at her, it lets out a cry of pain before being forcibly dragged out, claws screeching against the metal can, before being lifted up and thrown down the street, pass Twilight and the others, who come to a screeching halt. “What the hay?” Applejack exclaims. The raptor gets up, shakes its head, and shrieks at its assailant before charging.
The girls go around the corner and see a fight occurring between the raptor and, to their surprise, the creature Rainbow Dash described. “I-it’s the Bone-Hound! Asteroth!” Twilight yells out. Standing no more than 20 feet apart, the two foreign creatures size their opponent up, both roaring and shrieking at each other. Asteroth positions himself so that he’s between Applebloom and the raptor. Then, in a flash, the raptor charges the Bone-Hound, who responds by snapping at it with his jaws. The raptor expertly dodges the bone crushing jaws and tries to flank him. Asteroth spins around and smacks the raptor with his tail, sending it flying through a wall and into a building as ponies flee out the newly formed hole. After a few seconds, the raptor charges out of the hole and rushes Asteroth, catching him by surprise. It jumps, lands on his head, jumps and spins before latching onto his back with its claws. Before it could go for his neck, Asteroth begins bucking and running like a rampaging bull, eventually launching the raptor off and onto the ground. Before it could get up, Asteroth pins the raptor to the ground with his claws. Opening his jaws, he prepares to finish the raptor but then roars and rears back in pain as a second raptor with brown scales, no stripes and smaller, less bright feathers grabs the back of his neck with its sharp teeth, releasing the first raptor in the process. Seeing the chance, the first raptor leaps at his throat but Asteroth sees this and slams his bony head down, crushing and killing the raptor. Soon, more shrieks are heard as 1, 2, 3, 4, and eventually 5 more raptors round the corner and charge him, outnumbering him 6-1. Asteroth desperately tries to get the second raptor off before the rest of the pack overwhelms him but to no avail. Instead, Asteroth ignores the second one and focuses on the rest, all while the other ponies are watching. Twilight begins heading in the direction of the fight and says, “C’mon, we have to help him!” Another one of the Raptors begins to jump up on Asteroth’s back but is interrupted by getting hit in the side of the head with a rock. It begins snarling and turns to the one who threw it. Twilight sticks her tongue out at it and says, “Why don’t you pick on somepony your own size?” Screeching, the raptor chases after her.
As one of the raptors is chasing Twilight, Shuffling Mist decides to try the same thing. He picks up a rock and yells, “Hey, you!” A raptor looks at him and Mist tries throwing the rock at it, only for the rock to fall short, earning an unamused look from the raptor. “Eheheh.” The raptor, seeing him as easy prey, then rushes him. When it reaches him, Mist jumps up and delivers a roundhouse kick to the side of the head, stunning it long enough to do a back flip kick, knocking it back. The raptor gets up, shakes its head, and runs off.
Applejack runs up and asks, “Where in tarnations did ya learn tah do that?”
Mist rubs the back of his head and replies, “Well, uh, to be honest, I watch a lot of martial arts movies.”
Applejack rolls her eyes and charges into the fight. A raptor, seeing Applebloom unguarded, starts slinking towards her but before it could reach her, Applejack jumps in front of it. “Ohhh no ya don’t, ya overgrown critter! You’re gonna have ta go through me!” The raptor lowers its head and snarls at the orange pony, then slowly backs up. “Ha! What, ya afraid or somethin’?” She then hears something land behind her. She spins around and sees a raptor jumping off a roof at her. Before she could react, another raptor comes flying through the air and crashes into the jumping one, knocking it away from her. She turns around and sees Asteroth, finally with the raptor off of his back, looking towards her, having thrown the raptor to save her and is now making his way towards another raptor. All the ponies and Asteroth get together in a group and the raptors do the same, staring each other down.
The ponies begin cheering at their victory. “Way to go girls!” Twilight begins. “I can’t believe we actually did it. Is everypony alright?” Everyone begins acknowledging until they hear something fall down behind them. They spin around and see that Asteroth has collapsed to the ground, open wounds bleeding profusely. “Asteroth!”
Asteroth’s vision begins to get blurry as the ponies gather around him. He sees the purple one yelling to someone, but he cannot tell who. All he can think of is going to sleep as his eyes slowly close shut.