I hummed to myself as I headed towards that little town, my entire body filled with excitement. This was it! Such a thrilling hunt this entire thing has turned out to be, if quite annoying. Still, everything must come to an end.

Like her life.

I gave a grin, clenching my fists. She would finally be dead! Sure this isn't my longest hunt, nowhere near it in fact, but I've had such fun! The filth screaming, the blood spilling from the cowards, the innards torn from the scum.

Such is the way of life. Only the strong shall prosper and weak shall shrivel away. The perfect ideology. Survival of the fittest. And I'm the strongest, which means all other life is beneath me!

A vicious laugh slipped out of my mouth. This was going to be fun. Of course you can't have fun without a little bloodshed. Heh, those peasants are going to scream for mercy. And they'll find none, filth like them don't deserve any!

I'll kill them all! I began snarling. They don't deserve to live! Maybe I'll burn them to the ground! Let's see how much they praise life then!

I glared at the pathetic town. I couldn't even manoeuvre at my best due to the low buildings! Still...the hunt continues regardless. Hmm. That forest looks like it had potential for a living space. I shook my head, not the time. I'll wait until night falls before I approach the town. I chuckled. Then I'll kill her and take her head as a trophy. I sighed happily, oh, what a wonderful night it shall be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I snuck through the town, keeping to the dark. While I could take the entire town out if I so wished, I felt I should start getting back into shape with my stealth. Never know when it'll be useful.

Back when I first arrived I had to make use of stealth as those cursed magic users focused more on combat magic rather than the useless magic studied these days, guess that makes the peasants of old slightly less pathetic. Still pathetic though.

Hmm. Speaking of magic I wonder if the Dark Lords of Argoth ever got anywhere with their studies? Dark power, like the kind they were researching, could be useful to me. Especially if I ever have to go up against one of those two overpowered Alicorns. Still, carrying about such dark artifacts would also make it easier to track me. I'll give it more thought later.

I froze as I heard voices approaching. I stayed perfectly still, it was dark enough to not be seen if I didn't move too much. Several minutes passed until the source of the voices passed me by. One of which was a grey pegasus with wonky golden eyes. For some strange reason, as I laid my eyes on her I felt something in my mind try to think something nice about her. I grunted and shook my head. I'd dealt with enough creatures with the same kind of influence to know to let this one live, lest I lose my mind.

She and the other one passed and my mind returned to normal. Okay, so avoid that one. Don't need to be thinking like that again. I learned long ago to not attack creatures that can manipulate minds simply by being in the same area as them. It never ends well when you attack them. Never.

I eventually made it to a large crystalline tree. Seems just like the kind of place my target would be. I climbed around it, looking for an entrance. It seemed that the only way in would be the front door. But it was blocked by two, heh, meal boxes, talking to each other about the most useless things.

I crawled down the tree as the two guards standing in front of the door continued their incessant prattling. I ignored their pathetic gibbering and with a grin I raised my two uppermost legs and forced them down through their skulls before hauling them up into the top of the tree and having a little snack.

After I'd finished snacking I climbed down the tree again and looked for an opening. I finally found one, a gap near the top of the structure. I managed to squeeze my way in, though my sides suffered some superficial cuts.

Once I was inside I stuck to the ceiling. I withheld a growl as the interior was the same crystalline as the outside. Now I was inside, I just need to find the target.

I crawled along, making sure to avoid any guards that patrolled the halls. As I was passing a window I glanced outside and saw the rising sun. I needed to find a place to hide until nightfall. I looked around the ceiling area, I didn't want to be found earlier than I wanted and people, even these sub-people and freaks, rarely look up.

After a few minutes of searching I found something that would do. A hole near the ceiling above a window, large enough for me to fit in and out of the way to avoid suspicion. I pulled myself into the hole as the sun began to rise higher into the sky. Now to play the waiting game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep in Canterlot Castle, behind the soundproof walls of the operating room, loud and terrible screaming shook the walls.

"For the love of Faust, somepony shut her up!" Doctor Wisdom yelled.

"MY LEGS!!! MAKE IT STOP!!! HELP ME!!!" The screaming continued from the legless mare with a collar sewn into her neck. The lone survivor of the earlier attack in the city. "STOP THE PAIN!!! LET ME GO!!!"

The second Doctor, Precise Scalpel, lit up his horn and hit the screaming mare with a 'Sleep' spell. "There. She should be out for a few hours."

"Finally." Wisdom muttered.

While being Canterlot's top Doctors the two could not be more different. Wisdom had always had things handed to him and had an easy life, being born to a high noble family. While he was one of Canterlot's top Doctors he only ever took well paying jobs that involved the Canterlot Elite. And he never took jobs from those he considered 'common folk'.

Precise Scalpel on the other hand had been born to a family of farmers in Trottingham. After becoming a Doctor he never forgot his roots and regularly did work for free for those that could not afford it. After moving to Canterlot he gained infamy by not playing favourites to the nobility and not getting involved in the politics of the city. He was known for his willingness to lend his ear and his ferociousness when dealing with injustice and those that looked down on others.

They were almost the opposite of each other, from opposite ends of life. So, naturally, they hated each other.

Scalpel frowned slightly, "You could show a little respect."

Wisdom sneered, "Why should I?" He began working on stopping the bleeding from the place the patient's left hind leg used to be. "She's a commoner." He spoke the word as if it was poison. "The only reason I'm here is because the Princess asked me to help."

Scalpel held back his disgust of the stallion. "You're only here to improve your reputation. Why am I not surprised? And Princess Celestia asked."

Wisdom snorted, "She's the only real Princess. I don't know why they didn't send Nightmare Moon to the dungeon."

Scalpel quashed the urge to deck Wisdom in the face. He was used to his old fighting instincts from his teenage days popping up around Wisdom (especially around Wisdom) and the other self-centred ponies around Canterlot, but he almost gave in to them when he heard the insult directed at Princess Luna. So to distract himself he took up another teenage instinct. Aggravating the high class.

"Well, I suppose for a noble actually thinking is hard enough without adding more complications to the mix like, say, talking at the same time. Actually that'd explain a lot."

As Wisdom's jaw tightened the guards by the door exchanged weary glances. This was the exact reason they were there, Wisdom and Scalpel couldn't be in the same room without getting into some kind of verbal spat. While it hadn't descended into violence yet, it was only a matter of time until it did.

"And I'd watch what you're saying about Princess Luna if I was you. Who knows what Celestia will do when she hears."

Wisdom sneered again, "And just who exactly is going to tell her? You?"

Scalpel shook his head, "Not me. She has eyes and ears everywhere. Like those guards."

"Those guards are commoners, just like you and this waste of space. Who's she going to believe? A pathetic commoner or a high class Doctor?"

Scalpel saw one of the guards get riled up at that and signaled for her to calm down. "Say, Wisdom." Scalpel grinned. "Do you like apples?"

Wisdom glanced up for a second. "Apples? I...suppose I don't mind them. Why?"

"Because while your family and the rest of the useless nobles are sitting on their flanks complaining about not getting what they want, when they want it, those 'commoner' guards are passing a bill that'll get all the nobles not doing anything useful forcibly drafted into the guards and trained." Scalpel grinned as Wisdom's jaw dropped. "How'd you like them apples?" Scalpel was making it all up, of course, but he reasoned that Wisdom didn't need to know that.

One of the guards cleared his throat. "Focus on your patient." He stated, hiding a smile.

"Fine." Wisdom muttered. "I'll work on the wretch."

"She has a name." Scalpel growled.

"Yes. Worthless Space." Wisdom smirked.

"Her name is Blazing Sapphire. Do not forget that, Wisdom." Scalpel snarled.

Wisdom just scoffed and moved up to the neck of Blazing and lit up his horn.

Scalpel noticed just in time. "The collar is interwoven into her neck, you moron!" He yelled, slapping the Wisdom's horn as he was about to try and pull the thread out, forcibly cancelling the spell. "Why don't you go play in traffic while I actually try to save her life?!"

"How dare you speak to me like that!!" Wisdom snapped. "I've been operating for years!"

"Then it's a miracle any of your patients survived, you inept fool! You may think you're so great, but this is someone's life! Not a way of improving your social standing!"

Wisdom shoved Scalpel away from the patient. "There something you want to say, street brat?!"

Scalpel glared at him, "Oh, I want to say many things. But there are bigger things than your pride at stake here. Get out of my face."

Wisdom snarled, "Don't you dare talk to me like that, you pathetic, low class, scum!"

Scalpel paused before turning to Wisdom. "Actually, yes. I do have something to say to you."

Wisdom sneered, "And what's that, brat?"

Scalpel smiled, "Say hello to Nurse Hope for me." Before Wisdom could reply Scalpel smashed his hoof into his face. Wisdom fell to the floor whimpering and holding his heavily bleeding snout and Scalpel turned to one of the guards by the door, "If you could be so kind as to take him away, I would like to continue to try and save my patient's life."

He turned back to the unconscious mare. "Damn that felt good."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later Precise Scalpel exited the operating room and sighed. All was not well. Despite all his best attempts all he had been able to do was stop the blood and ease Blazing Sapphire's pain.

He looked up as Princess Celestia approached him. "How is she?" She asked hopefully.

Scalpel sighed again, "There's nothing more I can do. She might survive for another week or so. But...not for much longer than that."

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, "Isn't there anything you can do? Anything at all?"

Scalpel looked away, "I...may know someone that can help. But...she isn't exactly...friendly. Or nice. Or willing to help without something being done for her in return." A thought occurred to him, "Maybe I could offer her...hmm...no, that's...but...yes. For the patient, yes, I'll do it."

"Do what?" Celestia questioned.

"It doesn't matter. I don't suppose you send mail instantly, can you?" He asked, hoping those certain rumours to be true.

Celestia nodded, "Yes, but you aren't going to do anything rash are you?"

Scalpel shook his head, "No, it's...I'm not going to do anything rash, Celestia." He then added quietly, "Her on the other hoof..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Out of my way, hornhead!" A black and white Griffin with a metal wing and several large bags on her yelled as she flew through the streets of Canterlot, ponies just barely avoiding her as she made her way to the castle.

As soon as she had received the letter from Scalpel she had packed what she needed and flew as fast as she could for Canterlot. Luckily she lived relatively close.

As she approached the castle doors one of the two guards on duty blocked her path. "Halt!" He demanded.

The Griffin snorted, "Yeah, no."

The guard was about to continue when his partner cut in. "She's the one we were told about. Black and white Griffin, metal wing, rude." He turned his attention to the Griffin. "The medical-"

"I know where it is!" She growled. "Get out of my way!" She dashed past the guards and into the castle.

The first guard snorted and turned to his partner, "Yep. Definitely rude."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who let the dirty animal in?" Blueblood sneered as the Griffin passed by, going nowhere near as fast as she had through the city. She paused, backed up and glared at Blueblood, her icy blue eyes showing little more than irritation. "What are you looking at, you plebeian?"

She punched Blueblood in the face, flooring him before giving him a few vicious kicks to the ribs, after which she went on her way.

After the small confrontation with Blueblood the Griffin quickly made her way to the medical wing, where Princess Celestia and Precise Scalpel were waiting.

"Scalpel." The Griffin grinned. "How's the flank?"

Scalpel's face flushed red as he groaned. "None of your business." He caught sight of Celestia giving him a knowing look. "No, Celestia. Just...no. She got me kicked in the flank by another Griffin."

The Griffin snorted, "Yeah, kicked. With her claws. Then she groped them and you made those adorable-"

"Anyway!" Scalpel yelled to avoid his further embarrassment. "Introduce yourself so I know what you're going by this time."

"Call me Griffin." She grunted.

"A Griffin called Griffin. How inspired." Celestia drawled.

"Oh, look, a bitch who doesn't know anything useful, how worthless." Griffin snapped.

Celestia blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

Griffin sneered, "Unless you know anything about bioengineering, the effects of mechanical prosthetics on flesh or how to merge flesh, nerves and metal, shut up." She snarled. “I really can’t be bothered to deal with uneducated idiots.”

Scalpel sighed, "I'm sorry, Celestia, she can be quite rude at times, but the fact that she's a genius in her field usually makes up for it." He decided to leave out the fact that she was just as perverted as she was rude, after all she didn't come because he'd asked nicely.

"Griffin." Scalpel said slowly. "We...need your help."

"I read the letter." She butted in. "I know what I'm here for. I know what I'm getting for it. What I don't know is why you care so much."

"She's my patient, that makes me responsible for her wellbeing." Scalpel replied.

"What a load of crap." Griffin muttered. "You wouldn't call me in unless it was for a good reason, PS. Why?" Scalpel looked away.

"Scalpel?" Celestia asked.

"My reasons are my own." He stated in a serious tone. "You're getting what you want out of this, just do your job."

Griffin laughed, "Not until you spill. She could die for all I care."

Scalpel shrunk and gave her the biggest, saddest look he could. "Please?"

Griffin sighed, "Alright, alright. I'll do it, just put the damn puppy eyes away." She groaned, "You guys owe me big time for this." She turned and glared at Celestia. "But this is the only time I'm doing this. I don't care if the world's going to end if I don't, but I am not doing this to anyone else."

Celestia looked at the Griffin confused. "Why? If we can-"

"I said NO!" She yelled. "If you want me to even help this one you'll leave me alone after this!"

"Make me strong." Blazing Sapphire said weakly, startling all but the Griffin. "Make...make me able to fight that thing!" She gritted her teeth, "I want that thing to suffer for what it did to me!" The Griffin began grinning as she continued. "I want it dead!"

Celestia stared in shock as the Griffin began laughing loudly, "That's the kind of talk I like!" She ruffled Blazing's mane. "Don't worry, by the time I'm done you'll be able to go up against whatever it was that did this to you. But, uh, heh." She gave a sadistic grin. "This is going to hurt. A lot."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The moon was high in the sky by the time I crawled out of the hole. Time to end this hunt. For I am the hunter. And all life is my prey.

I stuck to the ceiling as I crawled down the halls, the filth walking around beneath me. It was sickening how they thought they were worthy of living, how they thought they could live. The scum of the planet. The fools had no idea of their own pathetic ant-like existence.

Of course it was only a matter of time until one of them looked up. It was a maid. As soon as I heard the beginnings of a scream I dived from the ceiling, crushing the wench into mush.

I glared at the freaks staring at me, frozen in place. Well, that's no fun. I let loose a loud roar, shaking them and causing the crowd to scatter, screaming.

I grinned. Perfect. Now to find some victims. I stalked the halls, occasionally smashing up a painting or window,

It wasn't long until a little fake guard ran towards me, a unicorn, white coat and hair two shades of blue. It was wearing...unique armour, more customised. I scoffed, yes, like armour will stop me from ripping your damn head off.

"Surrender, beast!" He cried. "I will not allow you to harm my-" I smacked him into the wall where he fell to the ground and fell silent. I snorted. Useless.

Another waste of space ran towards me with a spear, roaring. I gave a laugh as I wrenched the spear away as soon as it was in range, I followed up by ripping her head off, her spine coming with it.

I spotted another two guards rushing towards me and flicked the spine like a whip, wrapping it around the nearest guard's neck and pulled, the guard's neck snapped with a satisfying crack and his body was added to the others littering the halls.

I dropped the spine and grabbed the remaining guard and punched into her side and tore a few ribs out before stabbing them into her head. Her tongue lagged out of her mouth and her eyes gave a vacant expression as the blood poured from her head. I grinned as I shoved my hand into her chest and wrenched out her heart. She fell to the floor almost instantly. Before I moved on I opened her mouth and placed her heart inside.

I continued down the hall until a guard ran into me. Literally. I grabbed the guard and tore its helmet off before tearing one of its eyes out. I laughed as the guard began screaming. Huh. I didn't think a male could reach notes that high.

I stumbled as I was blasted in the back. I turned and spotted the offending freak down the hall. I didn't feel like leaving the one eyed screamer just yet so I picked up his spear and threw it down the hall into the bastard's throat.

I turned back to my latest victim. He was sobbing on the ground and clutching his empty eye socket. Like a little bitch. I giggled as I ripped off one of his ears, eliciting a loud scream. I gave him a punch to the face before flipping him on his back. I grinned as I cut him underbelly open with a finger. I swear his screams shook the halls! With a smile I began to poke around inside him, grabbing the odd organ and ripping it out, his remaining eye following me.

I made sure he was looking as I ripped out a kidney and began to eat it. While I prefer brains, other organs can also be quite enjoyable to eat, though sometimes they taste wrong, which is why I don't tend to eat them.

I grabbed a spear from the ground and impaled the shaft into the wall. I then picked up the bloody wreck and shoved him through the spear. I then impaled the flesh of his underbelly to the wall with two swords. Feeling a little merciful I slit his throat as I moved on.

After that I decided to start pinning my victims to the walls. A body with no eyes here, a body with its face smashed into pulp there. I even ripped the wings off of a pegasus and forced them into the back of a unicorn, creating a perverse mockery of an Alicorn. Heh, like they weren't big enough freaks already.

After finishing my art I grabbed the last alive guards and opened the next door in style.

The door splintered into bits as the guard's body crashed through it, her head turning into mush as she connected to a wall.

As I stepped into the room I caught sight of my target surrounded by maids. Finally! I grabbed a nearby maid and crushed the head in my hands before throwing the corpse at the Princess's hooves. She scampered backwards into another hallway. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!" She screamed. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"

A guard come rushing through a door next to me. "Don't worry, Princess! I'll stop-!" I cut her off by chomping through her skull. Mmm! Tastes sweet!

The target ran away as two more guards took her place. After ripping through them I turned the corner and spotted my target just in time to get an eyeful of magic. I screeched and reeled backwards clutching the injury.

I looked back to the corridor just in time to see a guard charge me. I ripped the maggot in two. and threw the remains at his little friend crushing her against a wall. That little bitch! She thinks she can run from me?! I let off a roar, my rage empowering me. NO MORE GAMES!!! IT ENDS NOW!!! I smashed my way through a door, only to find my target surrounded by another twenty unicorns. All with their horns lit. Oh, bollocks.

"FIRE!!!" The target screamed and a volley of spells flew into me. Pain flared up as I was thrown backwards, occasional small burns or shocks from elemental spells.

I forced myself to my feet, snarling as I dashed towards the group, twitching as the electricity caused my muscles to randomly spasm. A growl started to grow in my throat as I shrugged off the spells thrown at me. I grabbed a unicorn by the throat and swung it around like a rag doll, knocking down the majority of the group. I then tore off two legs and used them as clubs, bashing in the heads of the remaining group.

I dropped the torn up limbs and grabbed the last unicorn by the throat. My target had disappeared after the first volley of spells. I snarled and tore off its horn. I bathed in the screams of pain before I sunk the horn into the guard's throat and ripped off her head. As I dropped her body I was sent stumbling as I was hit in the back.

I turned and growled, my target was stood there with her horn glowing. I glared at the target. I won't lose to this filth! She should be grovelling at my feet! I threw a dead guard's head at her. She squealed as blood from it splattered over her. Get. Over. Here. Bitch. As she ran I let out a roar. I was sick and tired of this! Just DIE ALREADY!!!

I gave chase, tearing through the odd guard, but they were nowhere near as frequent as they were when I started my attack. After a few minutes I finally cornered her in a dead end corridor. She cowered at the end as I slowly crept towards her. While I was still some distance away, fatigue finally catching up on me, she lit up her horn. I prepared to dodge her attack when she fired it above my head.

I looked up to make sure nothing was wrong. Nothing. I snorted and was about to continue playing with her when there was a mighty cracking sound above me. I looked up and froze as I saw the ceiling above me begin to fall. Bitch. I ran towards the target, the ceiling falling just behind me. YOU DIE NOW!!! I could feel rubble landing just behind me as I leapt towards the target, mouth open for the kill. Trophies don't matter anymore, I just want her dead!

I snapped my jaw shut. But instead of tasting delicious flesh they closed on air. The target had disappeared in a purple flash at the last possible moment. I let out an an angry, feral roar as I was engulfed by falling rubble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the early hours of the morning Princess Twilight Sparkle was sat, constantly shivering, behind most of the remaining guards in the barracks. While she was sure the monster was dead, she found comfort in the guards after the night of horrors that had just passed.

As the hours passed she slowly regained her composure and confidence. She slowly stopped shivering and began trying to figure out just how many guards had the monster had killed.

The door suddenly burst open, the guards readied their weapons but then lowered them when they saw it was another guard sprinting to the Princess.

"P-Princess!" The guard gasped.

Twilight looked towards her, smiling, glad the threat to her life and the citizens of Equestria was finally gone. "Yes?"

The guard was shaking, "We...we searched the debris and we found your brother, he's injured but alive, but..."

"But?" Twilight pressed.

"The beast. It's...it's not there!" The guard cried.

Twilight stared, a sick feeling spreading through the pit of her stomach. "What?"

Author's Note

WOO!!! Longest chapter yet and I'm feeling great about it! So, yeah. Well...Huh. I have nothing to say. :twilight blush:

Oh, wait no! There is something. The plot to this thing (Yes, there is actually a plot) is about to shift into overdrive! Well...not really...still a few chapters till it really gets started...well, I have ideas on where I'm going, unlike when I first wrote this thing.

So, until next time, Fox out!