Author's Note

Hey fellow readers, just a heads up i will be making a key here for you guys to help with the different icons.

~ - This at the start and end of text means the creature is thinking to itself.
+ - This at the start and end of text means a telepathic exchange.
[ ] - These brackets are the creature writing in the dirt or other forms of writing the creature will do.

Hope that will clear up some confusion and help with the story.

Applepip

Chapter Two

You rise from your slumber. The previous day was long forgotten and now a new day was ahead, or more importantly, hunting day. You would go out every two weeks and hunt for food, mainly you would go for meat but today something made you choose fish. It has been a while since you had a real fish meal.

You slither out of your home and passed by the sleeping forms of your bat friends, you came out into the morning air of the forest. You take in the sweet morning air before heading into the forest. Several centuries ago when you found most animals started to avoid your section of the woods, you had to make a decision to create away of keeping food replenishable so you didn't have to travel far to at least have something to eat. That decision led to you creating a fishing pool near your home.

The pool wasn't far and could easily be reached in a matter of minutes, you remember how hard it was to create a hole large enough to be efficient for the fish you wanted to keep and to allow you to catch the fish without to much difficulty.

You pass through thick brush and slither into a clearing. You mentally sigh as you lay eyes on your small pool, you make your way to it's edge and peer in. The fish inside try to get away from you but with the pool being only six metres wide and three metres deep they had nowhere to go. The fish in the pool was the collection from several fishing trips to the nearby river, you survey the pool and smile as the memories of your first fishing ventures flash back.

You plunge a tentacle into the pool and impale a fish on it's end, you pull it out and smash it on the ground. You hold the fish up and when satisfied it wouldn't move no more you bite into it. A tear rolls down your face as you relish the flavour, you have no idea why you cry but you do anyway, and it happens every time.

You impale and consume your third fish when you hear something that sounded like screaming. You look around with your one eye and mentally shrug, turning back to your pool you lift up your tentacle again before snapping back round when you definitely hear screaming. You leave your pool and climb the nearest tree, in a few seconds your hearing for the sounds again.

“Help me! Somepony help!”

You snap your gaze around and gauge the distance. It wasn't far. You climb down and head in the direction of the shouting. You hear the plead for help a few more times before you finally close in on the source. You come to a small clearing not far from your cave and see a Manticore fighting with two Timberwolves, you watch as the Timberwolves claw and scratch at the Manticore.

You stay still as to not become a third participant in the fight, you then notice a form not far from the fighting predators and your heart rate increases. There not twenty metres from you was Roseluck, she was layed out on the ground and her eyes were closed. You realise that she probably fainted as she has no wounds on her body.

Your form starts to shake as you start to feel anger, one of your favourite ponies is lying near two sets of creatures, and you couldn't stand by. You leap from the bushes and the other predators don't even notice. You let out a high pitch screech which gets their attention. The fight stops as the Timberwolves and the Manticore stare at you. You extend several of your tentacles and whip them on the floor getting several snap sounds in return.

~So who's first?~ You mentally ask knowing the other predators can't understand.

The Timberwolves look at one another and then run off.

~Pussies~ You think turning your gaze back on the Manticore who growls at you. ~So? You're the one with balls? Then let's rock motherfucker!~

The Manticore roars and charges you, with one movement you grab a tree and pull yourself up. The Manticore hits the ground where you were and then looks around for you. The Manticore looks up and snarls.

~Goodnight sweet prince~ You mentally state as you drop from above and wrap your tentacles around the Manticore. ~Let's apply the pressure now shall we?~ You tighten the hold around the Manticore's mid section and around it's neck. ~Let's see how much you can take?~ You tighten further and the Manticore starts to let out whimpers of pain. You apply greater pressure around it's neck and with one quick movement of your limbs you hear a delightful crack as the Manticore's neck breaks.

~Heh, not much then~ You drop the Manticore's corpse and turn to find Roseluck was staring directly at you. You freeze. You stare at each other, both of you where getting ready to run. You turn and head away when you hear Roseluck behind you.

“Wait, don't go.” You stop and slowly turn. “I-I don't know what you are but...I can't walk. Both of my back legs are broken.” You shake as you realise you came to late. “C-Can you help me?” You see Roseluck turn away from you and mutter. “Of course it can't understand you Rose, it's a creature from the Everfree.” You watch as Roseluck lowers her head back down. “I guess I'll just be a meal for the Timberwolves when they come back.” Roseluck sighs and then starts to cry, you tear up as you hear her sobs.

You slither over to her and stop just shy of her body. Extending a tentacle you tap her shoulder, Roseluck's eyes snap open and her body trembles when she notices your just a few feet away. You reach out a tentacle and in the ground nearby you write...

[I can help]

Roseluck's eyes go even wider as she looks to you and then to what you wrote.

“Y-you can understand me?”

[Yes I can] You write.

“B-But how?”

[I'm not from here, but I can understand you]

“I...I...”

[I can get you to safety Rose, if you can trust me]

“How do you know me?”

[Your mark, I guess your name is Rose] You lie.

“Oh, yeah. I don't know if I can trust you.”

[Then just be still]

You extend several tentacles and lift up Roseluck, you mentally chuckle as her face turns into terror. You hold Roseluck close as you head off towards Ponyville. You take only twenty minutes to reach the outskirts of the forest. Looking through the trees you see a few ponies walking down the road and lay Roseluck down, you turn to her and drag a tentacle across her muzzle.

“What was that for?”

You look around and find no dry ground to write on. You turn to her and point a tentacle towards town and then back to you before shaking your body.

“You can't go to town? Why?”

~Seriously?~

You gesture to yourself and Roseluck blushes.

“Oh, right.”

You pick Roseluck up again and drop her outside the forest on the grass verge beside the road, you look down the road again and see the ponies have stopped for a chat with another. You give Roseluck one more glance then with a piercing shrill you call out, Rose looks to you with a pained expression but you drag a tentacle over her muzzle again before turning around and vanishing from sight. You slither until you reach your cave entrance.

You glance back.

~Did I do the right thing?~ You think. ~I hope she's going to be alright~ You look to your cave and sigh. ~Guess I better get dinner~

Roseluck layed in the hospital bed with both of her back legs in casts. She was looking out the nearest window towards the Everfree, thinking about her encounter with the strange creature. Rose looks to the door of her room when she hears a knock.

“It's open!” Roseluck calls.

The room door swings open and Roseluck smiles as her two friends Daisy and Lily enter.

“Hey Rose,” Lily chirps. “How's the legs?”

“Getting there.” Rose replies. “They ache a bit though.”

“Well you shouldn't have gone out alone! You could have been killed!” Daisy states. “It's a miracle you managed to get away.”

“About that, can I tell you guys something?” Rose asks, giving her friends a pleading look.

“Sure, you can tell us anything.” Lily answers.

“Yeah we're pals are we not?” Daisy adds.

“I didn't get away, I made it up.”

Daisy and Lily look to one another then back to Roseluck.

“What do you mean Rose?” Lily asks, approaching Roseluck's bed.

“I was saved...by a creature.” Lily and Daisy give her 'bullshit' looks. “No I mean it. I nearly died when I got attacked but I was saved by this creature I've never seen before. I think...I think it was the creature from legend, the one they say prowls the forest.”

“What you mean the so called Manticore killer?” Daisy asks.

Roseluck nods. “Yes, it came out of the bushes and scared off the Timberwolves, the Manticore stood it's ground but failed.” Roseluck turns her head and peers out the window again. “And it watches us.”

“Come again?” Lily says.

“It's true! Seriously I couldn't make this stuff up! It drew in the ground and wrote to me, it can't talk but it can understand us and can even write. The weird thing was is that I understood it.” Rose turns her head back to her friends. “It told me it watches Ponyville, I think it wants to help pony kind. It helped me get back to the main road into town and even risked it's own discovery to get me help.”

“So this creature saved you then helped you get back to town?” Daisy asks.

“Yes.”

“I don't know what to make of this.” Lily states, looking confused.

“I wanted to tell you girls because I want to thank it for saving me.”

“You what now?” Lily questions.

“I want to thank it.” Roseluck replies.

“Are you nuts!? You just survived getting killed and you want to go back in and thank this unknown creature for saving you!?” Daisy shouts.

“Yes I do.”

Daisy and Lily both look to each other again and then back to Roseluck.

“If your going I'm coming too.” Daisy states.

“And me, friends always stick together.” Lily adds.

“Thanks girls, I should be out in a few days.”

“Next time Roseluck, don't go alone.”